What You Will Learn:

Why empathy is the ultimate leadership superpower
How to prepare for a role before you have the title
Practical ways to push past fear and build confidence
The secret to hiring and empowering great talent
Why balance—not burnout—fuels long-term success

Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], October 30 (ANI): Project Empathy and Assam Rifles Public School hosted the launch of the empathy art exhibition I AM WITH YOU at All Saints Hall, Shillong. The Chief Justice of Meghalaya inaugurated the exhibition, Justice Soumen Sen, in the presence of principals, teachers, students, and members of the Assam Rifles fraternity, a press release said.

“The exhibition celebrates empathy as both an emotion and a way of living — expressed through the creativity and voices of young artists. It showcased artworks from participating schools, each narrating stories of connection, healing, and shared humanity”, a release said.

In his address, the Chief Justice remarked, “Young artists, you remind us that compassion can be as simple as noticing someone’s pain, offering a helping hand, or celebrating another’s joy. ‘I Am With You’ will encourage us to reflect on how we treat each other, and how we can make our communities more caring and inclusive.”

by Andrew Mueller
Your book emphasises the value of empathy in leadership. While it’s easy for a leader to say they feel your pain, it’s harder for them to do something about it. Is that why it was so important to focus on reforming firearms law after Christchurch?

Empathy is nothing without action. It’s also driven by the question, ‘How do I prevent this from happening to anyone else ever again?’ Compassion is strongly associated with motivation towards action and, for us, that manifested as a need to do something about access to military-style and semi-automatic weapons. We passed gun-reform laws within 10 days of introducing them and more than 50,000 guns were returned in a buyback scheme, after which they were destroyed or modified to be lawful firearms

. There was also an added layer of victimisation because the attack was live-streamed. That led to a sense of duty not only to hold social-media companies accountable but to ask, ‘What are the pathways to radicalisation online and what can we do about it?’ And so we created the Christchurch Call to Action, which now has upwards of 130 countries and organisations working together to prevent violent extremist acts. Empathy is a series of actions, not just moments of grief.

How does active listening build empathy?
One of the most powerful ways to grow empathy is through active listening—fully focusing on the person speaking and showing that you value what they’re saying. When we truly listen, we go beyond simply hearing words. We pick up on tone, emotion, and even what’s left unsaid. This builds trust and rapport, which are the foundation of any strong relationship.

Good listening skills help us understand not just the facts, but the feelings behind them. In mindful listening, you’re fully present in the conversation, setting aside distractions and judgment. This kind of attention lets others know they are heard and respected, which naturally deepens the emotional connection between people.

by Megan Malone

When you can easily put yourself in another person’s shoes, that can quickly escalate to prioritizing their comfort or approval over your own needs or other factors.

Empathy—the ability to relate to the emotional experiences of others—is a workplace superpower. A survey of 900 US employees revealed that empathetic leadership results in more innovative and engaged teams, less turnover, higher productivity and more positive work experiences. With workplace burnout at an all-time high, empathy is an essential ingredient that organizations can’t afford to lose.

Senior Rabbi Angela Buchdahl speaks about the war on empathy and the painful way the Jewish community has become divided since October 7.

"This war has tested our empathy. All of us. I see the ways that my fear has disabled my empathy response. I still struggle to find the emotional bandwidth to read the tragic stories coming out of Gaza while my extended family is still held captive, while calls to 'blacklist Z1on!sts' or to 'globalize the 1nt!fada' still ring around the world, and even this city. But who do we become when we harden our hearts?"
 

I'm an Anglican Priest in the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (my pronouns are he/him/his) and I get to serve in the Parish of St Margaret of Scotland, in the beautiful city of Halifax, NS, that sits on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people.

John Fugelsang dismantles Allie Beth Stuckey’s “Toxic Empathy" and explains how the Christian right twists scripture to justify cruelty against marginalized groups.

“No matter how much Artificial Intelligence evolves and assists us in streamlining tasks or customizing responses, there is something that remains uniquely human: empathy. That ability to perceive others, to put oneself in their place, and to develop a genuine connection is irreplaceable. While it may seem natural to some, it is something everyone can and should practice.

Empathy is increasingly essential in customer interaction and must be a key element of any company’s culture. If we aim for more human, genuine, and productive relationships, simply talking about empathy is not enough – we must live it.

So how do we learn it?

EmpathyTech Philadelphia is where technology and empathy meet to create innovation that truly serves people of all abilities and all ages.

This year’s theme, Inclusion — Every Step of the Way, reflects our dedication to ensuring that every advance in technology is empathy-driven, inclusive, and built to support people at every stage of life.

The 2025 event will take place at the prestigious Lincoln Financial Field, with a day full of speakers, vendor tables, and networking. Building on the success of past EmpathyTech events in Oslo and Philadelphia, this conference brings together leaders and changemakers who share a vision for technology that empowers, connects, and fits our philosophy of:

The recent Seattle IT Learning Conference saw a standout presentation that's been the talk of the town.

A team known for its expertise in service design delivered a session titled "Empathy by Design: Crafting Human-Centered AI Experiences," which has gained momentum and led to an encore due to popular demand.

Guest: Dr. Helen Riess is the Director of the Empathy and Relational Science Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, founder of Empathetics, Inc., and author of a book called The Empathy Effect.

The grief that attended American political activist Charlie Kirk’s murder was not solely poured out by the political right. Liberal commentators also participated; journalist Ezra Klein expressed grief in an essay for The New York Times (“I was and am grieving for Kirk himself”), while Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew stated that “we have to have empathy for other people in our society.”

Kirk would likely be surprised, and perhaps a bit put off, by this display of empathy by his opponents: “I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, New Age term that does a lot of damage, but it is very effective when it comes to politics. Sympathy I prefer more than empathy.”

Lights, Camera, Empathy!
The Empathy Project brings together leaders in medicine, education, entertainment, and technology to promote empathy in medicine. The project creates engaging, Hollywood-quality short films that train healthcare providers to be more humane and help empower patients to be effective participants in their own care.

Earlier this month, on the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, she delivered a sermon as a call to empathy. She said empathy for others is not a betrayal of one's own side, but a reminder of shared humanity—a message that resonates in times of political violence, rising antisemitism, and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

CFOs face more scrutiny than ever before, from investors, boards, and regulators demanding not just flawless numbers but strategic clarity and trust. But here’s the catch: the most powerful skill driving that trust and influence isn’t found on a balance sheet. It’s empathy.

Despite its reputation as a “soft” skill, empathy is fast becoming the ultimate leadership edge for CFOs navigating volatility and complexity. According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, employees rank empathy alongside transparency and ethics as top leadership traits—yet many finance leaders still emphasise precision over people. In a world that demands rapid decisions and resilient strategies, CFOs who lead with empathy don’t just manage numbers—they unlock human insight, elevate trust, and drive long-term performance. For CFOs, mastering empathy is no longer optional; it’s a strategic imperative.