Are Leaders Missing the Point? The case for Empathy & Clarity in Modern Leadership.

Written By: Boyd Levitt

October 24th, 2025

"The Peace I found, started with the hard questions, I was not ready to hear the answers to"

Are Leaders Missing the Point? The Case for Empathy and Clarity in Modern Leadership

I know, I know... Leadership advice these days sounds like bad dating advice.

"Be assertive, but empathetic. ”Set boundaries but stay approachable.” Hit your KPIs, but don’t forget work-life balance.” No wonder so many leaders are confused. Half the time, you’re trying to inspire your team — and the other half, you’re just trying to survive your inbox.

Somewhere along the line, leadership became a spreadsheet. We started believing that success could be managed into existence — that culture is something you measure, not something you build.

But leadership isn’t found in the metrics.

It’s found in the moments — the conversations, the clarity, and the quiet confidence you create when your people actually believe in what you’re doing.

So, let’s talk about it —Not the theory of leadership, not another bullet-pointed list from a corporate handbook…but the reality: why most leaders are missing the point, and how empathy and clarity aren’t just “soft skills” — they’re superpowers.

There’s a problem in leadership today — not a lack of effort, not a shortage of ambition, but a misunderstanding of what leadership really means.

We’ve confused management with leadership, pressure with purpose, and control with clarity. Too many organizations are trying to lead through metrics instead of meaning — through what people do instead of why they care.

And that’s where everything starts to unravel.

The Study: Empathy Wins — Every Time

In a 2021 study published by Catalyst, researchers found that employees who reported having an empathetic leader were:

• 61% more likely to report feeling innovative,

• 76% more engaged,

• and five times more likely to stay long-term.

When people feel seen, they give more than compliance — they give commitment. That’s the difference between a team that works for you and a team that believes in you.

Empathy isn’t weakness; it’s simply awareness. It’s the ability to lead with understanding rather than fear.

And clarity? That’s what keeps it all from falling apart.

The Umbra Principle: Clarity + Empathy = Confidence

At Umbra Consulting, we teach that confidence is a byproduct of clarity and empathy working together.

• Empathy connects people to purpose.

• Clarity gives them direction to move with confidence.

When those two collide, you don’t just build teams — you build cultures.

The effect is immediate: Sales teams stop chasing numbers and start chasing standards. Operations stop reacting to problems and start anticipating them. And your competition starts asking, “What are they doing differently?”

The answer isn’t more data. It’s more connection.

When People Believe in the companies “Why”

Simon Sinek said it best — “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” The same is true inside a company.

Your people don’t just want to know what the company does. They want to believe in why it exists — and how their effort contributes to something larger than revenue.

That belief becomes contagious. It fuels the tone in sales meetings, the patience in operations, and even the respect your competitors start to show you.

Because confidence isn’t built by metrics; it’s built by meaning.

The Leadership Reflection

If your company’s culture feels stagnant, if motivation is fading, if turnover is climbing — stop looking at the numbers first. Look at the conversations.

Ask yourself:

• Do my people understand why we do what we do?

• Do they feel seen, heard, and understood?

• Do they feel confident enough to lead themselves?

Because when your people believe in the mission, they move mountains for it. And when they don’t — no metric in the world can fix that.

The Call to Action: Relearn How to Lead

Leadership isn’t about pulling results out of people — it’s about drawing belief out of them. If you want monstrous results, stop managing for control and start leading for confidence.

Lead with empathy. Communicate with clarity. And watch what happens when your people start believing again.

“The greatest companies aren’t built on strategy. They’re built on belief.”

So maybe leadership isn’t about having all the answers after all .Maybe it’s just about keeping your people inspired enough to keep showing up — even when the coffee’s burnt, the Wi-Fi’s slow, and the company printer has clearly joined the rebellion.

You don’t need a TED Talk or a six-figure consultant to fix culture. You just need to care — loudly, clearly, and consistently. Because the truth is, empathy costs nothing, clarity saves time, and belief? That stuff prints money.

So go ahead — close the spreadsheet, ask your people how they’re really doing, and try leading like a human again. Your team will notice. Your results will follow. And your competitors? They’ll be left wondering if you secretly hired a magician.