A recent blog post by Dr. Arin N. Reeves, “The Complexity of Empathy,” got my team talking about the concept of empathy, in the context of good management.
I didn’t grow up thinking about empathy. Working alongside my father and grandfather in the cannery, what I observed was simpler than that. You treated people decently. You were straight with them. You made sure they knew what was expected, and then you supported them in getting the work done. If something wasn’t working, you said so — respectfully, and directly.
I’ve noticed that leaders sometimes confuse creating an environment of warmth with actually taking care of people. Those aren’t the same thing. A team can feel close, can enjoy each other’s company, can have a real sense of camaraderie — and still have unclear expectations, inconsistent feedback, and work that isn’t fairly distributed. Closeness is pleasant, of course. It isn’t a substitute for good management.
Taking care of your people shows up in the daily realities of how an organization runs. Are expectations clear? Do people know where they stand? When someone is carrying too much, does anything change? That’s what respect looks like in practice.
I’ve always said that if you hire the right people, support them with the resources and encouragement they need, and treat them with genuine respect, the culture takes care of itself. But respect has to be visible. It lives in your decisions, your follow-through, and whether the people around you can actually do their best work.
I wouldn’t call that empathy, per se. It’s just good management.
- Does your focus on “empathy” distract your attention from good management?
- How can you clarify the difference between the two?
Watch this short video where Ahmad Thomas, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, talks about building respect and trust on your team.