The Empathy Gap

CHAPTER 3 Navigating uncertainty with empathy

In October of 2019, news broke that the Australian government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, had spent almost $200 000 hiring an empathy consultant to provide advice. No, it wasn't me but, as you might imagine, the media took great pleasure in the aftermath scorning the apparent admission of the leader of our country being so out of touch with his constituents that they needed someone to help them to have empathy. Also unsurprisingly, as the CEO of a company called Empathic Consulting, I had media agencies reaching out for my thoughts on the matter.

In a live radio interview, they asked me an obvious question: ‘Did I think politicians needed to have more empathy?’ My response might not have been exactly what they were expecting. I responded that I thought politicians actually have a lot of empathy … for other politicians. In most political situations, if you don't have a good understanding of the motivations, desires and beliefs of the other politicians you need to work with and against, you won't have much success in the job. Successful politicians are typically masters at navigating the complex web of competing priorities across the house of parliament. They tap into the needs of other members of the house and use this knowledge to build influence, create leverage and ultimately help them in reaching the outcomes they desire.

‘What I think you are asking is whether politicians need more empathy for everyday people,’ I ...