For managers at every level, substantial research shows a very real return on investment (ROI) for creating and fostering an empathetic workplace. One great example was reported by Forbes in 2021, where a study by Catalyst found that employees who described their workplace as “empathetic” were more innovative and engaged, more likely to describe their workplace as inclusive and, importantly, more likely to stay at their jobs.

This kind of ROI, particularly given the cost of employee turnover alone, should all but close the case on the importance of empathy, yet few companies today train their managers on this vital skill.

Even in our modern business world, there’s still a strongly held belief that employees need to leave their personal problems at home. It’s true that being empathetic does have its limits and appropriate action should be taken when employees aren’t carrying their weight, but if there’s one thing all mangers should understand, it’s that being empathetic and expecting team members to be high performers are not mutually exclusive. Being an empathetic leader can, in fact, lead to a better, more cohesive and higher-performing team.

Empathy Can Be Learned

A common question among managers, especially newly promoted managers, is “What if I’m not naturally empathetic?” or “What if I don’t know how to be empathetic?” The good news in both cases is that empathy can be learned.

It starts with clarifying what empathy is — and what it isn’t. Specifically, empathy is not “sympathy.” Sympathy is simply feeling sorry for someone else, without understanding how the other person feels. Empathy is seeing a situation from the other person’s perspective. As a great illustration, a sympathetic person might say, “How sad for you,” while an empathetic person would say “I understand how you feel, and how can I help?”

In his bestselling book “Emotional Intelligence,” Daniel Goleman describes three kinds of empathy:

• Cognitive empathy is described as thinking about how others might feel and trying to take the other person’s perspective, but it boils down to thinking about emotions rather than feeling.
• Emotional empathy is the state when we are really feeling the same emotions the other person is feeling.
• Empathic concern has a very active and compassionate element. Beyond just feeling what someone else is feeling, this is where we try to act on someone’s behalf. We want to help.

Empathy Requires Intentionality

The most important step in being more empathetic is understanding that it is something you must decide to do.

They might sound simple, but a classic real-life research study shows it’s not as easy as it sounds:

A group of theology students were told they would be rated on their sermon. Half were assigned the parable of the Good Samaritan, which talks about an “outsider” selflessly helping a stranger. The other half were assigned a random topic. Then, just at the right moment, each student was told the time to deliver their sermon had changed and they only had a few minutes to rush to another building to give their sermon. Along the route, there was a random person bent over and moaning in pain. This was the real object of the study. Researchers wanted to know if students who developed a sermon on the Good Samaritan would be more likely to stop and help the man. Shockingly, they were not. Even though they were completely in the mindset of helping others and demonstrating empathy by the very sermons they’d prepared, that mindset was overruled by the time pressure of having to rush to another building.

For managers, this means that simply wanting to be empathetic isn’t enough. Accepting that managers are legitimately busy, those in a constant rush will find it’s nearly impossible to be empathetic, because there’s no time to connect and get on common ground with their team members.

Quick Ways to Build Empathy Muscles

Fortunately, empathy is a skill that can be learned. Learning leaders should train managers on the following best practices to build their empathy muscles:

• Immersion is helpful. Spend time with a people you don’t know well, follow people on social media with different perspectives, visit someone else’s church, volunteer in a different part of your community, etc.
• Practice self-awareness. If you’re aware of your own emotions, you’re going to be able to connect with others and detect the emotions of others.
• Acknowledge your biases. We’re all biased, and our biases are often unconscious. For example, ask yourself if you ever have to worry about your race, religion, ethnicity or gender identity impacting how you are perceived or treated in a work or social setting. If you don’t, accept that many other people do.
• Practice simple kindness. This comes down to those things we learned in kindergarten: be generous, be friendly, be considerate, be sincere. Every manager should try out Shaunti Feldhahn’s “30 Day Kindness Challenge.”
• Learn to be an active listener. Active listening is listening that involves you making a conscious effort to hear not only the words another person is saying, but the complete message being communicated.
• Remember that little things go a long way. Ultimately, people need to feel that they are valued as human beings, and not just as team members. Celebrate work anniversaries, birthdays and/or life events. Bring the team together for activities, and never underestimate the power of a handwritten note of thanks or encouragement.
• Reading helps, too. Goleman’s “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” and Brené Brown’s book, “Daring Greatly,” are excellent resources for leaders looking to become more empathetic and to hone other key skills.

Empathy and the Bottom Line

Among the many “soft” benefits of being empathetic is that it builds trust with team members. Without trust, a team doesn’t know what to expect from their manager or each other: There’s not even assurance that commitments and confidences will be kept. In times of crisis, when the team needs to lean on each other and their manager the most, a lack of trust can be crippling.

In 2012, Google launched a multi-year quest to figure out how to build a “perfect” team. Dubbed “Project Aristotle” (as an homage to Aristotle’s statement that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”) one of the project’s many findings was that the resulting trust that comes from empathy is one of the most important characteristics that distinguishes high-performing teams.

Moreover, according to a 2019 report by Businessolver, 90% of employees say they’re more likely to remain in an empathetic company. Considering the impact that has on costs for hiring, training, customer satisfaction and overall productivity, it’s safe to say the business case for empathy is incredibly strong.

In sum, the net result of empathy is a healthy work environment that will have a positive ripple effect on innovation, performance, retention and engagement — especially in times of crisis.