The Unseen Strength

The Unseen Strength: How Deep Listening and Empathy Are Redefining Leadership — and How Women Can Lead the Way

By Shane Kuchel & Joanne Brooks
A collaborative article exploring leadership, empathy, and the quiet power women are reclaiming in business.

A Canvas for Connection in a Disconnected World

In an era defined by rapid technological advancement and profound shifts in how we interact, the very fabric of human connection in the workplace is being tested. While digital tools promise efficiency, they often inadvertently contribute to a growing sense of isolation.

This article explores two critical, yet often underestimated, leadership qualities – deep listening and empathy – particularly through the lens of women in leadership. These aren’t just desirable traits. They are essential tools for building resilient, thriving, and connected teams.

The Power of Diverse Voices in the Workplace

By Shane Kuchel

As we move toward a more equitable business landscape, it’s worth acknowledging a simple truth: the most effective leadership teams are often those with the widest range of voices and perspectives.

Yet communication dynamics in professional settings can sometimes lead to a woman’s voice being perceived as quieter. This is not about blame — it’s about recognising systemic patterns that stem from conditioning, experience, and company culture.

Research shows masculine communication styles tend to emphasise directness and outcomes, while feminine styles often prioritise context and connection. When one style dominates, others can be sidelined.

But the tide is turning. Qualities typically associated with female leadership — collaboration, intuition, empathy — are now recognised as powerful drivers of innovation and success. All voices are needed. Deeply.

The Loneliness Epidemic at Work

Our hyper-connected world presents a paradox: we’re constantly in touch, but increasingly out of connection.

A 2023 "State of the Nation" report revealed that nearly one in three Australian adults feels lonely, with clear productivity and engagement impacts at work. Lonely employees report higher presenteeism and impairment — not to mention the emotional cost of isolation.

This data underscores an urgent need for leadership to feel more human. Psychological safety starts with trust — and trust begins with being truly heard. That’s where deep listening comes in.

Not performative listening. Not listening to respond. But the kind of listening that makes people feel seen. Safe. Significant.

The Role of Men in Listening Better

As a male leader who has led and coached many women, I’ve seen this firsthand. Women often self-censor or yield the floor — not from lack of insight, but due to unconscious social patterns.

That’s why leaders — especially male leaders — need to double down on listening. Creating space. Resisting the urge to interrupt or solve too quickly. Trust rises when listening deepens. According to Zenger Folkman, strong listeners rank in the 86th percentile for trust. Poor listeners? Just the 15th.

Empathy: A Leadership Advantage, Not a Liability

Historically, empathy was seen as “soft” — especially in the results-driven world of the C-suite. Women who climbed high often felt pressure to tone it down.

But empathy isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom. And in times of uncertainty, it’s one of the strongest leadership levers we have.

Empathetic leaders build trust, resolve conflict, and create cultures people want to stay in. The data says it. My coaching clients feel it. And more importantly — we need it now more than ever.

A Circle Perspective on What Women Are Really Feeling

By Joanne Brooks

Where Shane brings the coaching insight and global view, I’m here to share what it feels like inside the business trenches — especially for women.

Because while experts talk about "deep listening," many women haven’t heard their own voice in weeks.

At Navig8Biz and in the Navig8 Circle, I work with women who are stuck in what I call the performance spiral — where doing more has replaced thinking clearly. Where calendars are full, but clarity is missing.

They wake up before their kids to check emails. Spend the day in back-to-back meetings, powering through decisions and smiling through stress. Then fall into bed feeling productive but disconnected — from their vision, their purpose, and themselves.

They’re impressive. Overcommitted. And often, quietly exhausted.

One Circle member said to me, “I run a team of 15, but I can’t remember the last time I asked myself what I want.”
That’s not just burnout. That’s a leadership gap disguised as productivity.

Another client once confessed, “I’ve built everything I said I wanted — the team, the revenue, the lifestyle — and I still feel like I’m chasing something.”

That’s the quiet grief so many female entrepreneurs carry: the cost of building at full speed without ever stopping to ask if it still fits.

What Women in Leadership Are Really Facing

Here’s what I see every week: women who are unknowingly living in the lower layers of their leadership Circles.

🔠 In the Circle of Vision, they’ve stopped looking ahead — they’re too busy reacting.
🔠 In the Circle of Energy, they’re overdrawn — treating rest as optional.
🔠 In the Circle of Instinct, they’ve stopped trusting their gut — second-guessing replaces decisiveness.
🔠 In the Circle of Boundaries, they’ve blurred every line — yes is their default.
🔠 In the Circle of Impact, they’re unsure if their work is making a dent at all.

These are brilliant women. But brilliance buried in busyness is easy to miss.

This is what I call The Polished Pressure Trap — where everything looks shiny, but underneath, it’s stretched and unsustainable.

To shift, we don’t need more time. We need a new lens.

That’s where the LeadHER Lens™ comes in — a four-part decision framework that we use in Her Transformation to help women move from stuck to soul-aligned.

• The Release Lens: What no longer serves the woman I’m becoming?

• The Refocus Lens: Where is my energy being diluted by distraction?

• The Realign Lens: What’s aligned with my vision and season of life?

• The Rise Lens: What brave, aligned action am I being called to take next?

This isn’t fluff. It’s strategy rooted in clarity.

And when women combine the LeadHER Lens with the 10 Circles — they stop spinning and start leading. On their terms. With their voice.

“We don’t need more hustle. We need more pause.” 🔠

Because the pause isn’t passive. It’s where the real power returns.

A Joint Invitation

This article began as a conversation between two leadership coaches. One focused on human-centred strategy. One focused on women reclaiming their voice.

We believe both matter.

So, we’re asking:

🔠 What might change if deep listening wasn’t a workshop — but a way of working?

🔠 What would it feel like if empathy wasn’t downplayed — but defined your edge?

🔠 And what if you didn’t have to wait for a burnout or breakdown to lead differently?

If this stirred something in you — whether you're a woman navigating the noise, or a leader wanting to create more space — we’d love to hear your voice.

Drop a 🔠 in the comments, message us directly, or join the conversation.
This isn’t just a leadership theory. It’s a different way forward.

Joanne Brooks
🔔 Follow + connect if you’re done with chaos. We build circles of clarity here.
Founder, Navig8 Circle & Her Transformation.

Shane Kuchel
Leadership Coach | Facilitator | Speaker
Helping leaders return to strength and clarity and activate their teams.