The paradox of power: Why power demands deliberate empathy

Every position of power has the tendency to lower an individual’s inclination for empathy; hence, you must be deliberate about empathy. I have watched it happen time and again. A brilliant manager gets promoted, and somewhere between the corner office and the executive parking space, something shifts. The person who used to be amiable towards his colleagues now walks past them without a greeting. A staff member who used to complain about a particular manager now does worse than the manager he once complained about. It is not that they became bad people overnight. Power, quite simply, changed them.

Being in power has the capacity to becloud your sense of compassion. Power makes people disconnected from the people they lead; hence, it becomes difficult to walk in their shoes. To avoid this, you must be deliberate about showing empathy in power. The deliberate practice of empathy must become a daily discipline, not a quarterly initiative. It means pausing before you respond to that email to consider what pressures the sender might be under. It means recognising that the employee who seems disengaged might be struggling with something you know nothing about. It means understanding that your offhand comment carries weight you may not intend.

“The link between power and selfishness is not merely theoretical; it manifests in teams that feel disregarded and unvalued, ultimately impacting morale and productivity.”

While Travis Kalanick was CEO at Uber, the company’s aggressive, win-at-all-cost culture became legendary for all the wrong reasons. Employees reported a toxic work environment where concerns were dismissed, harassment complaints were ignored, and the human cost of rapid expansion was considered irrelevant. When engineer Susan Fowler detailed her experiences of sexual harassment and the HR department’s indifference in 2017, it exposed a systemic failure of empathy at the highest levels. This led to Kalanick’s resignation, and Uber’s reputation suffered lasting damage, while countless employees were left traumatised by an environment where their well-being simply did not matter to those in power.

This was not just a Silicon Valley problem. It is a human problem that research has confirmed. Research backs up this notion, revealing that individuals in power often exhibit a noticeable lack of empathy. A study from the University of California found that those with authority tend to be less sensitive to the emotions of others, primarily because they believe they are above those they lead. This misplaced perspective promotes a culture of narrow focus, where the needs and feelings of employees may go unnoticed or unaddressed. The link between power and selfishness is not merely theoretical; it manifests in teams that feel disregarded and unvalued, ultimately impacting morale and productivity.

At Boeing, a culture that prioritised speed and cost-cutting over safety concerns contributed to two fatal 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people. Engineers who raised safety issues were reportedly ignored or sidelined. The leadership’s apparent disconnect from the human implications of their decisions resulted in one of the most devastating corporate crises in aviation history, not to mention the immeasurable grief of families who lost loved ones.

Satya Nadella’s transformation of Microsoft provides a powerful counterexample. When he became CEO in 2014, he inherited a company known for its internal competition and aggressive culture. Nadella deliberately cultivated empathy as a core leadership principle, famously influenced by his personal experience as the father of a child with special needs. He asked leaders to read “Nonviolent Communication” and encouraged a growth mindset culture where learning from others, including junior employees, became valued. The result has been remarkable, both in cultural transformation and business performance. Microsoft’s market value has soared, but more importantly, employee satisfaction has improved dramatically.

When Howard Schultz was CEO of Starbucks, he consistently prioritised empathy in his leadership style, emphasising the importance of listening to employees and responding to their needs. His approach exemplified how empathetic leadership can create a more inclusive environment, demonstrating the impact of compassion on organisational culture. As a leader, your power amplifies everything. Your mood sets the temperature of the room. Your priorities become everyone’s urgent tasks. Your blind spots become organisational vulnerabilities. This is precisely why empathy cannot be left to chance or good intentions. Power does not have to corrupt your compassion, but it will do so if you are on autopilot. You must be deliberate and consistent. You must be humble. You must remain a human being first and a boss second.

Finally, everyone must realise that this is a trap for leaders at all levels, including heads of departments and line managers. You must remember what it felt like before you had power. You must remember the frustration of not being heard, the anxiety of unclear expectations, and the stress of balancing work demands with personal responsibilities. Those experiences did not become less real simply because you climbed the ladder. The people you now lead are living the reality. Every leader must understand that empathy is not merely an emotional quality but a strategic tool that can foster loyalty, enhance creativity, and drive performance within teams. We must recognise that our title creates a chasm, and therefore we must build a bridge.

Oluwole Dada is the General Manager at SecureID Limited, Africa’s largest smart card manufacturing plant in Lagos, Nigeria.

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