Are Powerful People Incapable of Empathy?

When I was teaching our Communication 101 course at the University of Colorado, Boulder I stressed the critical role of empathy in communication. The mantra was communication is empathy and empathy is communication. Bottom line: people don't feel you have communicated with them until you express empathy. In the emotional intelligence world, empathy is king! Empathy refers to the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions : the ability to share someone else's feelings.  Recently, the New York Times article, Powerful and Coldhearted, asked the question: Can powerful people easily empathize with those beneath them? Here are some of the findings and claims:

• Psychological research suggest no.
  
  
• People in power positions are less able to adopt the visual, cognitive or emotional perspective of other people, compared to participants who are powerless.
  
  
• When people experience power, their brains fundamentally change how sensitive they are to the actions of others.
  
  
• Powerful people do not attend to others around them because they do not need them to access resources.

Take a look at your organization. Are the people in power positions expressing and demonstrating empathy?

Audrey,
Thanks for your participation in the LMC again this year.  The students very much enjoyed your presentation.  I loved your response to the question about the fist bump – that was classic. 

James Scott Kreamer
Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC
2400 Pershing Road, Suite 500
Kansas City, MO 64108

Thanks Audrey.    I am amazed each year at how you hold LMC attendee’s attention that last hour before they are rushing to catch a plane and head home.   They always stay engaged until the end!

Helen
Helen Johnson Alford
Alford, Bolin, LLC
224 Dauphin Street
Mobile, AL 36602

 Hi Audrey,
I wanted to personally thank you for the fantastic “Dealing With Difficult People” talk you gave today at DaVita. It was educational and motivating. I look forward to using some of the tactics you outlined.

Nicole Reino
Marketing | Team Mercury | DaVita

Hello Audrey.  I attended the WBLF this year and saw you speak.  I have seen you at this same conference a few other times and have enjoyed your presentations enormously. 

Renee
Renée J. Conner, QPA, EA, QKA