Operating with Empathy Free

The missing ingredient in building empathy is not that you think you understand the other person, but that the other person feels understood. Stacey Nordwall People Program Lead – Leadership and Learning, Culture Amp

This lesson will help you to.... Lead with Empathy As discussed in the previous lesson, your people are key to a respectful and caring culture in your organisation. As leader, this culture is your responsibility.

**Identity ** Our sense of self is impacted by others.

Collaboration When empathy is part of decision-making, it can increase cooperation, and thereby improve team functioning.

** Creativity and innovation** By imagining the thoughts and feelings of others, it opens people up to new perspectives.

Influence Attempting to understand another’s standpoint is a stepping stone to discussion and toward assisting them to understand your own point of view.

Yourself

Your team

Other leadership

Find your current culture leaders

Organisations often have unsung heroes who encourage team cohesion, despite this not being part of their job description.

These socially-connected individuals, should be recognised and used to champion an empathetic cause, as it has been shown that these type of campaigns are more effective when peer-led, and especially when led by the most connected people.

Leadership should leverage these individuals to help build an empathetic culture, and by taking this approach, there is the secondary benefit of actively recognising the good work and positive influences these employees have on others.

**Pause before responding ** When listening to someone who is sharing their perspective, be careful not to jump early and try to finish their thought, interrupt or offer advice. Give it a couple seconds before responding. It may be uncomfortable, but it is important to allow silence in the conversation.

Ask questions rather than give advice Ask questions to better understand the other person’s position. E.g. "How do you feel about it?" "Can you explain a bit more?" "What would be helpful?"

Say “we” when addressing an issue By speaking of terms of “we” and “us” others can feel that they are not alone in their issue or struggle. It has been shown that modifying your language towards this manner is a step in adopting an empathetic attitude. Through this, others can feel their feelings are recognised, and they are supported by their team. Eg. *“Let’s talk about what we can do about this”. *

** Practice interchangeable responses** This is a type of activity or strategy that involves two people. One person will share their experience, then the other person will attempt to repeat back to them in their own words, what the situation they described and attempt to assign it to an emotion.

Then, either the first person will confirm that this is a correct interpretation and elaborate, or else disagree with the interpretation and further clarify.

This practice of confirming the situation goes beyond simply trying to “put yourself in their shoes”, where you have assumptions about their experiences. It allows the person to feel understood. In this way, it is critical to note that empathy-building is two-sided.

Create opportunities for different teams to work together

This will decrease the likelihood of miscommunication between teams. Therefore, there will be fewer opportunities for resentment to build when there are disagreements or variations in values or preferred strategies.