Bleed for Your People: Empathy as the Heartbeat of Leadership

Leadership isn’t just about strategy, titles, or vision-casting. It’s about empathy. I once heard the phrase, “If your heart doesn’t bleed for your people, get out of leadership.” That phrase kind of blew my mind a bit. What they were really saying was this: without real, vulnerable care for those you lead, leadership is hollow, and it's probably time to get out of leadership.

Are you able to lean in to see what they see?

In my own leadership, here is what I have discovered about empathy in leadership:

Truth # 1: Empathy fuels connection. True leadership starts with understanding. That is, stepping into the daily joys, struggles, and hopes of the people that you lead.

It’s not a checkbox; it’s a posture. When your heart bleeds for someone else, you’re saying: “I see you. You matter.” And that connection makes all the difference.

“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” — Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last

Truth # 2: Empathy builds trust. Leaders who truly care inspire loyalty not through positional power, but through servanthood and sacrifice. It’s one thing to delegate; it’s another to share burdens. An empathetic leader who lifts people up, emotionally, spiritually, practically, builds trust that lasts.

Truth # 2: Empathy is not a weakness. In some mystical way, empathy is actually the opposite of weakness. Empathy is the willingness to step into another’s world, even when their pain or joy may unsettle us. It’s the courage to listen with an open heart, knowing that true understanding can’t exist behind judgment. When we lead and lean into empathy, we discover a deeper strength that not only grounds us but also multiplies through the people we are guiding.

Refection question: What is one specific way you can show real empathy this week, not from a position of duty, but from genuine care? And, how might that small action transform someone else’s day or outlook?

“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” - Theodore Roosevelt