Advice on Management and Empathy from the Harvard Business Review:  

"In the last couple of decades, there’s been a noticeable shift towards a style of leadership that is softer and more emotionally sensitive. Plenty of evidence, both anecdotal and empirical, supports the shift: Businesses do better (because people do better) when leaders provide genuine emotional support. People have come to expect it, too. Employees who don’t feel supported are more likely to leave. According to one report, unempathetic organizations risk losing $180 billion a year in attrition costs. … Empathy at work matters, but expressing it in the wrong way can leave people feeling unseen or even burned out. Effective leaders practice “wise empathy”: responding with emotional intelligence that fits the specific situation. Here’s how to do it. 

1) Read the emotional context. Before reacting, take a moment to assess what your employee is experiencing. Are they discouraged, excited, overwhelmed? Learn how different team members express emotions. Some show them loudly, others quietly. Slowing down helps you choose the right response. 

2) Regulate your own emotions. Don’t let others’ feelings overwhelm you. Pause, breathe, and remember that their experience isn’t about you. Emotional regulation keeps you grounded and better able to support them without absorbing their stress. 

3) Choose the right empathy mode. If the emotion is negative, show care by demonstrating compassion without taking on their distress. If the emotion is positive, then share by celebrating with them and amplifying their energy. Pick your response based on the emotion at hand. 

4) Check how it lands. What matters isn’t your intent—it’s their perception. Ask for feedback on how your support is coming across and adjust as needed. 

5) Reflect and recalibrate. After emotional conversations, take stock. Did your response help? How did you feel after? Use those insights to build your skill over time. 

From the article “Practice Wise Empathy as a Leader” posted on the Harvard Business Review website on January 14, 2026 by  Nick Hobson – U.S. behavioral scientist/psychologist, and Gregory J. Depow – U.S. social scientist, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California San Diego, Rady School of Management.

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