The Adoption Curve of Empathy:
The Future of Leadership and Organizational Success
Earlier this year, I gave the most important speech of my life on the stage at SXSW in Austin. It was a significant opportunity to share the message behind my book, The Power of Empathy, and introduce the model I teach — the Five Phases of Empathy — to a wider audience.
During the speech, I emphasized why empathy is crucial, citing its role in addressing mental health issues, gun violence, and even its potential to boost workplace productivity.
Today, empathy is more talked about than ever, but many individuals and organizations still struggle to apply it meaningfully.
I’m part of a movement to evolve our understanding of empathy. The common definition of empathy as “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes” often reduces it to something adjacent to sympathy. This limited view causes empathy to be seen as a “soft skill” — something beneficial but not essential. It’s perceived as mostly innate, occasionally learned, but certainly not mandatory.
However, researchers, psychologists, and thought leaders are working to unpack empathy and reveal its full potential. The impact of empathy goes far beyond this simplistic definition.
Empathy in Workplaces: Future-Proof Leadership
In work environments, empathy has shifted from being just a tool to create safety in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) initiatives to a must-have skill for future-proof leaders. Leaders who can empathize create healthier, more inclusive environments where employees feel valued, understood, and supported.
According to EY 87% of employees believe empathy results in better leadership. 85% report that empathetic leadership in the workplace increases productivity among employees. 83% agree that mutual empathy between leaders and employees increases company revenue. And 78% agree it decreases employee turnover. From Empathy in Business Survey | Oct 2023
Empathy enables leaders to engage with their teams on a deeper level, fostering environments where open communication and trust can thrive. In fact, empathy plays a crucial role in the success of leadership development programs, which are designed to cultivate emotional intelligence and resilience. With these tools, leaders are better equipped to manage stress, support their teams, and guide organizations through change and uncertainty.
Empathy in Education: Supporting Students and Educators
In education, empathy has also evolved. It’s no longer just a subsection of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curricula; it’s now a holistic tool that supports both educators and parents in creating safe and nurturing environments for children at school and at home.
By fostering empathy in children, we help them develop the skills necessary to navigate complex social situations, build stronger relationships, and cultivate a sense of belonging in their communities.
A recent study in the National Library of Medicine indicated that teachers with higher levels of empathy tend to better perceive others’ emotions and consider students’ needs, leading to the formation of positive relationships. Teachers with greater empathy are more likely to adopt emotionally supportive strategies, such as comfort and encouragement when dealing with challenging student behaviors.
By demonstrating empathy, teachers can provide feedback and foster classroom discussions related to the teaching content. To effectively tailor their teaching to meet the needs of learners and create engaging lessons, teachers must be able to identify when students are struggling to understand content and which activities they find appealing or dull.
For educators, empathy creates a bridge between teachers, parents, and students, allowing them to understand their students’ unique needs and challenges. It also fosters a culture of trust and respect, where students feel seen and heard.
Empathy in Mental Health: A Path to Emotional Resilience
In the realm of mental health, empathy has shifted from being seen as a characteristic of emotionally evolved people to being a tool for expanding the nervous system’s capacity to handle both everyday stressors and unexpected situations. Empathy allows us to connect with others on a deeper level, which is crucial for managing emotions, resolving conflicts, and building meaningful relationships.
By cultivating empathy, individuals can better understand their own emotional triggers and develop the resilience needed to navigate life’s challenges. This has far-reaching implications, not only for personal well-being but also for creating a more compassionate and supportive society.
Focusing on Empathy in Organizations
Over the past few months, I’ve narrowed my focus to communicating the organizational benefits of empathy. As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned to focus on areas where I’ve seen the most sustained interest and investment: the workplace. After speaking at hundreds of organizations over the last four years, I’ve come to realize that the reasons companies come to me vary widely. Many still engage me to check boxes for mental health and DEIB programming without fully grasping the transformative potential of empathy education.
However, implementing empathy education into an organization’s culture is more than a box-ticking exercise — it’s a path to greater efficiency and long-term success. The ultimate goal is to cultivate emotionally intelligent, resilient leaders who can drive innovation, employee engagement, and retention. A culture of empathy involves methodical implementation at every key employee touchpoint: recruiting, onboarding, leadership development, performance evaluation, and even business strategy.
When empathy is woven into the fabric of an organization, it creates an environment where employees feel safe to express themselves, where diverse perspectives are valued, and where innovation can flourish. Leaders equipped with empathy can navigate conflicts more effectively, foster stronger team dynamics, and create a workplace that prioritizes well-being.
Why Empathy is a Competitive Advantage
Months ago, if you had asked me why empathy is important, I would have focused on all the problems it helps to solve. Today, I want to highlight the immense opportunity it creates for transformation and efficiency.
Empathy helps organizations nurture safety and trust, enabling diverse cultures to thrive. It democratizes mindfulness by making emotional well-being accessible to everyone, which in turn helps prevent burnout. It grounds individuals in their own and the organization’s values, allowing them to navigate change and explore opportunities for innovation collectively. Ultimately, empathy enables the growth of emotionally intelligent leaders who drive employee engagement and retention.
My Personal Journey with Empathy
I’ve had to apply “The Power of Empathy” and the “Five Phases of Empathy” in my own life, especially when faced with difficult decisions that prioritize my well-being and long-term success. These decisions weren’t easy, but empathy guided me through them by helping me stay grounded in my values and remain open to others’ perspectives.
In the coming weeks, I plan to share individual stories of how I’ve applied the Five Phases of Empathy and how that investment in trust is now paying off. These stories will illustrate the power of empathy in action and show how it can transform not only our personal lives but also the organizations we lead and work in.
Empathy is more than a buzzword — it’s a strategy for success. It’s time to get ahead of the adoption curve.
Check out my recent feature in Oprah Daily “Wait, There Are 3 Kinds of Empathy?”
About Michael Tennant
Michael Tennant, CEO of Curiosity Lab is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and author of The Power of Empathy available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, and described by Inc. Magazine’s 100 NonObvious Business Books as “A Thirty-Day Path to Personal Growth and Social Change effectively balancing a self-help approach with a practical explanation of how we can use empathy as a tool.” He’s also the creator of Actually Curious™ the empathy conversation game, Values Exercise™, and the Five Phases of Empathy™. In 2022, Curiosity Lab received an investment from Pharrell and the Black Ambition Prize.
