The ability to understand and perceive the feelings of others can be described as empathy. People often wonder whether empathy can be developed. The answer is -yes!
Empathy is a superpower that can be practiced and honed just like many other skills. Empathy works like a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets!
It helps you connect with and relate to others, achieve greater success in your career, and improve the quality of your life by understanding the motivations and feelings of your colleagues and customers.
Why empathy is a superpower for your career
Empathy allows people to develop deeper relationships with others, join in on the joy of good fortune for others, and feel empathy for their suffering or sadness.
But how does it help you in your career?
Empathy helps you better understand and meet the needs of others and succeed in every area of life. Whether understanding an important client, nurturing a new employee, or parenting your children, empathy makes success possible.
Let’s look at what it means to develop empathy. What would happen if you tried to understand others by putting yourself in their shoes?
Empathy leads to stronger relationships at work
How empathy works in your relationships can be seen through improved relationships with anyone you interact with. Empathy allows you to connect better with your colleagues and clients, improving working relationships.
You will start to understand what makes your customers tick and their needs and wants. As a result, customers will feel more comfortable opening up about their own needs and concerns if they know you appreciate where they’re coming from.
Empathy acts as an antidote for stress and conflicts
Empathy allows you to resolve issues more quickly with less resentment because it helps both parties understand each other better.
Thanks to this skill, you will understand what the other party is saying and why they are saying it.
Empathy also decreases stress levels because it allows you to better identify with your colleagues and customers mentally and emotionally. This makes empathy a superpower in resolving conflicts.
Empathy keeps negative emotions at bay
Developing empathy for others helps you avoid self-centeredness and the resulting feelings of resentment, which often lead to destructive behavior like bullying or hurtful words.
You will be less likely to lash out if you truly understand where the other person is coming from.
Empathy allows you to work more efficiently
Empathy is also the key to better teamwork. Your empathy superpower allows you to understand better what your managers and other employees are looking for in terms of results. It improves productivity by allowing you to work with others effectively.
As a team, you will be able to achieve goals more quickly and efficiently with less frustration.
Empathy builds customer trust
People want to work with people who care about them. They want empathy from the people they buy services and products from.
When customers feel empathy, they’re more likely to trust you, to form stronger relationships with your company, and to stick around even if a competitor offers a better deal.
You can develop empathy by putting yourself in your customer’s shoes every time you interact with them. In doing so, you will become a better listener and speaker, understanding what they are feeling or going through.
Fostering a culture of empathy in the workplace
Employees have a strong desire to work in an environment where empathy is nurtured and allowed to flourish through collaboration within teams. When empathy is celebrated in the workplace, it will lead to a better understanding of each employee’s motivations and goals.
More empathy in the workplace also leads to happier employees, lower turnover rates, and increased productivity.
When you consider all the benefits outlined above, it’s easy to understand why empathy is such a sought-after superpower in the workplace.
For empathy to work well in the workplace, it must be used and shown daily. Here are some ways empathy can be fostered:
Make empathy training mandatory
Why aren’t more organizations making such training mandatory if empathy is so important at work?
Empathy is an essential tool for any business that aims to build lasting relationships with clients and team members alike. If all new hires went through empathy-building training early on, they would learn how empathy works right from day one.
Provide opportunities for employees to practice empathy
What better way to improve your workplace culture than by providing opportunities for employees to practice empathy?
Select activities that encourage empathy, such as asking employees how they would feel in certain situations and roleplaying those scenarios.
Empathy is a powerful tool for bringing out the best in employees. When empathy is used well, people feel more valued and become happier at work.
Build empathy through organizational culture
When empathy is actively built within an organization, it can help employees understand each other better and bring out the best in them. Empathy breaks down barriers between diverse groups of people who may not otherwise understand each other.
Organizational empathy has the power to improve relationships within companies as well as between employees and customers. The result is increased performance for the companies and satisfaction for employees who are proud to work in empathy-driven organizations that value them.
Make empathy part of performance reviews
How can empathy be used as a metric?
Most organizations already measure empathy through customer satisfaction surveys and follow-ups with customers.
Keep track of these insights to see if empathy increases or decreases over time. Then use those results as an indicator of overall performance.
And empathy isn’t just nice to have. It is necessary for establishing trust and positive relationships with colleagues and clients alike. Empathy training should not be considered an expense but rather investment towards increased empathy and better results.
Spread awareness about what empathy means
Organizations need to adopt an empathy-based culture to spread awareness of empathy.
People must know that empathy is a desirable skill and not something to feel embarrassed about showing.
As a result, customers receive empathy through improved services and products. They experience less stress when working with the organization and enjoy greater service at all levels.
Empathy may seem like an intangible superpower, but its effects are everywhere.
Practice your empathy starting today
You can practice empathy right now. Start by getting curious about your interactions with people.
Why do they feel the way they do? What motivates them?
Once you become more aware of it, practicing empathy becomes easier every day.
Your empathy superpower can have important consequences for your career. If you want to maintain positive relationships with others and reduce stress levels, empathy is a skill you need to develop today.
Give empathy the attention it deserves so that it can become an invaluable superpower in your personal and professional life.
Recommended resources
To learn more about empathy, check out the following articles:
Empathy vs. Sympathy vs. Compassion: What’s the Difference?
Empathy Burnout: Can Empathy Be Bad For Your Career?
Leading With Empathy: How Empathy Helps in Business
