Empathy, especially in the context of professional life, is an incredibly valuable attribute. For some people, being empathetic is part of who they are and is second nature, however for others it can be more difficult. Not having empathy for others doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a bad person, but it can be hugely detrimental to how you develop relationships and how you are perceived by others. In the workplace, having empathy for others is vital to building a positive corporate culture, and is particularly important in senior/management positions. Doing some critical self-reflection and assessing whether you are empathetic towards others is always a good idea – and if the answer is no you’re not, don’t worry. There’s a few simple strategies you can practice to help develop your empathetic side…
As cliché as it may sound, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and trying to assess a situation from their perspective is one of the most effective ways to develop empathy.
It is easy to judge another person at first sight of them. It is easy to assume you know who they are and what they are like. But in actuality, you don’t. It is important to put yourself in the shoes of others in order to better understand why they are the way that they are. This may shed light onto the situation which they are in. You cannot comprehend a person’s reasoning without at least trying to learn the whole story. As a leader you should put yourself in the shoes of your employees. It will help you to understand them and gain power to better meet their needs. Understanding their needs is more critical now than it ever has been. Understanding is just the first layer of the process, the second layer is when you understand the motivations behind them. As a leader, taking the time to do this shows that you genuinely care, which is worth a lot to employees. They will go the extra mile for you in return.
Listening to your employees is more important that you think. The greatest businesses are dynamic and they constantly evolve. In order for this to happen, leaders need to make changes to their culture, to keep up with the times. Culture cannot be changed without understanding what the culture actually is. For the company culture to improve, leaders need to listen to their employees and take on board their feedback/ suggestions. It is only through receiving criticism and adapting as a result of it, that the business will actually move forward, retain quality talent and compete with rivals. Without listening, the company will stay stagnant.
To know how somebody else is feeling, it is better to close your eyes and use your ears because people tend to read other people’s emotions more accurately when they listen and don’t look. Recognizing the emotions of others is essential to boosting social well-being and happiness. Being able to pick up on others’ emotions helps us to manage, communicate and collaborate more effectively. Quite simply, it allows us to get along better with people in general. The inability to recognize how people are feeling may cause problems and conflict.
A key aspect of empathy is to show people that you genuinely understand how they are feeling and making it clear that you recognize their emotions. This will provide them with the sense of security that they are not an outcast. Recognizing how somebody else feels and being able to correctly deal with that will create a much closer relationship with them. As a result they should be more likely to open up and trust you.
