Leading with Empathy

Chapter 1Introduction

The global pandemic of COVID-19 demonstrated how fragile humanity truly is, despite our technological, medical, and evolutionary advancements.

To say we are living in uncertain times is an understatement. In recent times, many of us have been scared, confused, and unsure of what could hurt us first: an unknown virus, a deepening economic downturn, or growing geopolitical tensions. Uncertainty about our future physical and financial health, combined with the pressures of required social distancing, has increased our worry and stress. All around us, we kept hearing stories of peoples' lives falling apart, incidents of injustice and cruelty, alarming mortality rates, and an unprecedented death toll. As a result of all these events, the number of people worldwide¹ experiencing high levels of psychological distress has noticeably increased since January 2020.²

Fear, frustration, panic, anger, confusion … we have all been dealing with these emotions (and many others) during these adverse times. News coverage and social media posts have managed to keep us in a constantly triggered state for long durations, making us paranoid, agitated, and insecure. What used to be normal is no more, and our lives have been affected in numerous disparate ways that we would have never anticipated or imagined. Mirthful conversations with friends over dinner and drinks on surviving a dangerous disease outbreak have slowly become a reality. Some people are unable to cope with these ...