The Power of Empathy Can Be a G.I.F.T. to Your Workplace

When Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella first interviewed with the company more than 30 years ago, he aced all the coding and technical questions and felt confident as the interview was wrapping up. But he was stunned by the interviewer’s final question: “If you saw a baby fall down and get hurt in a crosswalk, what would you do?”

“I’d go to a phone booth and call 911,” Nadella replied. The interviewer then got up and escorted Nadella out with these parting words: “You need to develop some empathy if you want to be a leader.” Nadella thought he’d just blown the interview. He actually did eventually win the job, and he now credits that question with teaching him a major lesson about putting empathy at the forefront of his leadership.

That poignant story is how Jodi Glickman, CEO of leadership development firm Great on the Job, began her session on “Creating Empathetic Leaders” at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2024 in Chicago on June 24. Glickman said the need for empathy in the workplace is more important than ever during this “post-pandemic hangover” period.

“We need to recognize that empathy is a force for good in the world of work today, and without it, it’s almost impossible to get the best out of your people and bring the best out of yourself,” she said. “Empathy actually makes people more productive, it helps with work/life integration, it creates positive experiences for you and your employees, and it drives innovation. … It’s like a magic pill.”

Glickman defines empathy as the skill of connecting with others to identify and understand their thoughts, perspectives, and emotions. Empathy is about recognizing that everyone is a person first and foremost—not just an employee. Empathic leaders are people who demonstrate care, concern, and understanding for employees and their life circumstances.

“We as leaders today cannot be successful in our organizations if we don’t actually care about our employees and their well-being,” said Glickman. “There are some leaders who don’t know they should care, and for them, it’s about a mindset shift. Because in 2024, if you don’t care about your employees, they’re not going to be there for you in 2025. That’s the truth.”   

Empathy isn’t a soft, nice-to-have concept in your workplace. Its presence can affect everything from productivity and employee engagement to turnover.  

Glickman pointed to a recent study by Catalyst, a leadership development firm, in which 61% of workers with highly empathetic senior leaders report being innovative at work, compared with 13% who have less empathetic leaders. In addition, 76% of professionals with highly empathetic senior leaders report feeling often or always engaged at work, versus only 32% of those with leaders who lack empathy.

When Google did a large survey of its employees a few years ago to identify what makes its work teams successful, it stumbled upon a remarkable finding: The success of Google’s teams depended less on who was on the team than on how the team worked together. And the most important factor was psychological safety—the sense that people on your team have your back. A lack of psychological safety was a key driver in stress, burnout, turnover, and poor performance.

One attendee in the audience at Monday’s session said he sees the harmful effects of a lack of empathy in his workplace every day.

“Our leaders are so hyperfocused on the numbers and the results that we mistreat our people in the process, and that’s creating a churn of talent. So we’re always in the state of re-creating the wheel,” said the attendee, who works for a company in Michigan and did not want to provide his name.

“Empathy is not present in our workplace, and it’s hurting our people and our bottom line,” he continued. “More empathy from our leaders would create a sense of security for our employees and give them the ability to take risks and be more successful.”  

G.I.F.T.: 4 Steps to Becoming an Empathetic Leader

Glickman said empathy isn’t a skill to be learned, it’s a muscle we need to flex and strengthen each day. She listed four steps to becoming a more empathetic and effective leader, following the G.I.F.T. framework.

Generosity. This includes listening intently to people, giving thoughtful feedback, giving credit where it’s due, and sharing your time, information, and resources.

“Generosity is walking into work every day and asking yourself this question: ‘How can I make my team’s life, or my boss’s life, or the client’s life better or easier?’ ” said Glickman.

Initiative. This includes showing recognition and gratitude to employees and mentoring  junior talent, especially people who don’t look like you. It also involves taking a personal interest in your teams and asking people about their lives.

“Simply asking people how they’re doing is an incredibly powerful question,” said Glickman. “When people feel like they belong and are seen at work, they are more productive, more motivated, more engaged, and three-and-a-half times more likely to engage to their fullest potential.”

Forward momentum. Forward momentum and initiative go together. It’s about moving the ball toward the goal, giving people the room to be themselves, and motivating them in the right way.

“We will always do better work for a boss we love,” said Glickman. “You can be motivated by fear in the short term, but you can’t be motivated by fear in the long term.”

Transparency. Transparency is what builds trust. So practice your own self-care and be vulnerable. Talk openly about topics such as burnout and stress with others. Encourage other people to do the same. Keep your teams in the loop (let them know the good, the bad, and the ugly).

“One of the things I tell senior leaders all the time is, ‘Tell your team that you’re going home for Little League or you’re leaving a bit early to have dinner with your spouse,’ ” said Glickman. “It’s about being a human and showing people that you have a life and not pretending like people can’t have their own lives.”