Sally Ogwo Okey-Umahi
Executive Insight Uncategorized

SYMPATHY IS A HIGH RISK, EMPATHY IS A KEY CONTROL.

Published April 1, 2026 Reading Time 2 Min Author Sally OgwoOkey-Umahi

Here are the reasons:

Operational Efficiency:
SYMPATHY seeks to solve business problems with quick fixes and short cuts without seeking to understand the problems and root causes. EMPATHY understands the problems and root causes and offers lasting solutions.

Employee relationships and career development:
SYMPATHY sees a hungry man and fills his plate without seeking to understand the man and his problems, but EMPATHY learns the man’s story and changes it by equipping him with the right knowledge, tools and confidence to feed himself for a lifetime.

Conclusion
As a key Risk, SYMPATHY undermines productivity and principles, and erodes independent mindset, objectivity and sound judgements.

As a key Control, EMPATHY enhances productivity, adheres to principles and applies independent mindset, objectivity and sound judgment in handling issues.

Finally, as a manager, you must have the ability to spot employees with sympathetic traits and behaviors within your teams and have a structured training programmes to support them to overcome the traits.

The recruitment process must be deliberately designed to detect candidates with sympathetic traits and findings incorporated into hiring decisions.

These will help to prevent or limit the liability or damaging effects of employees with SYMPATHETIC behaviors.


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About the Author Sally OgwoOkey-Umahi

Sally OgwoOkey-Umahi

Sally Ogwo-Oke Yumahi is a governance, risk and compliance executive with decades of experience advising boards, executive leadership teams and multinational organizations on governance transformation, enterprise risk management, internal audit excellence and strategic resilience.

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