Harsh criticism and lack of empathy always backfires. Emotional and personal challenges emerge, relationships erode, and top performers start to look for alternatives elsewhere. It’s bad for business for a leader to act harshly and disregard the feelings of others.

In a country where we work more than the Japanese, people just quit.

No employee in the United States, in their right mind, will stay in an organization long-term if he is poorly treated. In fact, the Pew Research ranks “Feeling disrespected at work” as the third cause of US workers leaving a job, followed only by low pay and no opportunities for advancement. It doesn’t take being disrespected at work for someone to quit. Just the feeling of it will do it.

If your organization’s pay is low and the opportunities for advancement are limited, be extra cautious with who is placed in key positions of authority. Losing a great employee hurts. Morale usually suffers, productivity often declines, and team members may follow suit and quit too. Life is way too short for anyone to live in constant stress.

Be aware of bosses who lack empathy. The website http://www.business.com puts it best, “If you’re not making an effort to support and understand your employees, they will find better leadership elsewhere.” Losing a star will cost you.

At Harvard, I learned to lead with empathy. In higher education, we lead highly educated skilled workers. Hence, we must treat others like people not just employees. People have different perceptions and family challenges, too. Unplanned events happen like having to visit a wife in the hospital after a long surgery. Unfortunate events sometimes occur too like having a suicidal kid attempting something stupid.

Be reasonable, be kind, be understanding. As the great Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius once said, “Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?”