Listen "463 — The empathy problem: Balancing emotion in decision-making"
Episode Synopsis
Decision-making is a key aspect of being a manager, and a complex mix of skills, experiences, judgments and instincts. So how do you help your managers make smarter decisions at work? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, our own Dr Anna Barnett reveals insights from our new report 'The empathy problem: Balancing emotion in decision-making', part of our Building Better Managers series. We discuss: Whether managers are more inclined to delegate difficult tasks than those they think will be achieved Why too much empathy is a problem in decision-making How to build emotionally intelligent managers. During the discussion, Anna referenced the following papers: Maas, V. S., & Shi, B. (2023). 'The effects of target difficulty and relative ability on managers' delegation decisions'. Management Accounting Research, 60, 100851. Kaiser, R. B. (2024). 'Has empathy really become more important to leadership since the COVID-19 pandemic?'. Consulting Psychology Journal. To read all of our reports, visit mindtools.com/thought-leadership/reports For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Dr Anna Barnett Ross Garner
More episodes of the podcast The Mindtools L&D Podcast
476 — Christmas Special: Die Hard on an LMS
23/12/2025
475 — Is self-directed learning a myth?
16/12/2025
474 — So long 2025, what's hot for 2026?
10/12/2025
473 — Learning at LV=
02/12/2025
472 — Delivering business value
25/11/2025
471 — A long-term view on learning
18/11/2025
470 — AI in L&D: The Race for Impact
11/11/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.