The actual empathy (actually being able to understand people’s perspectives) is how you get to places everyone is OK with. Empathy isn’t language. It’s using the understanding of what people feel and want to find solutions that work well for everyone. Without understanding that perspective at a deep and intuitive level, you don’t solve actual problems. You don’t routinely preempt problems by seeing them before they have a chance of happening and working around them.
Actual leadership isn’t stepping in when people are almost at blows and parroting “conflict resolution” at them. It’s understanding who your people are and what they want and putting them in position to succeed.