It's so interesting to me that empathy has become a well-studied and numerically-supported topic specifically in the business and finance world. I won't be dramatic and say that it's a step toward collective enlightenment, but it's definitely a phenomenon that will have deep, nuanced, and far-reaching effects on how we view our work and production.

Having looked deeply at the relevance of empathy in my own work, I've formed the personal view that this focus on empathy was made possible and encouraged by the advent of feminism as an accepted and pervasive philosophy. Empathy is generally considered a "feminine" quality, and whether that's due to biology or sociology isn't really important. As more women leaders and co-leaders join the ranks, I'm excited to see how they use empathy as a tool for success and growth alongside the men and others they work with.