Are you an empathic leader?
Executive summary
How can leaders drive innovation, engagement, and inclusion while supporting employees’ varied life circumstances and needs? According to Catalyst’s report, The power of empathy in times of crisis and beyond, cultivating empathic leadership skills is key. In a world where rapid change and disruption is transforming work in unprecedented ways, empathy is an essential business skill that everyone can learn, allowing leaders to build workplaces that support all employees and maintain business continuity in the face of change.
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This quiz is a starting point to identify the strengths and areas of opportunity you have as a leader to build and flex your empathy skills. Answer each question based on how you would typically respond in that scenario.
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1. A member of your team shares with you that they are juggling multiple responsibilities and roles and asks for flexible work options to better manage their life-work obligations/caregiving/etc. You:
A. Imagine how they feel trying to manage these varied responsibilities and repeat what you heard to confirm that you understand their experience.
B. Think about your own experience juggling multiple priorities without any option for flexible scheduling.
C. Feel a sense of pity for their struggle.
2. Nina, a Black team member, shares that she’s had trouble concentrating and sleeping due to the increased media coverage of anti-Black violence in her country. You:
A. Change the subject after an awkward silence.
B. Say you’re sorry to hear about what she’s been going through and ask if she has tried going to bed earlier.
C. Let her know that you also are upset about what has been happening and worried about how your company will step up to support your Black coworkers.
3. A member of your team recently took time off to deal with a family emergency. During the next one-on-one meeting with them, you:
A. Try to catch them up on the work updates that they missed without mentioning the family emergency because it’s inappropriate to ask about their personal life.
B. Ask a lot of questions about what the family emergency was and how they and their family are doing. It’s important that you know what’s happening in your employees’ personal lives.
C. Mention that you have been thinking about them and give them a chance to speak about it if they want to.
4. During a team video meeting, you notice that Paola, who is normally engaged and enthusiastic, has her camera off, says very little, and seems dejected in the chat. You:
A. Send a direct message to Paola after the meeting to ask if she is okay and let her know that you’re open to chatting later if desired.
B. Stop the meeting to ask if she is okay in front of everyone.
C. Ignore it since Paola probably doesn’t want you to mention it anyway.
5. Evelyn recently transitioned and is now using she/her pronouns. During a meeting, you accidentally call her by the wrong pronoun. Evelyn looks bothered and corrects you. You:
A. Respond by saying “anyway,” sighing, and moving on with the meeting.
B. Profusely apologize and tell Evelyn how much you respect her and how your son’s friend is also transgender.
C. Pay attention to Evelyn and team members’ facial expressions and responses. You then thank Evelyn for correcting you, apologize, and repeat what you originally said using the correct pronoun.
6. While you are writing an important email, Kiara sends a chat message asking if you have a minute to talk about how you determine who gets access to an AI training. You hop on a quick video call with her and respond by:
A. Saying “I’m listening,” while continuing to type out an email; every so often, you switch your gaze from your email to her.
B. Closing the email you were writing, and giving her your full attention.
C. Saying “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this” and telling her about all the work that has kept you from reaching out to her.
7. After a meeting you didn’t attend, Antonio shares with you that a senior leader made a homophobic joke and then looked at him and said, “No offense, Antonio.” You:
A. Say nothing and give Antonio space to continue speaking before you respond to understand more about how he is feeling.
B. Laugh uncomfortably, and after trying to understand the senior leader’s perspective, say that the leader probably didn’t mean anything by it.
C. Immediately offer to call HR and report this senior leader.
8. During your weekly check-in, a team member shares some challenges they’ve encountered managing a client relationship and asks for your advice. You tell them:
A. “I can relate to what you are going through; I used to manage that client and they are very difficult. How about I step in to straighten things out?”
B. “It sounds like you’ve been feeling particularly frustrated with this client and are looking for tips on how you can best proceed. Is that accurate?”
C. “This reminds me of a situation I had with a different client. Here’s how I would handle it.”
9. A fellow coworker, Derek, shares with you that he is feeling disappointed because he lost a client that he had been working hard to retain. You tell him:
A. “It also makes me sad to hear about what happened because I saw you come in early every day this week to complete the project for them.”
B. “Cheer up, Derek, another client will come along soon.”
C. “It’s just a part of the job. It’s not a big deal.”
10. You notice one of your team member’s work quality has diminished and schedule a check-in to discuss the issue with them. During the meeting, they reveal they have been struggling with mental health issues. You:
A. Tell them you are sorry to hear that they are suffering, and you hope they can figure it out. Then you quickly move on to other business.
B. Disclose that you have also struggled with mental health issues over the years and have a really great therapist who you’ll put them in touch with.
C. Tell them you are concerned about their well-being and care about them.
Score one point for each correct answer:
- A
- C
- C
- A
- C
- B
- A
- B
- A
- C
Review your score
Score 0-4: Room to Improve
Your score suggests your empathy skills may be a little rusty, and that you struggle to display empathy towards others at work. You may have been taught that empathy is inappropriate in the workplace or not a valuable skill. However, employees are whole human beings who are more motivated and engaged when they feel seen and understood, so empathy is an important skill for a leader to develop. Just like any other skill, you can improve by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and seeking training or actively practicing. For example, practice cognitive empathy by opening your mind to other people’s viewpoints and experiences. There are three facets of empathy that you can practice to reap the benefits of empathic leadership: emotional/affective empathy, cognitive empathy, and behavioral empathy. Importantly, you don’t need to demonstrate each facet in every interaction. You can apply them individually or in combination, depending on the situation. Start by engaging in emotional empathy, or trying to understand others’ emotions rather than finding the “right” answer or a solution.
- Emotional/affective empathy: Sharing or showing similarity to another person’s emotional state. For example, you feel concern and/or have similar emotions as your colleague. Also, build awareness of the other types of empathy as you grow your skill.
- Cognitive empathy: Being able to see and understand another person’s thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. For example, you imagine what your colleague is experiencing from their unique perspective and reflect what you heard to confirm accuracy in your understanding.
- Behavioral empathy: Actions that demonstrate a sense of empathy for others. For example, you engage in active listening and show curiosity about your colleague’s feelings, experiences, or reactions.
To learn more about how and why to develop your empathy skills, explore our Explainer and Report. Catalyst Supporters can also access our Flip the Script, Knowledge Burst, and Webinar Recording.
Score 5-7: Challenge Yourself More
Your empathy skills are growing, yet there may be certain aspects of empathy you are less practiced in, or misguided notions that are blocking your progress. Make sure you understand what empathy is and what it is not. For example, empathy is not trying to fix someone’s problems, or feeling sympathy or pity. Examine the three facets of empathy and ask yourself if one feels more comfortable to you than another; each facet is a tool within your empathy toolbelt that can be applied in different situations. Importantly, you do not need to demonstrate each facet in every interaction. You can apply them individually or in combination.
- Cognitive empathy: Being able to see and understand another person’s thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. For example, you imagine what your colleague is experiencing from their unique perspective and reflect what you heard to confirm accuracy in your understanding.
- Emotional/affective empathy: Sharing or showing similarity to another person’s emotional state. For example, you feel concern and/or have similar emotions as your colleague.
- Behavioral empathy: Actions that demonstrate a sense of empathy for others. For example, you engage in active listening and show curiosity about your colleague’s feelings, experiences, or reactions.
Challenge yourself to inhibit the reflex to fix: When someone shares with you, make your primary goal simply to understand their viewpoint or experience (cognitive empathy), or experience or feel similarity in their emotions (emotional empathy). Next, demonstrate your empathy through active listening and communicating your concern and understanding.
To learn more about how and why to develop your empathy skills, explore our Explainer and Report. Catalyst Supporters can also access our Flip the Script, Knowledge Burst, Webinar Recording.
Score 8-10: Great Job! Keep going!
Congratulations! You are working hard at being an empathic leader who creates an environment where employees feel heard, validated, and seen. Keep flexing your empathy muscles by practicing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral empathy every day. For example, practice behavioral empathy by being an ally, even in uncomfortable situations. Demonstrate cognitive empathy by withholding judgment and practicing perspective-giving — allowing people the space to share their experiences without interjecting your experiences or opinions — with a situation you have never experienced before or with someone who is different from you. Challenge your team to engage in emotional empathy by sharing each other’s emotions for one day. Afterward, track and discuss progress and missteps. For reference, below are descriptions of the three facets of empathy that you can practice to reap the benefits of empathic leadership. Importantly, you do not need to demonstrate each facet in every interaction. You can apply them individually or in combination.
- Cognitive empathy: Being able to see and understand another person’s thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. For example, you imagine what your colleague is experiencing from their unique perspective and reflect what you heard to confirm accuracy in your understanding.
- Emotional/affective empathy: Sharing or showing similarity to another person’s emotional state. For example, you feel concern and/or have similar emotions as your colleague.
- Behavioral empathy: Actions that demonstrate a sense of empathy for others. For example, you engage in active listening and show curiosity about your colleague’s feelings, experiences, or reactions.
To learn more about how and why to develop your empathy skills, explore our Explainer and Report. Catalyst Supporters can also access our Flip the Script, Knowledge Burst, and Webinar Recording.