The Role of Empathy in Leadership with Katharine Manning

Only 36% of employees in the U.S. say they feel engaged at work, and lack of empathy from leadership is often cited as a leading cause of disengagement (Gallup). Yet research shows that leaders who practice empathy foster stronger trust, improve retention, and drive higher performance across teams.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we’re joined by Katharine Manning, Author, Public Speaker, and President of Blackbird. Katharine is the author of The Empathetic Workplace: Five Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job and teaches at American University. 

With more than 25 years of experience working on trauma and victimization, including 15 years at the Justice Department supporting cases like the Boston Marathon bombing and the Pulse Nightclub shooting, Katharine brings a wealth of expertise on empathy as both a human and organizational imperative.

Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Newsweek, CNBC, Business Insider, Thrive Global, and CEOWorld. Through her company Blackbird, Katharine provides training and consultation that helps organizations build cultures rooted in compassion and resilience.

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

🧭 In this episode, we explore:

• Why empathy is not a soft skill but a leadership superpower

• How leaders can respond with compassion to employees facing trauma or stress

• The connection between empathy, psychological safety, and organizational performance

• Practical steps leaders can take to integrate empathy into decision-making and culture-building

🎧 Whether you’re a founder, executive, or people leader, this conversation will give you concrete strategies to elevate your leadership through empathy and build workplaces where both people and businesses thrive.