The Impact of Principals’ Empathy on Teachers’ Performance

Contemporary societies evaluate teachers and educational institutions using controversial criteria, mainly focusing on teachers’ “hard skills” such as experience, qualifications, and student performance. However, recent research highlights the importance of social and interpersonal skills in professional excellence, emphasizing the role of emotional and professional experiences as well as leader-teacher relationships. This study examined the impact of principals’ empathy on subordinates’ performance in education. A questionnaire with 47 questions was used, and the relationships were analyzed using linear regression and Pearson’s coefficient. Empathetic leadership showed positive associations with understanding others’ suffering and taking appropriate actions but was unexpectedly not linked to teacher performance. Specifically, leaders’ tolerance for subordinate stress had the most adverse effect on effectiveness. Upon concluding the study, it is evident that a manager’s empathy does not serve as a catalytic factor in terms of their effectiveness. Consequently, schools’ effectiveness continues to be primarily associated with quantifiable outcomes, whereas the emotional benefits derived from managerial empathy play a secondary role.