When you first step into a leadership role, it’s easy to assume success comes from sharper strategy, faster decisions, or stronger design opinions. I thought the same. But over time, I realized what my team remembered most wasn’t the roadmap I wrote or the critique I gave-it was how I made them feel. The projects that went smoothly weren’t just well-planned; they were led with empathy.

As a design leader, empathy isn’t a soft skill. It’s a practical one. Teams thrive when they feel understood. Without it, you risk building an environment where people stay quiet, creativity stalls, and the best ideas never surface. With it, you create psychological safety-the foundation for real collaboration and bold thinking.

Leading with empathy doesn’t mean lowering standards. It means knowing when to push and when to support, when to listen and when to guide. It’s about reading the room, understanding the pressures your team faces, and adjusting your approach so people feel both challenged and cared for.

Here are a few ways you can lead with empathy day to day:

• Listen deeply – give people space to share before jumping in with solutions.
• Show context – explain the ‘why’ behind decisions so the team feels included, not dictated to.
• Respect differences – not everyone works or thinks the same; adapt your style to the individual.
• Balance critique with care – feedback lands better when people know you value their effort.

If you want your team to do their best work, they need to feel seen as more than just resources. The strongest leaders I’ve worked with weren’t the ones with the loudest voices-they were the ones who noticed when someone was struggling, who created room for quieter voices, and who made space for learning through mistakes. Empathy may not show up in your job description, but it’s the skill that makes every other one work. Lead with it, and your team won’t just follow you-they’ll trust you.