Leading with Empathy: How Humanity Trumps Technical Skills in Times of Change
By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
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Abstract: As technological advances like artificial intelligence, robotics, big data analytics, and 3D printing automate many routine jobs, leaders can no longer rely solely on technical skills to succeed as research shows soft skills centered around emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving are growing in importance, with a World Economic Forum report and LinkedIn data finding skills like critical thinking, creativity, empathy, and adaptability outpacing specialized abilities and Gallup also linking emotionally intelligent leadership to improved productivity, retention, and profits. Therefore, as technologies disrupt industries, make expertise obsolete, and transformations occur, the article examines how leaders who nurture their humanity through empathy, compassion, and meaningful human connections like Tesla's Elon Musk who prioritized passion and risk-taking and Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic who championed understanding employees and shared purpose over wizardry will thrive by positively transforming organizations facing rapid change from within through engaged, innovative cultures buffered from disruption, as in uncertain times of transformation, humanity - not technical prowess alone - will define leadership capable of positively impacting organizations.
Technological advancements are transforming industries at an unprecedented pace, with many routine jobs becoming automated. As artificial intelligence and other innovations continue to outpace human skills and abilities, technical expertise alone will no longer suffice. Leaders will need soft skills—human qualities like empathy, compassion, and emotional intelligence—to meaningfully connect with and motivate teams in this changing landscape. While technical acumen remains important, humanity will become the defining factor for thriving in uncertain times. Leaders must focus on nurturing their humanity if they want to retain relevance and positively impact organizations as skills become obsolete.
Today we will examine how humanity matters more for leadership as technical skills are displaced.
Technological Disruptions Outpacing Routine Jobs and Skills
A wealth of research indicates many routine jobs are at high risk of automation as technologies advance. Some key disruptive forces include:
Artificial intelligence (AI) capable of performing cognitive tasks like data collection, analysis, and decision-making that previously required human skills. AI can now drive vehicles, detect diseases, and translate between languages at levels surpassing humans in some areas.
Robotics enabling physical tasks like manufacturing and warehouse/logistics work to be performed without human labor. Advanced robots are adding to lists of jobs becoming automated across industries from automotive to healthcare.
Big data and analytics transforming how organizations use information to improve processes and make real-time decisions. Data-driven insights are streamlining operations and replacing judgment calls once solely within human purview.
Advances like 3D printing bringing custom manufacturing capabilities within reach of smaller enterprises. On-demand digital fabrication threatens repetitive production positions while decentralizing supply chains.
As routine jobs are automated en masse, associated technical skills and expertise will become obsolete. An Oxford University study estimated 47% of total US employment is at high risk of computerization within the next 20 years. Leaders must find ways to stay relevant beyond technical skills alone.
Rise of Soft Skills in Leadership
With many routine jobs disappearing due to technology, focus has shifted to the human skills that are more difficult to automate or digitize. Research shows soft skills like emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving are disproportionately growing in importance for leadership roles. A few key findings:
A World Economic Forum report listed complex problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgment and decision making, and service orientation among the top 10 skills needed in 2020. Notice the emphasis on human competencies over technical prowess.
LinkedIn research examining the fastest growing career skills of the last five years found collaboration, communication skills, emotional intelligence, initiative, and adaptability among the biggest gainers. Again, soft skills outpaced specialized technical abilities.
Gallup research correlates emotionally intelligent leadership with significant organizational benefits including 70% higher productivity, 50% lower staff turnover, and 30% higher profits. Human qualities resonate deeply with employees and lead to engaged teams.
The research clearly shows that as technology disrupts routines, human skills centered around emotional intelligence, communication, and collaboration will define leaders capable of adapting successfully amid change. Technical skills alone will no longer cut it.
Nurturing Humanity in Times of Change
Forward-thinking organizations confronting disruption have embraced soft skills and humanity as a competitive advantage. Two relevant examples:
Automotive Industry: Tesla CEO Elon Musk leads with a distinct lack of formality and focus on passion/creativity over process. His emphasis on taking risks and problem-solving resonates with recruiting talent willing to innovate the transportation space. While rivals viewed EVs as niche, Musk bet big and his leadership style galvanized a team to disrupt the industry through shared passion.
Healthcare Industry: Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic prioritizes emotional intelligence, focusing first on understanding employee experiences and championing compassion over technical wizardry. With care increasingly specialized/fragmented, his emphasis on humanity has united teams through shared purpose of putting patients first. This cohesion helped Cleveland Clinic achieve top US hospital rankings.
Both leaders tapped soft skills as their technical industries rapidly transformed. By cultivating genuine human connections and prioritizing emotional needs, they buffered their organizations from change through engaged cultures innovating from shared purpose and passion over any single expertise. Their humanity anchored relevance amid shifting industry landscapes.
Conclusion
As technological innovations continue disrupting routine jobs at scale, leadership grounded solely in technical skills will struggle to positively impact organizations undergoing transformation. Research clearly shows the disproportionate rise of soft skills centered around emotional intelligence, communication, and collaboration. Forward-thinking leaders and organizations confronting disruption with humanity as a guiding force have proven adaptable and successful even as their industries upended norms and displaced traditional expertise.
In uncertain times, focus on cultivating one's humanity—through empathy, compassion, engagement, and care for others—will define leadership able to unite teams toward shared purpose and passion. Technical acumen remains important but human skills connecting with people on emotional levels will determine who can lead effectively as fields change. As skills become obsolete, those nurturing genuine human qualities within themselves and their organizations will thrive by keeping others engaged and feeling valued throughout disruption. Humanity, more than any single expertise, will prove the defining asset for positively impacting organizations into an automated future.
References
World Economic Forum. (2020). The future of jobs report 2020. https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2020
LinkedIn. (2019). The skills that matter most in the labor market. https://economicgraph.linkedin.com/research/LinkedIns-Workforce-Report-January-2019
Gallup. (2017). State of the global workplace. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-global-workplace-2017.aspx
Oxford University. (2013). The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation? https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Leading with Empathy: How Humanity Trumps Technical Skills in Times of Change. Human Capital Leadership Review, 13(4). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.13.4.1
