An Empathy Illustration That Works

What you see is rarely the whole story. Results are visible — beliefs, needs, fears, and intentions are not. When we learn to look beneath the surface, we unlock empathy, better judgment, and the conditions for people to do their best work.

I created this to help illustrate a key leadership insight—but the core idea isn’t mine.…

It’s a simple illustration—because visuals often make the message clearer.

We often judge people based on what they do and the results they generate. It’s our mental shortcut—a way to make quick sense of others. Their output is visible. It feels clear. It seems fair to assess them that way.

But in our own minds, we operate through the lens of our beliefs, needs, and—of course—our good intentions. We want grace. We want the space to experiment without criticism. We want the freedom to fail, so we can learn, grow, and improve our actions—and ultimately our results.

Great leaders on The Path of a Leader care about results—but not at the expense of emotional intelligence or by treating people like tools. Instead, they focus on creating an environment where the team can be fully activated—to do their best, most meaningful work.

Creating a safe environment for outstanding work starts with understanding we are all on a journey growing and learning and the internal and external should be considered together.

Thanks to Dave Gray for the original visual idea—this is my reinterpretation of his illustration from Liminal Thinking, a book I highly recommend!

#ThePathOfALeader
#GSD

Appreciate you,

Justin