Thank you for our first subscriber submission!
Mike’s response:
Outstanding question! You are out ahead. I comment on this in one of my blog posts coming next week, but here’s the gist…
Empathy is the ability to understand another person and feel what they feel – the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Some people are naturally empathetic and have an innate ability to feel what others feel. If you are one of the people who do not, I encourage you to think about caring. The words empathy and care are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Caring is empathy in action. Even if we are not inherently empathetic, each of us can sincerely listen to the needs of others and act to help them. Leaders who find empathy does not come naturally can emulate it through action directly in our control.
Note that empathy and sympathy are different. You may be sympathetic (have the ability to understand the feelings of another person) but not empathetic (ability to share those feelings). Either way, as a leader, caring supports team members as each individual needs. Remember, action speaks louder than words.
To the community: beyond listening to take action, what other approaches have you seen in practice?
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