Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings in a situation from their point of view, rather than your own. While it’s essential in our everyday lives, empathy in the workplace could be a game-changer for teams, organizations, and even our American culture.
I’ve noticed young professionals are more and more interested in cultivating empathy. They’re committing to practicing the behaviors of empathy, demonstrating they care for fellow team members, building trusted advisor relationships with clients, and learning about others who may share different cultures and values.
So, how do you cultivate empathy in the workplace? Read on to find out.
Listen Without Interrupting
Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” said, “The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.” Too often, we shortcut listening by interjecting our thoughts or even identifying with the other person too quickly. Before long we’re dominating the conversation instead of listening.
Instead of listening with the intention of responding, stop your own internal dialogue and tune in to the other person. You’ll see greater empathy in the workplace when team members start prioritizing listening to one another over dominating the conversation.
Ask questions
Actively listening naturally leads to questions. Allow yourself to become curious and ask open-ended questions to demonstrate that you want to truly understand their experience.
Avoid argumentative questions, which tend to lead to disagreement and defensiveness. Heartfelt questions, on the other hand, promote connection. Focus your questions on understanding the other person’s point of view, clarifying their emotions, or even fact checking to make sure your assumptions and interpretations are accurate.
Promoting your own curiosity will help you find understanding and demonstrate that you care, thereby increasing empathy in the workplace between coworkers.
Be Present
Nowadays, it’s hard to be in the moment when technology is so prevalent. When we’re with others, we’re thinking about what we have to do, checking our email, or scrolling through social media. Naturally, if cultivating empathy in the workplace — or anywhere, really — requires listening, we can’t be checking our phones and zoning out.
Instead of focusing on the next task on your to-do list, seek to be fully present with the person in front of you. Give them your full attention to really hear what is and isn’t being said and how it’s expressed. In other words, tune into the other person’s body language and the emotions they’re conveying as they speak.
Find Common Ground
In today’s political climate, it’s especially common for people to dismiss others whose political beliefs don’t directly align with theirs. Unfortunately, fabricating a preconceived idea of others leads to demonizing their words or ideas instead of opening ourselves up to potentially learning something new or seeing things from a different perspective.
Approaching the conversation with empathy means seeking to simultaneously understand their unique experience and acknowledge your similarities. Perhaps, for example, they share your goals or have a similar academic background. This focus on human commonality fosters empathy in the workplace and more meaningful dialogue between coworkers.
Encourage Growth
Empathy is a skill that must be developed and maintained. You can encourage your employees to grow by practicing empathy and building relationships with people who are different from them.
As a leader, you can demonstrate empathy in the workplace during one-on-one meetings, through team-building exercises, and by fostering an environment of mutual accountability. By learning about and addressing our biases, we can grow both internally and professionally.
We all need connection. Empathy is a worthy pursuit that allows us to form authentic relationships with the people we meet and work with. If you want to be understood by others and cultivate empathy in the workplace, focus on understanding those around you. In the end, empathy can improve the world around us.
Contact us to learn how your team can cultivate empathy in the workplace and foster greater connection among your team.