How Empathetic Agility Can Help Leaders Navigate Change

When circumstances change quickly, leaders face pressure to make decisions and adjust plans while supporting people who may feel uncertain or overwhelmed. How can leaders keep the work moving while remaining connected to the people and purpose for doing it? In this episode, we explore “empathetic agility,” the ability to adapt and make decisions in complex situations while remaining attentive to what others are experiencing. We talk with Bobbi Silten, Allison Kaika, and Nikhil Bumb, coauthors of the FSG article, “Building Empathetic Agility: The Leadership Muscle for Navigating Complexity with Purpose,” about how this practice can support leaders of collaboratives and cross-sector partnerships. Drawing on their own leadership experiences and conversations with other field leaders, guests discuss: How building trusted relationships before a crisis can help partners better navigate uncertainty together How listening, acknowledging mistakes, and making room for questions can help people feel safe speaking up Why staying connected to shared goals and values can help leaders decide what needs attention when everything feels urgent How everyday practices, such as pausing to reflect and making time to process changes with others, can strengthen empathetic agility If you are navigating change in your collaborative and looking for ways to respond with care and purpose as a way to fuel progress, we invite you to listen to the full episode. Resources and Footnotes: Building Empathetic Agility: The Leadership Muscle for Navigating Complexity with Purpose More on Collective Impact Infographic: What is Collective Impact? Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0. The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By. Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/