According to AskSpoke.com empathy is the ability to understand someone else’s thoughts and feelings.
Empathy is one of the 5 key elements of emotional intelligence according to psychologist Daniel Goldman and is an essential leadership skill.
So why do you need to develop this skill?
Embracing empathy at work will allow you to be more productive and have higher satisfaction in the workplace. According to HBR’s Empathy index, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Netflix and Unilever are undisputed as the most empathetic companies and this not only has a positive impact on their employees but also their output making their teams more successful than companies without empathy.
It’s thus an essential tool that you need to learn if you want to be more successful at your work.
You will be able to work well with your workers coming from a place of understanding, which allows you to have an open mind towards different situations and reduce levels of conflict in the workplace.
So how do you become empathetic?
- Actively listen to your workmates: and try and understand their point of view if you are a leader then listen to your workmates. You don’t have to agree, but listen!
- Ask questions, this will show the other person that you’re interested in them. Asking how someone is doing can go along way and it will let someone know that you are a caring person.
- Avoid making assumptions about people: if someone looks off dont assume it’s because of you, the genuinely might just be having a bad day.
- Be genuine in your interactions with people: being open and honest about your achievements and shortcomings allows people to be able to relate with you.
- Accept people as they are: when people feel accepted, they are more likely to feel like themselves and they can feel free to give their best without feeling judged if they make a mistake.
Try it out and let us know if being more empathetic has had an impact on you and your workmates or team!