HBR's 10 Must Reads on Strengthening Your Soft Skills (with bonus article "You Don't Need Just One Leadership Voice--You Need Many" by Amy Jen Su)

Making Empathy Central to Your Company Culture

by Jamil Zaki

IN TIM COOK’S 2017 MIT commencement address, he warned graduates, “People will try to convince you that you should keep empathy out of your career. Don’t accept this false premise.” The Apple CEO is not alone in recognizing and emphasizing the importance of empathy—the ability to share and understand others’ emotions—at work. At the time of his remarks, 20% of U.S. employers offered empathy training for managers. In a recent survey of 150 CEOs, over 80% recognized empathy as key to success.¹

Research demonstrates that Cook and other leaders are onto something. Empathic workplaces tend to enjoy stronger collaboration, less stress, and greater morale, and their employees bounce back ...