Communication Empathic Leadership Empathy as a tool for effective leadership The white paper «Empathy in the Workplace» from the Center for Creative Leadership shows how empathy can be learned and explains the link between empathy and performance. Discover Put yourself in the other person’s shoes today. Empathy denotes both the ability and willingness to understand and consider the perspective of others. We need to really see the other person’s presence, needs and strengths. Only then can we interact in an appreciative way. An empathic leadership style not only improves communication and cooperation as a whole: research shows that empathy has a positive impact on work performance.