Idea in Brief
THE SITUATION
We all know that empathy is
essential to effective leadership,
management, product
development, marketing—
pretty much any aspect of
business that involves people.
But it has its limits.
THE PROBLEMS
Empathy taxes us mentally and
emotionally, it’s not an infinite
resource, and it can even
impair our ethical judgment.
That’s why if we demand too
much of it from employees,
performance will suffer.
THE SOLUTIONS
You can take steps to prevent
the ill effects and promote
the good. For instance, have
people focus on certain sets of
stakeholders, help them meet
others’ needs in ways that also
address their own, and give
them empathy breaks so they
can replenish their reserves.
HBR.ORG
January–