How To Make Sure Empathy Helps (Not Hinders) Your Leadership

Empathy is often lauded as a cornerstone of effective leadership, as it helps leaders connect with their teams and build trust. For some leaders, though, an overly empathic approach can deplete their energy reserves and emotional capacity, blurring their decision-making, stalling accountability and even opening the door to burnout, all of which negatively impact trust. How can a leader lean into their empathy and EQ while still driving high performance?

As Statice founder Kathy Shanley and her fellow members of Forbes Coaches Council know, striking the right balance as a leader helps create sustainable growth, a strong culture and long-term success. Here, 20 members share strategies for leveraging one’s innate empathy without seeing diminishing returns as a leader.

Listen To Others’ Views Without Losing Your Voice

A leader who has too much empathy may focus on being a supportive leader at the expense of expressing their beliefs or making tough decisions to benefit their team. One solution is to listen and understand what’s important to your team without being overly influenced by it. Continue to take strong positions about your point of view while balancing it with your ability to understand others’ views. - Kathleen Shanley, Statice

Read all 20 tips on Forbes.