How happy we are in our relationships has a powerful
influence on how long we live. A long-term Harvard Study concluded that those
who kept warm relationships got to live longer and happier. Those ties protect
people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline.
The key to healthy aging is relationships. Empathy should be an essential part of our daily lives, both in the workplace and in all of our relationships.
Empathy is a squishy word. Sometimes it's misinterpreted as "being nice." That isn't empathy. Empathy is about understanding.
The words business and empathy are rarely used together. However, applying empathy will help in connecting and collaborating with your team more effectively - understanding the skills and styles of each person and how to get the most out of your interactions.
That is easier said than done. Honing your ability to view a situation from a perspective other than your own is one of the first things you must do to gain a stronger sense of empathy. The challenge comes in dropping your biases and points of view, which will free you to truly "see" from someone else's vantage.
I've discovered that using empathy in my work often makes it harder, not easier. You have to listen, and you might not like what you hear. Real empathy, deep understanding and connection, is tough to create and even tougher to maintain day after day.
Curiosity feeds empathy. I am trying to be a question asker. To seek out information at every opportunity in order to know someone or something more deeply. I am conscious to be open-minded and resist the tendency to pigeonhole the people with whom I am collaborating. Everyone is on his or her own journey.
Applying empathy isn't always easy. It can be downright exhausting. But, I have seen successful leaders go to great lengths to maintain empathy for their teams and their clients - using it to leads with deeper understanding or tackle challenges with more meaningful perspectives.
Given that "encouragement", empathy is one instinct I am working on to grow and improve. Growth isn't always comfortable, but it's always expansive.
Empathy is a squishy word. Sometimes it's misinterpreted as "being nice." That isn't empathy. Empathy is about understanding.
The words business and empathy are rarely used together. However, applying empathy will help in connecting and collaborating with your team more effectively - understanding the skills and styles of each person and how to get the most out of your interactions.
That is easier said than done. Honing your ability to view a situation from a perspective other than your own is one of the first things you must do to gain a stronger sense of empathy. The challenge comes in dropping your biases and points of view, which will free you to truly "see" from someone else's vantage.
I've discovered that using empathy in my work often makes it harder, not easier. You have to listen, and you might not like what you hear. Real empathy, deep understanding and connection, is tough to create and even tougher to maintain day after day.
Curiosity feeds empathy. I am trying to be a question asker. To seek out information at every opportunity in order to know someone or something more deeply. I am conscious to be open-minded and resist the tendency to pigeonhole the people with whom I am collaborating. Everyone is on his or her own journey.
Applying empathy isn't always easy. It can be downright exhausting. But, I have seen successful leaders go to great lengths to maintain empathy for their teams and their clients - using it to leads with deeper understanding or tackle challenges with more meaningful perspectives.
Given that "encouragement", empathy is one instinct I am working on to grow and improve. Growth isn't always comfortable, but it's always expansive.
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