59% of executives now view empathy as a “nice to have”, but not essential. They think of it as a perk, like a good coffee machine or a generous PTO policy.
That mindset translates into the everyday workplace—tone-dead announcements, harsh feedback, and leaders who come across as cold. Jeff Spaletta sees this pattern regularly, and he’s direct about what it actually signals: stripping empathy out of leadership doesn’t make an organization sharper. It hollows it out.
What “Empathy as a Perk” Actually Looks Like in Practice
Empathy shows up in the subtle moments—a layoff communicated via bullet points and no recognition of the human weight behind it, a strategy pivot rolled out with zero recognition of what it means for the people expected to execute it, performance feedback that makes someone feel worse about themselves rather than clearer about what to do next.
The Wall Street Journal has highlighted it in CEOs’ public frustrations and pointed communications directed at employees—behavior visible enough to make national headlines and rattle team confidence from the top down. And when it comes from the top, it travels. Leaders model what’s acceptable, and teams adapt accordingly, usually by disengaging, going quiet, or walking out.
This isn’t about individual personality. It’s a leadership gap. And, like most gaps, it has measurable consequences for trust, retention, and the kind of performance that builds over time.
The Business Argument That Empathy Skeptics Don’t Want to Hear
You might not think that empathy matters in a strictly financial sense, but the data says otherwise.
High-empathy organizations are achieving revenue growth rates 56% higher than their peers, and that gap isn’t shrinking. Teams led with empathy are shown to be 8.5 times more engaged than the average, resulting in better output, lower turnover, and a culture where people actually want to do good work.
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs ranked emotional intelligence among the top skills required over the next few years. That’s alongside analytical and technical skills, not instead of them. Organizations that dismiss empathy as optional are simply falling behind.
Empathy Is a Skill, Not a Personality Trait
Jeff Spaletta has seen firsthand this stubborn myth in leadership development: the idea that empathy is something you either naturally have or you don’t. That some people are inherently wired for it, while others simply aren’t. It’s a convenient belief, mostly because it lets leaders off the hook.
But the truth is that emotional intelligence (self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation) can be developed through targeted feedback and coaching. These are learnable skills that can be improved with the right structure.
Jeff’s coaching methodology builds these skills via reflective practice, real communication work, and teaching leaders to read and react to the emotional reality of their teams—not just the tactical one. Because a leader who can only see the numbers is missing half the picture.
The Leaders Who Get This Right
The strongest leaders aren’t choosing between empathy and effectiveness. That’s a false trade-off, and those who’ve figured it out are the ones consistently performing well. Empathy sharpens communication, deepens trust, and creates the psychological safety that allows teams to take risks, flag problems early, and do their best work without fear.
The executives who will define leadership in the years ahead are the ones building emotional intelligence now—not waiting until a culture crisis forces the conversation. For leaders ready to develop empathy as a genuine, practiced competency rather than an occasional instinct, Jeff Spaletta’s coaching provides the structure, honest feedback, and actionable tools to make it a permanent part of how they lead.
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