I will also add that caution should be taken when being empathetic as a leader, because there are some out there who will take advantage of that kindness. It is the job of the leader to recognize this and make the necessary adjustments in working with that person.

From personal experience, I can tell you it's easier said than done.
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Since I am a consultant, if I ever get a tattoo on my arm, the tattoo will read, "It Depends……"

Good luck with your quest, Catarina.

–Larry Stybel

Have a feeling that the reason empathic leadership is so in demand in the US at the moment is because an abundance of American employees feel they have been badly treated during the recession. Then people at Harvard and other experts focus on that.

Then look at the Nordic countries where empathy is the norm and suddenly the discussion is if it handicaps leaders.

The point of the article I wrote, that this discussion is based on, is that we really are over analysing leadership.

Isn't it time to accept that different leaders have different leadership styles? It has always been like that and always will be. Some are emphatic some are not. But a leader who is not firm and cannot take tough decisions will fail miserably, no matter how empathic he/she is.

When one asks about whether a leader should be empathic or not it is like asking one to choose which eye you rather live without the left or the right? Although we can still go on living with just either one of the eye but it certainly makes a huge difference having both eyes to see.

Based on my experience dealing with leaders for that matter it warrants a difficult path when dealing with people. Regarless of the nature of an organization's background the fundamental thing is that it involves human. Be it political or aplolitical humans are involved and it doesn't take a rocket scientists to tell you interelationships invovlves feeling and it is and will be apart of our everyday life.

Striking a balance between making bold descisions without considering human factor and with considering the later is not the question either as balance is not what is needed.

The ultimatum is that, leaders should learn to be both and most important of all learning to have the ability to understand situations where you should give importance to being empathic and situations where you have to make bold descisions.

I suppose my preference would be for an empathic leader to have the final say, but it certainly helps to have a ruthless element in creating change and taking difficult decisions.

Ultimately I'd say that empathy is only a weakness from the point of view of those who prefer to dominate or have a particular vision of 'progress'

He's not a political leader, but I'd site Richard Branson as a very good example of empathic leadership in action. Is it what America needs? What the world needs? Probably! But we can't just leave it up to the leaders to make the changes we need…

Thanks, intriguing post!
Jym