Date: 10/4/2017

Title: EMPATHY AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE – Part 1

By Jennifer Erickson

Empathy is ‘the ability to understand the feelings and position of another’. It is not the same as sympathy, which is ‘feeling sorry’ for another. Empathy is a critical piece for a leader to have. Yet it requires balance. Too much empathy, and you may be too worried if people like you. Your decision making ability is clouded with wondering what others will think of you. You may actually get physically sick, when you have to discipline or fire someone. This can render you ineffective as a leader. Too little empathy, and you can come across as an uncaring, hard-driving jerk. Team members may see you as a person who is concerned with only the bottom line. There is a phrase (attributed to Teddy Roosevelt or John C. Maxwell—but no one really knows for sure) that fits here: “people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

How are you showing your team members empathy—the right amount of empathy? How would they describe you, in this area?

To learn more about how to practice this understanding, contact Results Group, LLC at www.ResultsGroupLLC.com or 515-330-2866.