Relationships Rule What Is Empathy in Leadership (And Why It Builds Trust) | RR353
Trust feels more fragile than ever right now, and I believe leaders are being asked to navigate change, uncertainty, and higher expectations in ways we have not seen before. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller, EQ expert, TEDx speaker, and author of The Empathic Leader, to talk about empathy as a practical leadership skill that builds trust, improves culture, and drives results.
Melissa helped me broaden how I think about empathy. It is not only about “feeling what someone feels.” She explains emotional empathy, cognitive empathy, and self-empathy, and why leaders can take another person’s perspective even if they do not experience the same emotions. We also talk about the difference between real empathy and performative empathy, and why curiosity is one of the clearest signals that empathy is genuine.
One of my favorite moments was hearing her simple leadership reminder: trust is often built through visibility and small actions, one person at a time. If you lead a team, manage from the middle, or you are stepping into leadership for the first time, this conversation will give you both insight and real-world tools you can use immediately.
Key takeaways
- Empathy is both a gift and a skill. You can learn it, practice it, and get better at it over time.
- Cognitive empathy matters. You can understand someone’s perspective without taking on all the feelings, which helps prevent burnout.
- Trust is built through visibility and consistency. Culture forms in the everyday moments when people are watching what leaders do.
- Performative empathy is self-focused. Genuine empathy is other-focused and includes curiosity.
- Empathy and judgment cannot exist in the same space. The more we compare through our own lens, the harder it is to truly empathize.
You can find Melissa at:
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