From the course: Empathy at Work

Benefits of empathy

- In the classic American novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", the lead character, Atticus Finch, offers wise words to his daughter, Scout. "If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, "you'll get along better with all kinds of folks. "You never really understand a person "until you consider things from his point of view... "until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." That's really good advice. Lots of research confirms that empathy is central to positive relationships, particularly at work, but you can expect even more benefits when you work on developing empathy skills. First, you build good relationships. Think about the people you feel most comfortable with. Chances are you appreciate these folks because you feel like they know you. You don't have to work as hard to explain things or to get them to understand your point of view. Someone with well-developed empathy is easy to talk to, and when we feel emotionally connected to others, we relax. Our connections become deeper and more meaningful. Second, you provide great customer service. If you've ever been to a Disney park anywhere in the world, you've seen some of my favorite examples of customer service empathy. The Walt Disney Company understands that waiting in line isn't fun. Standing around is boring. People can get cranky. The weather can be uncomfortable. But think about standing in line at a Disney Theme Park. You're usually in the shade. They often design a standing-in-line experience to provide entertainment. See, when you use empathy to consider how your customers feel when using your product or business, you design a better customer experience. Third, you motivate people more effectively. As a manager with empathy, you understand how your employees experience their work. You know what assignments are motivating and fulfilling and which take more physical or emotional energy to complete. Empathic bosses suspend judgment when things go wrong so they can coach and empower more effectively. And research confirms that employees are more loyal to managers they consider empathic. And fourth, you experience less conflict and stress. Practicing empathy helps us control our own emotions. This is called emotional regulation. When we're thinking about other people's experiences, we use emotional regulation skills. Highly empathetic people make those around them calmer. Dramatic conflict and stressful encounters are less likely to happen. Empathy also helps reduce stress because it helps you be less self-conscious. When we focus only on ourselves, we become aware of our faults and shortcomings, but when we focus on other people, we're able to simply absorb what's happening around us, and that's a lot less stressful than worrying about what other people think of us. So Atticus Finch's advice to his daughter Scout was right. You do get along better with other folks when you work to understand their perspective. When you put your empathy skills to work at work, you'll find your relationships and your professional life are a lot richer, and you'll probably find you're having a lot more fun too.

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