The second step to cultivating your emotional intelligence is to empathize with others. This means being able to recognize, understand, and respect the emotions, needs, and perspectives of your team members and stakeholders. You can practice empathy by listening actively, asking open-ended questions, showing genuine interest, and validating their feelings. You can also use techniques, such as mirroring, paraphrasing, and summarizing, to demonstrate that you are paying attention and that you care. By empathizing with others, you can build trust, rapport, and collaboration.