#23 Compassion — Feeling For, Not Feeling With
In a leadership series that started this autumn, I asked the participants what would make it a success for them. One of them wrote that it would be a success if his heart was touched.
I have been coaching and training leaders since 2014. As far as I remember, nobody had put that so plainly on paper before. It fits what I see more often: feelings at work get more attention than they used to. And of all the things AI cannot do for us, this may be the biggest one.
(This is the third of Microsoft's 5Cs covered here, after courage and curiosity.)
8 min read. If you take one thing from this: compassion is empathy plus the wish to help. Feeling with someone wears you out; feeling for someone gives you something to do. Ahead: why empathy alone leads to burnout; why 'responsibility' is not a feeling; which cultures allow feeling at work, and what it does to results; whether a machine can feel for you.
Two things, not one
Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else's feelings a...
Recent Posts
Categories
All categories
KNOWLEDGE THAT WORKS IN PRACTICE
This is not a place for buzzwords. Or for theories that don't hold up in real life. Our blog is a space for leaders and professionals who are looking for genuine answers to genuine questions: How do I lead better in a hybrid environment? How do I communicate in a way that actually lands? How do I use AI meaningfully in my daily work? How do I build resilience in my team?
Every article in the Digital Leader Program blog is designed to be directly useful – with insights, methods and examples you can take straight into practice.
TOPICS THAT MATTER TODAY
Leadership in the digital age: How is leadership changing when teams work remotely or hybrid? What do new leaders need – and what do experienced managers need to relearn?
Human Skills under AI influence: Which human capabilities become more important as AI takes over routine tasks – and how do you develop them deliberately?
Hybrid work in practice: Concrete tips, rituals and tools for productive hybrid collaboration – what actually works, and what doesn't.
Culture Design and team dynamics: How do you build an organisational culture that attracts, retains and energises people?
Communication and feedback: The capabilities that separate average performance from real high performance.
FROM PEOPLE WHO WORK IN PRACTICE
Our articles are written by Andre Ottlik and our team – people who work in coaching sessions, workshops and training every single day. What you read here is not copy-pasted from academic studies, but knowledge drawn from lived practice.
And occasionally we feature contributions from external experts sharing insights from their own fields – such as the piece with Pascal Baumgartner on hybrid meeting optimisation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
How often are new articles published?
Regularly. Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on LinkedIn to make sure you don't miss new content.
Are articles available in German too?
Yes. Many of our articles are also available in German – particularly on topics relevant to German-speaking leaders and organisations.
Can I suggest article topics?
Absolutely. Write to us or bring it up in a conversation – we welcome input from our community.
How can I go deeper than the blog?
Our workshops, coaching programmes and the podcast "3 minutes max." go further and support you systematically in your development. Browse our service pages or book an initial consultation.
Author
Andre Ottlik
Author
Andre and his Team are the authors of Digital Leader Programs Blog Posts
