Empathy

Without empathy, there cannot be a rapport and thus, no sustainable business relationships and leadership maturity.

Empathy is the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person's feelings; or the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another. Empathy is the key to great leadership allowing you to speak to a person from the space they stand, not where you think they should be.

Empathy as the ability to connect the minds via multi-disciplinary touch point: Empathy is one of the critical ingredients for contemporary global leadership. We all have bias due to the culture or environment in which we grew up, the media or books we select to follow; or the information we digested. Empathy is the key as it allows each person to get where the other person may be at. What they are experiencing and how they see it through their eyes.

Empathy as evidence of emotional intelligence: Someone in the throes of a strong emotion is simply unable to hear rational arguments or respond logically. The only way to move them from the heart to the rational mind is to use empathy to disarm their emotions. When people receive empathy, they truly feel heard and they can learn to listen more proactively and respond with empathy. It takes effort and we have to find our own words and our own way of saying them and become more focused on problem-solving.

Empathy vs. sympathy: Sympathy is a positive feeling to help others with compassion. Empathy is an ultimate level of human cognition of being nonjudgmental, active listening and balancing between tolerance and respect to achieve that. Sympathy shows the willingness to give and support, and empathy is the path and practice to convey human wisdom. Be grateful to understand others and be understood. Sympathy makes the world caring; and empathy makes the world equal. When someone is sharing a thought with you, do you focus on what’s been told contextually and listen objectively with an open heart and mind. Empathy means using the right language with the right people to gain mutual understanding.

Empathy conveys the respect which is crucial in the binding of peer-to-peer relationship, connecting the minds and touching the hearts. Without empathy, there cannot be a rapport and thus, no sustainable business relationships and leadership maturity.

Posted in: Communication,Keywords in 21st Century,Leadership Master,Leading by Questioning