In Edition 89 of the newsletter, I introduced you to the six senses that Dan Pink predicts will increasingly guide and shape our lives.
To refresh your memory, the six senses that he details in his book “A whole new mind: why right brainers will rule the future” are:
Design
Story
Symphony
Empathy
Play
Meaning
This edition of my newsletter is focused on empathy.
Have you ever found yourself yawning when someone else has just yawned?
If so then consider yourself high on empathy. Research shows that contagious yawners who can’t help mimicking others score high on tests that measure levels of empathy.
What is empathy? It’s the “ability to imagine yourself in someone else’s position and to intuit what the other person is feeling.”
Being more empathetic is hugely beneficial. It can help us connect better with others and improve relationships. One good hack for relationship stress is to suspend judgement and drop into the other person’s perspective and try to experience the situation as they might. It might help shift your own attitude or view. Very helpful at home and at work!
As a leader, empathy is one of the key tools I use every day.
“Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate and to connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.” Oprah Winfrey
Connecting with my team’s aspirations while managing their anxieties is key. A style of leadership that works for some may not work for others. So adapting to each individual is also an element of empathy.
We learn from Daniel Pink that the importance of empathy was not appreciated until more recently. In fact, it was hugely criticised. Bill Clinton took a beating from critics when he said “I feel your pain.” Touchy feely was not for the brave hearts or corporate chieftans, and certainly not for Presidents.
It was Daniel Goleman’s “Emotional Intelligence” that gave empathy a seat of power in The Board Room. Goleman argued that emotional abilities are more important than conventional intellectual abilities.
Especially as we get deeper into the Conceptual Age, empathy is what will give us the competitive edge from computers and AI.
“The most sophisticated software on the planet running on the world’s most powerful computers can’t divine our emotions.”
As robots automate routine tasks, doctors, lawyers, creatives and other professionals who focus on “high touch” can truly set themselves apart.
It is also important to remember this:
“But Empathy is much more than a vocational skill necessary for surviving twenty-first century labor markets. It’s an ethic for living. It’s a means of understanding other human beings - as Darwin and Ekman found a universal language that connects us beyond country or culture. Empathy makes us human. Empathy brings us joy. Empathy, is an essential part of living life of meaning.”
How can you develop greater empathy?
Over to you now:
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself on empathy?
Which relationships in your life right now could benefit from a more empathetic approach from you?
How often do you seek feedback at home or at work? How can you get better about regular feedback to build self-awareness and empathy?