Empathy plays a critical role in my life, but like many I am not my most empathetic at all times. It is easy to be empathetic to friends, it is what makes me a go to person for many of my friends when they need help or just someone to vent to. However, at times when I am overly self involved, be it from stress, a shortage of time, or any number of other reasons, empathy can be short. This can be even more true when you are not close to or even know the person who could use the empathy. On a normal day I may pass someone on the street who could use some help, notice, and have the empathy to want to help, but when things get busy and I am self absorbed I may pass the same person on the street and not even notice them. Empathy especially “compassionate empathy” can be a very powerful tool which everyone can use to help the world we live in a better place. We all need others to feel empathetic and helpful towards us at times, and it is crucial that we return the help to people both known and unknown to us.
Empathy is important to software design as it will help you to innovate and drive you to reach the very best product possible. When we take a step outside of our selves and really focus on helping to solve problems the results will be software that is easy to use and solves problems. These problems do not need to be large humanitarian issues. If you were to design an accounting program you are certainly going to achieve the best results by talking to and understanding the plight of the everyday accountant.
Using empathy as a critical part of working on a team will help create the best results possible while helping the attitudes and sanity of the members of that team. By being empathetic to one an other the team will grow into a cohesive unit, in which everyone knows the strengths and weaknesses of the team and how to overcome them to create the best outcome possible. Also by carrying empathy for your team members you foster a relationship that even when times are hard, and stress levels are high, no-one is degraded or hurt.
Most of the times empathy for a colleague has been helpful it has allowed us to reach goals. Feeling empathy for a teammate who has to much on their plate can lead to dividing the work load when possible and staying on a schedule. Empathy for a colleague who is struggling with personal issues can lead to an understanding of why they may need to take a few days off, so they can come back focused and ready to work. Sometime a teammate just knowing you understand and care about them helps their moral enough to push through tough times, even without extra support. In the end we all live in the same world and some compassion and empathy makes it better for everyone.
I struggle with empathy the most when I am self absorbed. When stressed, strapped for time, or dealing with personal issues it can be easy to focus only on yourself and miss the things going on around you. I think one of the best things I can work on to improve is self awareness. By actively acknowledging the times I struggle with empathy it can help me identify future situations where the lack of empathy may have repeated, but taking a proactive approach to ensure it does not.