The importance of professional empathy

- So let's talk about three big things that empathy can help you achieve in the office. First, peer-to-peer collaboration will improve because we're attempting to feel what the other person feels in order to understand and engage with them. Second, when there's an emphasis on building solid professional relationships, team members are happier and empathy thrives. And lastly, when those at the top of the pyramid make empathy a core value, managers are better leaders. So first let's talk about collaboration. Studies have shown that teams that are the most collaborative speak up equally in meetings. This is possible because each of the team members are engaging in empathetic practices or perspective-taking. Team members trust each other enough to communicate freely yet respectfully. They understand who each person is and value the diversity that comes with different opinions. As a result, team members consistently give their coworkers the platform to speak openly about different ideas while being genuinely invested in what those ideas are. This collaboration can be accomplished by setting up a system of checks and balances whenever three or more people are in a meeting. Make sure each person has an opportunity to ask a question or say their opinion without judgment. When an unusual idea pops up, don't immediately dismiss it. Give the person a chance to work through their thought process. Collaborative teams view differing opinions as an opportunity for growth, not ridicule. The next reason why empathy at work is valuable is because it fosters strong relationships. A thing to take into account about relationships in general is that they take empathy to build. With that in mind, remember that no one becomes a great success all by themselves. We have cheerleaders and staunch supporters along the way that help us get to where we want to be. Oftentimes those relationships are the difference between success and failure. This same sentiment goes for creating and growing successful companies. And finally, professional empathy is a key factor in building great leaders. What's going on at the top trickles down to the bottom. So strong leadership is a core value that needs to be constantly reevaluated. Empathetic leaders are going to be actively involved in understanding their environment. They'll be able to quickly assess situations and take the correct course of action to push their teams towards success. They also understand the limits of their individual employees' talents. Knowing what their employees can and can't do gives empathetic leaders a starting point on how to help them improve and excel.