Why Empathy Is Important in Governance: The Senator Effiong Bob’s Example

By Inemesit Ebu

According to some Schools of thought, Empathy is the ability to identify or understand the perspective, experiences, or motivation of another individual and to comprehend and share another individual’s emotional state.

Leadership is ultimately about others. It means inspiring them to take actions beyond their capabilities, leading them in a direction that is compelling and inspiring. Empathy is the foundation of those actions.

Nowadays, societies demand political leaders with the capacity to identify, recognize, and address other’s suffering and who can govern satisfactorily their electorates. In that sense, empathy becomes not just a preferable quality, but also a prerequisite for governance.

As the general elections time is counting down by the day, it is pertinent to talk about political empathy when our leaders are coming out to campaign for the governorship position in Akwa Ibom State.

However, there are some questions the electorates should beg for answers:

• Which of the numerous leaders have grassroots interests at heart?

• Which leader will eradicate hunger at least 80% from the grassroots level?

• Who will be sincere enough to take development to the grassroots?

• Which political leader contesting for the top position in the state will consider unemployment as a big problem in the state?

• Who will consider education, agriculture, skills acquisition, for the progress of the state.

Taking our state to the next level depends on answers to the above questions and many more. These answers can only come from an experienced leader in our society. At this point, the leader that readily comes to mind is Distinguished Senator Effiong Dickson Bob; he is mature, experienced, tested and a trusted political leader, who has the interest of the people at heart having started his political career at the grassroots level.

Senator Bob is undoubtedly, a philanthropist. It takes a man who has empathy to be a giver and to stay close to the electorates.

Empathy is in-born not made. Senator Effiong Bob is no doubt a grassroots politician in his own right who has been on ground all these years and is familiar with the needs of Akwa Ibom State and the people. He is a loyal party man who has remained faithful to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP since inception and he is ready to answer the above questions that concern the citizens of the State.

It is a known fact that one common factor that differentiates Sen. Bob from others is that he is not deterred by sentiments, as he stands and supports with every word, what is right, having traversed the political space in the state for the past twenty five years. He knows the people well and is ready to solve their problems and keep his electioneering promises. Indeed, he is a leader that cares.

Before I conclude, here are six simple ways that empathy can make you into the best leader you can be:

1. Empathy creates bonds.

2. Empathy gives insight.

3. Empathy teaches presence:

4. Empathy guides understanding:

5. Empathy sharpens people’s skills.

6. Empathy cultivates a better communicator.

At the end, empathy is a leadership capability that is worth cultivating, a soft skill that leads to hard, tangible results.

Inemesit Ebu is a journalist and Publisher, Great Achievers’ World Magazine. She writes from Lagos State, Nigeria.

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