Without empathy, I would not have made any of my closest friendships. I think I am an approachable person because people know I will actively listen and engage with whatever they are talking about. I most identify with compassionate empathy, so when I hear about friends problems, I try to look for solutions or help them in moving forward in spite of the issue. I think I gained empathy from seeing it exhibited from others as well.
In anything you're working on, you have to care about the mission or product. If you're just working through an assigned checklist without adding any perspective, you aren't helping with any unique solutions. You're just a means to an end. If you're actively listening, interpretting and engaged with the project owner, you can be more than someone who just codes. You can be a major contributor to the business or cause. Having productive dialogue is so important and that comes from having empathy.
Having empathy will build trust and dialogue between team members. If you're a caring and generous person, people will return the favor. That will create a sense of comradery which every team needs whether it's in an office, a family or a sports team. I'm a big believer that a positive work culture encourages innovation and gives people autonomy to create which maximizes their potential.
In my previous job, our lead web designer brought up a concern to the client and project management team that his team wasn't able to "spread it's wings" or have any creative autonomy in their work, because our briefs were so specific with ready-made wireframes and the client's stamp of approval before they received the assignment. Our solution was to brief his team before we met with clients about the problem. As a result, the designers got directly involved with the wireframing process and it made them feel far more appreciated. It also ultimately took work off my plate too.
When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
I found it was hard to empathetic to some picky and demanding clients who either didn't have a full understanding of our company's service abilities or had a blatant disregard for their contracts - taking advantage of us. When they began to be rude with me or threatened to fire our company, the projects started to make me feel like a was really just babysitting a bratty child. In short, it's hard to be empathetic to someone when they are too narrow minded to look outside their own problems. In order to improve managing situations like these, I think patience is so important. Also, I think, diplomatically managing expectations can be an important form of empathy. Offering an abundance of alternate solutions to their request could be a way of getting there.