How can you use empathy to build consensus and buy-in when working on a team?

As a leader, you can use empathy to build consensus and buy-in by actively listening to your team members' perspectives, understanding their concerns, and acknowledging their emotions. By demonstrating an understanding of their viewpoints and showing genuine care for their well-being, you can foster trust and create a collaborative environment where team members feel heard and valued. This approach can lead to stronger alignment, increased engagement, and ultimately, better decision-making within the team.

Empathy is feeling feelings and responding appropriately. In the Six Seconds Model, we call this competency "Increasing Empathy", because its about creating a space for and with Empathy. It is also important to remember that Empathy includes 3 different components: rational, emotional and behavioral

Most leaders will tell you they know how to be empathetic, the real question is, is it their natural preference? That is, when the going gets tough and they are under immense pressure, do they remember to be empathetic? Do they remember to care for their team? It is ok if it's not their preference, the key is about putting a process in place to remind them what they need to do so they can engage their team not just on their good day.

Empathy at work can enhance collaboration, improve communication, and foster a positive work environment. It allows individuals to understand and relate to the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of their colleagues, leading to more effective teamwork, reduced conflicts, and increased morale. Empathetic leaders can better motivate and support their employees, while empathetic employees are more likely to contribute to a culture of inclusivity and respect. This emotional intelligence skill can lead to higher job satisfaction and productivity, benefiting both the individuals and the organization as a whole.

Sem deixar os julgamentos de lado e priorizar as diferenças de pensamentos e experiências não alcançamos a empatia genuína por alguém. Ter empatia é uma habilidade que pessoas desprendidas de ego e de julgamentos conseguem atingir ao receber do outro o que ele realmente vive, traz consigo e é.

A empatia pode ser vista como competência e como valor. Como competência, é possível treinar a empatia, procurando os nossos recursos internos para conseguirmos compreender o que o outro sente. É procurar encontrar os nossos conceitos sobre os nossos sentimentos e aproximar ao máximo daquilo que inferimos que o outro sente. Mas para irmos buscar esses conceitos, que se constroem também com as nossas próprias experiências, temos de saber fazer perguntas. As perguntas vão ajudar-nos a escutar o outro e a aproximar aquilo que pensamos que o outro pensa daquilo que o o outro realmente pensa.

Empathy enables you to communicate in a way which is true to yourself and your leadership style whilst being inclusive and understanding of your team or audience. Fundamentally empathy is the path to effective communication - in the end if you don't understand who you are talking to, how can you ensure they are able to hear you?

Empatia está muita mais associada ao sentir o que o outro sente e entender as suas reações verbalizadas ou gestuais, do que meramente se colocar no lugar dele outro; quando imergimos nos sentimentos e buscamos ‘entendimentos comportamentais’, aí sim, estamos bem próximos de sermos empáticos.

In teams one can always experience diversity in cultures, emotions, capacities, thoughts etc. To use empathy intelligently to get them closer to each other is a leadership quality. One can use own story to exhibit own empathy and then encourage others to come up with their understanding of empathy and its positive aspects. As group work one can practice empathy as well as involve the whole team for any project or task.This will give them some kind of incentive to practice empathy with others. Respectful and happiness is by product.

Concordo plenamente. É muito importante ouvir a equipe, entender as dores de cada um e também receber feedbacks. Dessa forma é possível dar suporte e orientar de forma mais eficaz e mostrando a importância de cada um.

Listen first. Ask open-ended questions. And as the famous Theodore Roosevelt quote says: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Show authentic care and concern and take the time to get to know someone as a person. This will build emotional connection and lead to a greater probability of understanding and consensus.

When people know that you are asking questions and listening to their answers with the intention to understand, not undermine, trust is built effectively. As a leader, there are many things that fly under our own radars that still need to be considered when managing change. Naming the experience of others (e.g. "I know there are a lot of initiatives rolling right now that affect you directly, and I understand I am adding more weight to your plate with this ask") go a really long way in setting a foundation of respect, trust, and safety.

A partir do momento em que você disponibiliza uma parte de seu tempo para ouvir outra pessoa, você abre uma porta que talvez ela nunca pensasse que existisse. Parar para Ouvir, sem tirar conclusões precipitadas é dar oportunidade para que o afeto se faça presente. O brainstorm é criado por sugestões de vários indivíduos, sabendo incluir um indivíduo dentro do processo ou sistema, você acaba mostrando os valores que ele tem só pelo fato de ali está presente socializando.

Empathy fosters teamwork by promoting active listening, acknowledging emotions, and collaborating on solutions. Respecting differences and leading by example is crucial for building trust and consensus. By valuing diverse perspectives and creating a supportive environment, teams can work together effectively and achieve common goals. In summary, empathy is a powerful tool for building consensus and trust within a team or among colleagues. By actively listening, acknowledging emotions, collaborating on solutions, respecting differences, and leading by example, individuals can create a supportive and inclusive work environment where teamwork thrives and shared goals are achieved.

To demonstrate empathy effectively, we need to be aware of its facets: Cognitive, Emotional and Compassionate. Cognitive requires hearing facts and evidence. Then we go to the Emotional element where Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is vital. In today's divisive environment, we must increase our own EQ and learn to interpret the emotional responses, verbal and non-verbal, in others. Compassion follows, but building concensus also requires skill in decision making, negotiation, and communication. Trying to lump all this together under the term "empathy" may not be as productive as this coalition-building process.

If you ever notice you are struggling to empathise with the joy/sadness/stress etc. someone else is facing, try to ignore the “why” they are feeling that way(initially) and instead focus on just the emotion they are feeling. Now try to think of what you would have to personally experience to be as happy/sad/stressed etc. as they “look”. Once you imagine that and have the emotions in you, consider what you would want a friend to do or say to you in that scenario and use that as your guide. Different people see the world differently but hopefully this focus on the emotion can help you empathise with people no matter how different they may be to you.

I’m learning the great value of asking good questions. In conversation, focus on being interestED instead of trying to be interestING. 💡👊

The good news is that while IQ is something we are born with and doesn't change much over time, EQ can be raised. This means that anyone can develop their emotional intelligence through dedicated practice and self-awareness, making it a valuable skill to actively cultivate throughout life.

Being empathetic can save a life .. for instance. I was hit by a car last year walking across the parking lot . He was texting and driving. When he stopped he literally fell out of his car crying and screaming and I immediately felt more concerned for him than me . I knew something more was going on with him. A few weeks later I find him on fb to let him know I was ok and he wrote that , the day he hit me he just had a baby and his wife almost didn’t make it and the baby was sick . That he was responding to his wife’s text on what to get at target and that he was an ex marine with PTSD and been in a dark place since he hit me and that me reaching out to chk on him even tho he hit me was a blessing and he could come out of that now .perfect

I would summarize it by saying that empathy is matching your emotions with those of others. Maybe you can't feel the death of my pet with the same magnitude. But if you remember the sadness you felt when going through the loss of a loved one, you will understand what I am feeling. That is precisely being empathetic to put myself in the emotional state you are going through.