Empathy Is Not a Weakness — It’s a Strategy: : Insights from Yuliia Kushnir, Head of People Intelligence & Automation

Empathy Is Not a Weakness — It’s a Strategy

In today’s fast-changing and extremely competitive business environment, empathy in leadership is no longer considered a “soft skill.” It has become a core capability for fostering trust and resilience within teams, enabling them to achieve sustainable success. We spoke with Yuliia Kushnir, Head of People Intelligence & Automation to explore how empathy works in practice — and why it's not the opposite of results, but the foundation for them.

Empathetic Leadership: Responsibility, Not Indulgence

Empathetic leadership isn’t about pleasing everyone or avoiding difficult conversations. It’s a daily choice to be more of a partner than a big boss. It’s the ability to provide support during tough times, to trust without micromanaging, and to stay present while someone learns and grows.

"Being a manager isn’t about control. As managers we should create a space where taking the first step doesn’t feel terrifying. Where responsibility doesn’t paralyze your employees, because they know you won’t leave them alone when things get hard."

One of the clearest examples of this is trusting a newcomer with a complex task — when you see their potential and stay close to support and just let it unravel. A month later, that person might be confidently leading the process without seeking much of your involvement. It’s a win-win.

How Empathy Shapes Company Culture

Culture is born in the small moments — in feedback that encourages rather than shuts down, in the feeling of being valued and appreciated for your impact. When leaders grow their teams rather than overpower them, motivation becomes organic.

“I’ve seen teams where the fear of making a mistake is paralyzing. And others — where freedom of thought sparks genuine drive. Not ‘because I have to,’ but ‘because I can make a difference.’’

Empathy Without Borders: A Must-Have, Not a Nice-to-Have

In multicultural teams, empathy isn’t optional — it’s essential for survival. It’s about communicating not just to be heard, but to be understood, while respecting the context of each culture.

“What sounds like honesty in Spain may feel like an insult in Poland. In Cyprus, ‘I’ll definitely do it’ might mean ‘someday, maybe.’ Without cultural sensitivity and a will to understand instead of judge, multinational teams fall apart.”

The company introduced a series of internal lectures on cultural differences in communication. The outcome? Fewer misunderstandings, more trust, and better collaboration across countries.

Leveraging Empathy Under Pressure

In fast-moving industries like iGaming, with constant changes and high KPIs, empathy translates into a resilient presence.

“I don’t pretend everything’s easy. If it’s tough, I say it’s tough. If it hurts, I don’t cover it up with forced optimism. But I stay close — not to solve everything for someone, but to support, to help them sort things out, to prevent burnout.”

Sometimes, the greatest act of empathy isn’t pushing someone to ‘hang in there,’ but simply saying: “Yes, it’s hard. But you’re not alone. We’ll get through it together.”

Support ≠ Softness. Results ≠ Sacrifice.

Balancing people and performance must be approached to integrate both, and not to choose one over the other. Empathy builds the infrastructure for consistent results, not just one-off achievements fueled by overwork.

“If your strategy relies solely on heroic effort, it’s not a strategy — it’s a marathon without water. Human support isn’t separate from business; it’s what makes long-term performance possible.”

Sustainable and progressive outcomes happen at the intersection of individual strengths and business needs. That’s where teams find meaning — and stay motivated.

Empathy in Action: Tools and Practices That Work

The company actively cultivates empathy through concrete practices:

• Regular 1:1s and mentoring, focused on real connection, not only performance checklists and plans for individual development.
• Team-wide reflection and retrospective meetings, where feedback flows in all directions — not just top-down;
• Involvement in decisions that match with one’s level of responsibility, not just task execution;
• Role clarity + room for initiative, where structure enables, not restricts;
• Questions over instructions, like “How do you see this?” or “What would you suggest?”

“Structure without freedom is a cage. Freedom without structure is chaos. We balance between the two.”

These practices help balance relationships, attitude, and productivity, all at the same time.

Empathetic Leadership Reduces Burnout and Turnover

In high-stakes industries, it’s easy to burn out. But when people feel seen, trusted, and valued — the stress has meaning.

“People don’t leave companies — they leave managers. If you have a leader who sees when you’re on the edge and prevents you from tripping over it by balancing things wisely, you don’t need to escape.”

A team where people genuinely listen to one another and take into account what they heard becomes a space where people want to stay.

Empathy at Scale: Making Growth Human

Scaling it’s not just an increase in headcount and revenue. It’s about maintaining human connection between people who may never meet in person.

“Each new location is a little world. If we just send instructions, they stay islands. But if we bridge them with the bigger dynamic, they become part of a continent.”

Empathy at scale means making sure every team has a voice and sees itself as part of something bigger.

When Trust Unlocks Potential

Some of the most inspiring moments in People Operations are when someone, who was once given only minor tasks, now leads boldly, challenges ideas, and supports others — not because they were pushed, but because they were trusted and supported to grow their competencies to meet these challenges boldly.

“Leadership is born not from title, but from space — space where people are not limited by their current level.”

That moment when a new hire says, “This is the first time I feel my opinion matters” — it’s not sentiment. It’s proof that the system is alive.

Conclusion

Empathy is not a feel-good add-on to leadership — it’s the backbone of a resilient, high-performing team. In fast-paced, multicultural, and high-pressure environments, empathetic leadership fosters trust, enables growth, and builds cultures where people thrive. It doesn’t replace performance — it empowers it. When leaders prioritize understanding, clarity, and support, they don’t just retain talent — they unlock its full potential.

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