The Random House Dictionary defines empathy this way:
"Intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts or attitudes of another person".
We sometimes mix up "empathy" with "sympathy" and believe it means to feel sorry for or have pity on another person, but its really about the ability to see the world through the eyes of another. Walk a mile in the other guy's shoes. It's often noted that everyone is struggling with challenges of their own. Empathy starts us down the PATH toward being able to relate and find the place of common ground while we all deal with life's stuff.
I don't think empathy always comes naturally but we can make a choice to employ it. I believe its paramount in effective leadership and certainly effective salesmanship. It can be uncomfortable to put yourself in the place of another because when you do you realize that there's another way of seeing things. Maybe a different truth or another way of being right or correct.
Empathy can be a rocky path, but it makes everything else in life so much smoother.
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About Me
- Jill Boullion
- Houston, TX, United States
- I've led a lot and followed plenty of times, too. All these experiences have given me some interesting perspective into what makes someone a leader worth following. And what constitutes ethical leadership? We usually can smell it when's it not, so let's find the examples in the world of people leading in an ethical and authentic way! My passion is community leadership but I think the lessons of leadership transcend place and specifics. I'd love to hear what you think about leadership!
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