Leading with Empathy and Love

This Forbes article is a great example of why it is important for us to challenge our traditional perspectives about leadership.

In the Agile and evolutionary leadership spaces, we often talk about the importance of qualities such as vulnerability and empathy as essential for leaders. To this, traditionalists will often argue: “That squishy stuff is all well and good, but it is NOT what we need in a crisis”.

Yet, there are numerous studies that show that empathy is an essential for leadership. This Forbes article cites concrete data to support the effectiveness of a “squishy” approach during this global crisis.

Note: While empathy is common among female leaders, there are plenty of effective empathetic male leaders. In fact, I believe that Governor Cuomo has become a stand-out leader during this pandemic because he displays "squishy" attributes like empathy, vulnerability, compassion, and transparency.