Christopher Kaufman’s Empathy at Work is a reflective and impactful examination of the vital part that empathy serves in fostering effective, people-oriented leadership and workplace environments. Based on his experiences and insights published in Forbes, Kaufman argues convincingly that vulnerability, psychological safety, and a growth mindset are crucial for contemporary organizational environments.

A key concept in the book is that vulnerability ought to be regarded not as a flaw, but rather as a strength in leadership. Kaufman convincingly asserts that leaders who reveal their human qualities—embracing feedback, being candid about difficulties, and acknowledging their errors—encourage trust and resilience within their teams. This vulnerability allows employees to engage more completely without fear, fostering creativity and teamwork.

The book offers useful models for evaluating key traits in team members, including working style, decision-making, openness to feedback, and handling conflicts. These tools assist leaders in recognizing individuals who can flourish in a growth-focused setting. Kaufman highlights the importance of employing individuals with a growth mindset rather than merely relying on innate talent, a notion that resonates strongly. He suggests that leaders should include not only “A players” but also individuals who can develop into “A-plus players,” fostering their growth in an environment focused on trust, feedback, and ongoing learning.

An essential and significant insight arises from the conversation regarding psychological safety. Kaufman stresses that organizations should shift from fear-driven environments to ones prioritizing authenticity. Teams that experience a sense of safety are more creative, involved, and willing to handle conflict positively.

The book features visual reflective models, like the reflection cycle (Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, Action Plan), which act as valuable resources for individual and team development.

Fundamentally, Empathy at Work serves simultaneously as a resource for enhanced leadership and as an invitation to reimagine the workplace as an environment where individuals are

This book is such a refreshing and necessary reminder of why empathy matters. As someone who has spent time working in the corporate world, I found Kaufman's insights especially resonant. His thoughtful exploration of empathy’s importance and recognition of how undervalued it has become in some professional spaces felt both validating and timely.

The book makes a strong and hopeful case for how empathy can help employees and organizations truly thrive. My only small critique is that the section featuring interview questions meant to assess empathy felt a little too familiar, as many of the examples were ones I’ve heard in standard interviews. Even so, the overall message and commitment to bringing empathy back into the heart of workplace culture were inspiring and incredibly worthwhile.

Thank you to Forbes and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book!

I was very excited to get this as an ARC as this is a topic near and dear to my heart. I was looking at kindness at work as a way to spark creativity and build resilient teams. This book comes to the same conclusions as I did in my research. However, it's written by someone who has walked the talk in an engaging way. This book avoids the traps of many business books as it perfectly balances antidotes, case studies, and research yet never feels dry. It's structure makes it really easy to look at all the various pieces that come together to create a culture that embraces innovation by creating an environment where it's safe to fail. A chapter on creating psychological safety in organizations should be mandatory for any leader.

The author particularly challenges the idea that those in the C-Suite have to be perfect and argues that vulnerability is what's needed in today's business landscape. Easy to follow steps on how to do this is a reoccurring theme in this book. There's a chapter on hiring, something I truly appreciated. I love the tips on how to interview for fit. It's interesting reading a book in 2025 that is making the case for diversity in organizations in the current US landscape.

This is definitely a resource that I'm planning to go back to as I move into my own consultant and speaking work. Highly recommend.