Empathy

About you and your empathy — Empathy is a conscious choice. Being consistently empathetic takes focus and significant effort.

As a project moves along and fatigue sets in, we will find situations where we don’t want to accept the burden of hearing and attempting to improve.

Consistent empathy is the only genuine form of empathy.
Occasionally going through the motions of acting empathetic is not genuine.
Your teammates will notice when you are not empathetic and either consciously or subconsciously your teammate’s desire to “belong and become” will diminish. And your teammate’s wiring to “survive” will be stimulated more frequently.

I urge you to set your mind to being consistently empathetic, put your team first over the long haul. Your project benefits, your organization benefits, you benefit and your teammates benefit. This is essential for career advancement for you and for your team.

You can consciously choose empathy, or choose narcissism.
This is the among the most significant career choices you will ever make.

About Empathy in those around you — It is worthwhile to consider the empathy of those around you, especially those above you in the organization. People are complex illogical beings and not easily decoded; with that said, I see executives fall into two very distinct types:
1) those who genuinely want to be part of something bigger than themselves. Money is a secondary factor.
2) those who are coin-operated, just in it for themselves. Money IS the overriding factor.

To get this sorted, visualize a workplace absent of money and visualize a workplace where the task and the people are the reward. Imagine the new behavior of those around you.

• Would they have an appetite for the work? Genuinely?
• Would they work to improve their craft? Read? Take classes? Would they grow as professionals?
• Would they willingly take on tasks which benefit the team, but not themselves.
• Would they seek situations to work with others and helping others in their careers?

When money is out of the equation, its easy to know the folks who work to be part of something bigger; they have a purpose and a place. These are the folks you want to surround yourself with. Because those other folks, who are just in it for the money, sadly have a void in their place and their purpose; not worth the limited years in your career.

You can change you, you cannot (usually) change others. 

Brain –

When you express empathy, you are communicating your care about the other person, you are treating that person as they are part of your tribe, part of your community. Everyone needs a place. Empathy builds community.

Good Practices –

Be consistent in showing empathy. Everyone has their ups and downs, their victories and their defeats.

When work is too hard, it can be demoralizing.
When work is consistently too easy it can be demeaning. Its always reasonable to ask if work is too challenging, or not challenging enough.

Simply show you care about your co-workers as human beings trying to make the best of an imperfect world.