- What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?
Empathy plays a huge roll in my life. It allows me a better understanding of others, and the ability to communicate clearly with others in ways that I know will make sense to them. As a manager, using empathy and empathetic listening helped me to understand the needs of my team and be able to find answers that best fit each individual and every situation. Using empathy consistently created a deepr level of trust and reliability for the entire team. On a personal level, empathy helps me connect more deeply with my friends and loved ones on an emotional level.
- How does empathy help you build better software?
I believe empathy can provide a better understanding of things from the users perspective. By specifically assessing what the user needs out of their experience I can better design the software in the first place. The answer to how I can assist someone else with my design/build can be dsicovered through an empathetic understanding of their needs.
- Why is empathy important for working on a team?
Once again this comes down to a deeper understanding of each other. Being able to empathize with what the other members of the team are going through allows for more efficient problem solving, and a better understanding of the needs of the team.
- Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.
When I was training new employees, I found one of the easiest ways to connect was over their frustration with learning a new skill or task. I would provide anecdotes of how I struggled and let them know that I understand how they feel. It would also be a teaching moment because I could let them know how I overcame those issues, or find better ways to communicate the skills/process overall.
- 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 find it's much more difficult to be empathetic when I am frustrated or feeling any tension or derision towards the person/situation I am trying to empathize with. It's important to remove your personal feelings from the moment and work towards professional understanding. I like to approach it by trying to find the ways in which we can be a more successful team or how our interaction and communication can be improved. I tend to start by asking my team for more in-depth communication so we can reach a mutual understanding and move forward more productively.