In business, I learned emotional attachment is about me, but empathy is about doing the right thing.
For years, I clung to emotional attachment, believing it was a sign of caring. The five times in my business I had to let an employee go, I didn’t feel guilty – I felt exposed. As if their departure revealed something was wrong with me as a leader.
I held on too long and delayed the inevitable. By the time I finally acted, the weight had already spread – dragging down the team, eroding trust, and even hurting the employee I thought I was protecting.
That fear is an emotion, just like anger or frustration, and it clouded my judgment.
The same was true with clients. I equated attachment with loyalty, believing that if I built strong bonds, they would stay forever. When they left, I felt blindsided and betrayed. Over time, I learned that sometimes you even have to “fire” a client.
The turning point was realizing this: emotional attachment clouds judgment. Empathy creates clarity. That shift turned my hardest decisions into my best leadership moments.
Empathy gave me the clarity to act sooner, the courage to make hard decisions, and the perspective to see that letting go – of an employee, of a client, of my own fears – was often the most caring choice.
Today, I don’t see empathy as a soft skill. I see it as a leadership superpower. It transforms tough moments into opportunities for growth – for employees, for clients, for teams, and for me.
👉 Have you experienced a moment when you realized the power of empathy?
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