Experts underscore importance of empathy, capacity building in creating innovation

Experts have called for societal advancement grounded in compassion, as empathy and capacity building are critical pathways to fostering innovation. They stated this at a panel session during the Daystar Christian Centre Excellence in Leadership Conference, noting that empathy is often seen as a personal virtue, and an essential driver in building sustainable and inclusive innovation.

The Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, decried the low level of love shown in the world, urging all leaders to show empathy and care for one another. He underscored the importance of love in leadership, reminding attendees that “the measure of love is how we treat people in our society and how we show respect for each other.”

Adeyemi noted that innovation is the heartbeat of progress, calling on leaders to embrace creativity and forge new paths that drive growth and meaningful change. He challenged leaders to see challenges as avenues for creating value, stating: “Our challenges offer an opportunity to build solutions, and innovation allows us to maximise our resources.”

Also, the Founder, Lumination Global Network, Adaora Mbelu, who spoke on the topic, ‘Capacity for Innovation’ charged the audience to build resilience while nurturing their inner self to becoming a lighthouse.

Mbelu said that innovation is about taking values from chaos and carrying the spirit of capacity, stressing that people who set limits for themselves are not ready to innovate.

She said: “True entrepreneurship is not about building massive structures or becoming a unicorn. It’s about solving problems in a way that brings order to chaos. It’s about using the gifts, the skills that we uniquely hold.

“We need to always remember that we are a lighthouse and we have the capacity to illuminate any problem around us.

“Titles do not define one’s abilities to innovate. Innovation might be risky but everyone must endeavour to innovate anyway.”