Empathy in leadership: Building trust across divides

You don’t have to agree with someone to understand them. In fact, the ability to sit with disagreement respectfully may be one of the most important skills a leader can develop.

Dr Claire Yorke, senior lecturer in international politics and strategy from the Deakin Centre for Future Defence and National Security, has been exploring the idea of empathy for years. Her new book, Empathy in Politics and Leadership: The Key to Transforming Our World, examines how empathy can shape the way we lead, engage and communicate with others.

We spoke to Yorke to understand what empathy means in political leadership and society, how it can be developed and why it may be an important tool for navigating an increasingly divided world. 

Empathy in leadership is sometimes misunderstood. It can be mistaken for being soft and agreeable – associated with an overly accommodating leader who bends to every whim. But empathy isn’t about pleasing everyone. It involves understanding how decisions affect people, and how people’s context and experiences shape their perspectives, and using that understanding to lead more effectively.

Yorke reflects this sentiment. ‘Because empathy has very positive, kind connotations, sometimes I think people imagine it’s about giving people everything they want, but actually, it’s about putting people first, understanding the impact of politics and policy on diverse people and communities, and using that understanding to create more inclusive and equitable politics and communicate effectively the complexities of politics. It means leading in ways that inspire, empower, and uplift people’. 

We live in an increasingly polarised world with growing divisions over politics, the economy, education, welfare, and quality of life. For leaders, this creates a challenge: how do you bring people on opposite sides together and find solutions?

Empathy can be an important part of the answer. It helps leaders understand experiences and perspectives different from their own – without necessarily agreeing with them.

‘Empathy is a core step in countering forms of politics that seek to demonise, or dehumanise people. Healthy democracies are dependent on people coexisting with difference and require a plurality of voices and opinions to be part of debate to find common ground and shared solutions,’ Yorke explains.

Listening to people ‘can help leaders, politicians, and those in positions of power find solutions that are attuned to the public and put people first,’ says Yorke. 

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is often held up as an example of an empathetic leader, particularly for her response to the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attacks. She was genuinely compassionate, spent time listening to the community and followed through with action to introduce changes to New Zealand’s gun laws. As a leader, she was comfortable showing her vulnerability and was known for ‘leading as a human first’.

While Ardern demonstrated empathy in her own way, empathy in politics doesn’t always lead to greater unity. Yorke points out that politicians can use empathy in very different ways. ‘Some use it for unity, while others use it to create “in-groups” at the expense of “out-groups” – where their narrative is along the lines of “I understand you and have listened to your concerns, and how you have been let down by the establishment, and I am going to be the one to fix it,”’ says Yorke.

‘Some politicians genuinely use empathy as an ethos and a vision, a sincere part of how they lead, but others use it more performatively, to signal care without following through,’ she explains.

But empathy also has its critics who argue that prioritising understanding and compassion can make leaders less decisive or more vulnerable. Elon Musk has called it a fundamental weakness of Western civilisation, a view that has been echoed by others.

Yorke rejects this idea that empathy is a flaw.

‘It takes real courage and effort to sit with difference and to seek to understand others. It also involves more persistence and patience, which is not always something we see in politics,’ she says.

While some people may be more naturally empathetic than others, empathy can be developed. Yorke suggests there are several practical ways leaders can build their capacity to understand differences and lead with greater empathy.

Listen to understand

Listening isn’t just hearing what people say. Leaders also need to communicate with integrity and credibility and explain the challenges behind different decisions. This in turn will develop more trust, says Yorke.

‘So often we listen to respond, and not to really hear, and once we start listening to understand, and getting curious about the experiences of others, it can help expand our capacity for empathy,’ she says.

Leave the office

Empathy can’t easily be practiced behind a desk. The only way political leaders will understand the public is by getting out and understanding the impact of their political decisions and choices. They have to be ready to meet and encounter citizens and engage with the electorate.

For instance, ‘if you are developing education policy, spend time in schools really seeing what teachers are grappling with and the challenges they face. If you are looking at welfare policy, go out and see how far the money of those dependent on welfare goes and where there are gaps in the system that punishes them unfairly,’ explains Yorke.

It also means getting into communities before there is a campaign to sell – not simply when you need votes.

Be willing to adapt

Importantly, leaders must be willing to be flexible, and by this Yorke means ‘an ability to iterate and adapt when you can see things aren’t working as well as intended, and to admit to mistakes and make amendments when you get things wrong.’ There’s little value in sticking with an approach that isn’t meeting people’s needs.

Surround yourself with difference

Even simply having a diverse team can expose leaders to a different set of viewpoints. Being surrounded by people who think differently can challenge assumptions, reveal blindspots and create space for more creative solutions. It gives leaders opportunities to practise listening to and understanding experiences they may not share.

If we are to encourage more empathetic leadership, we need to change our expectations of politics, says Yorke.

‘In many ways, we have set the bar too low, and we should expect better from those in power: more care, more people-centric approaches, and more initiatives that put wellbeing ahead of profit and interests,’ she says.

But it’s not just up to our leaders; we also need to find ways to connect with and understand different viewpoints within our communities.

‘Change does not just come from the top down, and this is a key message of the book. It has to begin with us, in how we show up, participate and create change in our communities and local neighbourhoods,’ says Yorke.

If we can practice empathy in our everyday lives – we can all play a role in bridging the divides around us.

To find out more, pick up a copy of Empathy in Politics and Leadership: The Key to Transforming Our World available now through Yale University Press and other major booksellers such as Dymocks and Harry Hartog.