Empathy isn’t a side skill - it’s a structural leadership capability.

Leadership coaches know emotional intelligence is more than a buzzword - it’s a practice. Without real empathy, leadership becomes brittle, reactive, and unsustainable at scale.

But empathy isn't about endless accommodation. It's about disciplined relational awareness - seeing your teams, your stakeholders, and your partners clearly, without distortion.

For CEOs, founders, and community builders leading inside complexity, empathy isn’t a luxury - it's infrastructure for trust and agility.

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"Attend meetings and observe. Look around the room and try to put yourself in others’ shoes. Ask yourself: Could this person feel isolated? Could this person have an idea that they are trying to share? Does this person look like they are struggling today? How was our last interaction? Do they need my help? Have I offered it? Allow it to bring you closer. Ask if you don’t know."

~ Kinga Vajda, Agile Group Leader, Forbes Coaches Council

In this Forbes feature, experts highlight how leaders can build trust and deepen influence by showing up with real presence, not just good intentions. Learn how small leadership habits make emotional intelligence visible - and trusted.

Read the Full Article on Forbes

Relational intelligence scales systems that information alone can’t hold. Without it, every strategic plan collapses under emotional misalignment.

What invisible signals might you be missing - not because you can't see them, but because you haven't trained yourself to listen?

🛡️ This quote was originally published by Forbes as part of a Forbes Coaches Council Expert Panel. Reprinted here with permission in accordance with member guidelines.