Look around globally, and unfortunately you will see many great examples of bad leadership. Just holding a title doesn’t impart success as a leader.

To me, it seems that leaders that have compassion or empathy are disappearing from the world stage, with very few exceptions.

Whether you are in startup stage or growth stage, I’ve always believed that empathy and compassion towards others are key to making an impact — especially in under-served, under-represented, or under-resourced communities.

It shouldn’t take much for people to do that. It’s about understanding pain and suffering, happiness and joy. There is not a human being alive today who has not experienced pain or suffering — a sickness, a family, a system, being oppressed by others, or many other things.

Finding a way to connect with the emotions of individuals is a powerful way to lead the world to a better place. At the same time, finding ways to find happiness — doing something positive — is critical for the world to become a better place.

Having personally struggled and lived through oppressed by an occupation, and a fight through immigration court systems, I understand what it’s like to feel the world is against you. It doesn’t mean you have to have the same feelings I did, but you could relate by understanding being oppressed, or being unhappy, or facing challenges, because we all do.

So, let’s find ways to cultivate empathy and compassion with people you might not otherwise know how to relate to.

BEFORE YOU GO

We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.

1. What can you do to connect with individuals that are different than you?

2. How can you let go of fear you might have cultivated without knowing that you did?

3. What can you do to ensure you’re finding new ways to connect with individuals with whom you normally don’t connect?

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Faris Alami is Founder and CEO of International Strategic Management, Inc. (ISM). He works internationally, presenting Exploring Entrepreneurship Workshops and other entrepreneurial ecosystem — related ventures.