Of all the different types of leadership styles, empathetic leaders tends to get the most critique. But for all the discourse on the ‘double-edged sword’ of empathetic leadership, it’s safe to say that there are spaces where business leaders that are driven by care and connections can work wonders for their teams.
So what are the best industries and professional environments for those with an empathy-driven leadership style? Let’s have a look.
Psychology & Therapeutic Services
Psychology and other therapeutic services are probably the most obvious career choices for empaths. A psychologist or counsellor needs to be able to understand their patients on a deep level in order to provide quality care. While you’ll learn a lot of the theory and technical knowledge from qualifications like a masters in psychology or a graduate diploma in psychology, your academic background is just the foundation upon which you’ll build your own communication and consultory style as a therapeutic service provider.
As a psychologist, you also need to be able to empathise with a wide range of personality types, including those who find it hard to express emotions. This means being able to listen to your patients speak without judging them and trying your best to meet them where they are emotionally. As an empath, you’ll automatically have a leg up thanks to your ability to listen closely and pick up on subtle clues that those with a lower degree of empathy may fail to. As someone with high EQ, psychology makes for an excellent career choice that makes use of your people skills.
Marketing & Communications
Marketing is another area where empathy is incredibly important. As a marketer, it’s your job to craft a message that resonates with your target audience. This necessitates understanding who they are, what sorts of pain points they face, and what factors motivate them to make a purchase.
A practical example is social media advertising. If you’re looking to sell to a Gen Z audience, for instance, it’s not enough to simply rely on the stereotypes many have of that generation. Rather than simply being glued to their phones all the time as some people believe, many Gen Z-ers are actually turning to print media. As a marketer, you need to take the time to truly understand how a particular audience behaves, and then tailor your message/channel to them.
In most businesses, marketing is also a team sport. If you find yourself in a management position, being able to lead with empathy will enable you to get the most out of your team. This is especially true given the fact that your team will comprise people with different technical skills and personalities. So, if you want to grow in your career as a marketer, make sure to hone your EQ and empathetic leadership skills.
HR & Customer Service
Caring about people in the workplace positions empathetic leaders to thrive in HR roles. The ability to absorb and reflect on issues or concerns voiced in your workplace and then respond appropriately for all parties makes HR staff the backbone of their workplace and leading figures in shaping and sustaining workplace culture. Of course, like all the career pathways on this list, HR does require some specialised training and education, including business and workplace ethics training, as well as other legal and compliance considerations. So on top of having a passion for people, aspiring HR specialists must also be interested in aspects of employment and business law, as well as regulatory compliance.
If HR feels too systematic for you, however, then empathetic leaders can still enjoy all the people-centric aspects of HR roles in my customer-facing positions. You need customer service skills to work in basically any service industry – whether you’re working behind a bar, at a hotel reception desk, at a barbershop, or even in the support offices at a tech company. That’s the beauty of customer service – it’s a skillset with virtually infinite job prospects. All you need to do is find an industry that aligns with some of your other skills and passion points!
Education
There are few careers where soft skills are as important as in education. And, within the educational industry, teaching requires by far the most EQ. As a teacher, you won’t just be responsible for delivering lessons to your students. You also need to know how to manage a classroom, which sometimes means appropriately disciplining rowdy students. This obviously demands a great deal of empathy.
What’s more, teaching also requires you to be sensitive to the needs of each student. For instance, the way you interact with a shy kid should not be the same as how you interact with a more boisterous one. The only way to truly provide each student with the sort of instruction they need is to have a great deal of empathy, which is non-negotiable if you want to be a teacher.
Entrepreneurship
Although the world of entrepreneurship may seem harsh and cut-throat, empathy is actually essential if you want to be your own boss. What’s more, being an entrepreneur also means you need to channel your empathy into a number of different soft skills, like leadership and communication.
For one thing, as a business owner, you’ll likely be in charge of a team of people. This means that excellent leadership skills will be paramount. You’ll need to know how to manage different personalities and figure out how to motivate each of your employees.
Entrepreneurs also need great communication skills, not just to get their message across to their team, but also to convince potential investors of their company’s worth. Besides this, you’ll also need time management and organisational skills to ensure that you can juggle multiple tasks and put out any fires that may arise. By honing these soft skills, you can give yourself a massive advantage in the business world.
Find your Ideal Pathway as an Empathetic Leader
When you ask most people what traits are most important for a long, fruitful career, few would list empathy among their top answers. However, it is actually among the most important characteristics/soft skills you can have, especially for certain people-focused professions.
In this piece, we’ve gone over some of the top career choices for empathetic leaders and those with a high EQ. If these describe you, you should strongly consider one of these career paths.
Read more of our Thought Provoking articles here.
