How can you create a more empathetic workplace?

A common misconception of empathy is that it is the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. This belief can actually get in the way of effective empathy, as it assumes we all work from the same background, perspective, and experience when this is often not the case. Instead, try actively listening, identifying the emotions the other person is feeling, and reflecting that back to the individual.

Empathy, a cornerstone of emotional intelligence, is pivotal in successful leadership and cultivating a sense of belonging within a team. The essence of empathy lies in understanding another person's viewpoint, experiencing their emotions, and maintaining a non-judgemental attitude. It involves being able to relate to them while fully engaged in their moment. Staying present and constantly observing and reacting to other people's perspectives and emotions helps us gauge our level of empathy. This enables us to refrain from passing judgment, detach ourselves from the situation, and authentically offer our support.

To move anchored in wisdom of heart and utilize cognitive empathy to leverage logic and emotion is intangible wealth. Teams benefit in the compassionate responses from those who understand well the domains of empathy and when emotion needs to be the lead vs logic. The felt resonance both in presence or verbal dissemination weight the depth in soul for those who anchor in moving to view how the other has a tendency to view and collectively impact from allowing them to feel heard despite things not going in their favor. The potency of its depth roots in its wisdom of application.

Ask yourself this... Do I understand this individual on a deep level? If the answer is yes, you have the capacity to be empathetic with them. If not, simply take the time to ask them questions to get a better understanding of who they are and what makes them tick.

This is tougher than it sounds. Why? Because we are biased and even in EQ tests, we tend to give ourselves more credit than is due. Open ended feedback can also cause people to be nice or clam up. Instead be specific. For example "what's one thing I can start doing today to becoming more empathetic towards you?". Very direct and for those that do respond, it can give us a great baseline?

To heighten our level of empathy, active listening is crucial. This means fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and then remembering what is being said. This form of engaged communication demonstrates to the other person that their feelings and viewpoints are valued. "It is not listening until the other person feels they are heard."

The potency of active listening to pick up on the cues given both verbal and non verbal attest to those anchored in wisdom of the heart. My experience has shown the felt resonance from tonality or body movements in fragmented speaking shed light on the truth that was seeking to be shared. It is a deep desire to be heard and often the body language gives much away to full ones tank is for being in need to be heard. One of the greatest gifts you can give another in communication is allowing them to be and feel heard. the pause in directing the body towards the one speaking and attentively listening will aid in a great deal. Empathy is an equalizer for elevation.

It's critical to differentiate listening to understand from listening to respond. If you're formulating a response in your head while the other person is talking, it's not active listening. True active listening should be approached from a place of curiosity.

Sometimes closing one's eyes can take away any distractions and allow us to listen to what the other person is saying. However, this may mean we miss visual cues. So interspersing eyes closed and then looking into the other person's eyes (or the camera) can give focus and engagement. Staying quiet for approx 10 seconds after she or he has stopped speaking allows us to internalize before responding.

As yourself if you're able to put away devices, create an environment that is safe and open and allow the person to share without interrupting? If yes, then you are on the precipice of active listening. It's not about listening and reacting, many times it's just about listening and taking it all in, thinking about it, and then reconnecting again. People want to be seen, heard and recognized. So, ask yourself if this is important for you also, and how you would want this to feel?

The essence of empathy lies in our ability to connect with others' emotions and feelings. At times, identifying these emotions can be challenging, often due to a lack of self-understanding and ability to articulate our own feelings. Therefore, practicing mindfulness is crucial. It helps us recognize and name our emotions, enhancing our presence in the moment. This increased self-awareness not only empowers us to understand our feelings, but also to connect them effectively to others and relate to their stage of the mind and emotions.

Emotion differentiation is the ability to distinguish between similar emotions, get specific in identifying the emotion you are feeling, and label that emotion appropriately. Emotion differentiation helps with effective empathy and emotion regulation and is associated with lower levels of depression, higher self-esteem, and positive social and professional outcomes. So, instead of saying you feel "upset," try to get specific with an emotion like guilt, shame, frustration, embarrassment, or resentment.

It's also important to understand that everyone processes emotions and situations differently. Everyone deserves the space and validation to do so in a healthy way without fear of repercussions or negative impact to their work environment. When allowed this space it a fosters a trust, a stronger bond, and more open and honest communication. This communication is crucial for a successful workplace and healthy work environment. It also allows compassion to have a place in the environment as well.

Acknowledging others feelings is intangible wealth that tangibly impacts. It can create a path that opens one up to share their own emotions in return for addressing the concerns of others. The wisdom of the heart is potent and moving from this depth can elevate others. The potency of words matter and positioning to communicate from another's perspective helps. The numbers for those who are deemed true empath's vs those who are empathetic are small. Rightfully so others may mention the difficulty to pick up on these cues. Yet mirror neurons of empathy may spark others to branch out and test the weight of their actions for better.

There needs to be a balance here. If a leader is very emotional, her or his team members may feel they need to be too even though they are not wired that way. So a leader needs to be able to articulate that just because he or she displays emotions doesn't compel others to do so. But allowing people to be themselves permits folks to learn from each other and express themselves more using a medium they are comfortable with.

A fundamental aspect of empathy is curiosity and having a genuine interest in learning about others. This signals the desire to understand their story. To maintain this curiosity, it's crucial to master the art of asking open-ended questions. Such questions allow us to dig deeper, peeling back layers to truly understand someone at their core. I utilize an empathic approach combined with the Socratic method, guiding the person throughout our conversation. This approach opens a window into who they are, fostering connection while providing a platform for them to express themselves fully. Gathering more data is beneficial in building relationships or collaborations.

This only works if there is time! Constantly looking at one's smartphone of the clock while the other person is responding to the open ended question is a sure fire way of stopping all open-endedness. Explore this with time and patience and the rewards will come.

The tonality in disseminating from the heart through verbal resonance weights the authenticity of how these open ended questions could be received. The non verbal in conjunction with asking them weight the potency. Naturally curious about who, how and what sparks them from within has an in road to break through the shell that can often be presented. Sometimes this can show up with those who mention how they are compelled to share when they often dont. It may be a telling signs that you are on the right path for asking effective open ended questions. In my experience this has shown to impact. I agree with this.

It is critical to reflect on how others may perceive and interpret our actions, regardless of intent. However, the idea of putting yourself in someone's shoes works off of the assumption that we have all walked the same path, which is hardly ever the case. It is important to remember that we may all interpret things differently because we have different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences that impact how we perceive things. Practice checking in with colleagues after big decisions or difficult conversations to make sure everyone is on the same page, and stay open to feedback that words or actions may be interpreted differently than intended, and these interpretations are also valid.

The ability to understand another person's viewpoint and perspective holds immense value. This is, in essence, the foundation of emotional intelligence. Such a skill allows us not only to understand the individual, but also their thought processes, psychological frameworks, and philosophies. An additional benefit of perspective-taking is its ability to regulate our emotional reactions during tense encounters that can upsetting, or frightening. By taking time to understand another's viewpoint, we can separate our emotional response from the situation and respond more logically. Having this ability to take on different perspectives is like having another sets of eyes, it's a superpower.

Life has a way of etching painful memories that mark each of us differently. Actively listening as a practicing method to better one in hearing another may position one well to move rooted in empathy. When another speaks authentically about how they view or why they acted in the manner they did...listen vs assume. They are many times telling despite how your experience was. I have seen this work well when the other felt heard they asked me did I have a similar experience and what was the outcome. Despite wanting to jump when I felt it was correct to share remaining silent to hear them weighted in the end.

Empathy and actively moving to ensure its a two way street can burn some out. The confusion can be towards its agreeableness over it being kind. Kind weights in sharing tough things compassionately. Nice can be agreeable without seeking the deeper reasons of actions that harbor resentment or toxic environments from not going in more depth.The feedback loop matters for collective good. To understand teams can speak freely for the betterment of all is indeed a two way street that is anchored in wisdom of the heart.

Most people still don't understand what empathy truly is, and don't sweat it - we don't teach this and it's a learning process. It begins with your desire to build authentic relationships, and truly want to see, hear, and recognize others as you would want them to see/hear/recognize you. This is not only a skill for leaders. It is for everyone. When you're able to tap inward into your authentic self first and advocate for yourself, that is empathy. Doing this allows you to create that safe space to allow others to share their authentic selves and advocate for themselves. That is empathy. It's a continuous learning cycle.

Self-reflection is a powerful tool. By reflecting on our interactions and reactions, we can identify areas where our empathic response may need strengthening. This introspection can be crucial in consistently improving our ability to empathize.

As leaders, we must lead with empathy, setting the tone for the workplace by showing genuine concern for our team members. Leadership must promote emotional intelligence, fostering self-awareness and understanding emotions to build more meaningful connections. Leaders must vreate safe spaces for open discussions, allowing employees to share their experiences without judgment. Leaders must tremendously that their will follow their examples and not their policies. That said, it's important that leaders buy in and that they 'walk the walk'. All other initiatives will begin and stop with leadership's actions.

Most people still don't understand what empathy truly is, and don't sweat it - we don't teach this and it's a learning process. It begins with your desire to build authentic relationships, and truly want to see, hear, and recognize others as you would want them to see/hear/recognize you. This is not only a skill for leaders. It is for everyone. When you're able to tap inward into your authentic self first and advocate for yourself, that is empathy. Doing this allows you to create that safe space to allow others to share their authentic selves and advocate for themselves. That is empathy. It's a continuous learning cycle.