What does empathy have to do with being a sustainable leader? Simply put, the more you start to care about your team and those around you, then the more they will begin to care about you and your company.
An empathetic leader can better appreciate what another person is going through and adapt their leadership style accordingly to help. This appreciation increases both collaboration and trust and also means you can better help your team to achieve their goals and improve their performance. If good leadership is getting the best out of your team, then the more that you know and understand your team, then the better your team will be.
Being an empathetic leader does not mean that you are a weak leader. It is, in fact, one of the most crucial skills a leader can have. If you show genuine empathy towards your team and appreciate the situations they are in, then hopefully you can leave work each day feeling that you have done all that you can to help. Your team will feel better, and you will feel better. That is not the sign of a weak leader, that is the sign of a good leader.
