Doing some research on the subject of design thinking, I stumped upon the term “empathy” and interesting enough, it is the starting point and the most important aspect of design thinking.
The way design thinking mentions about empathy is that it is a way to put yourself in the user’s shoes and observing in a empathetic way. This is done to focus more on the human aspect, trying to feel for the person who lives in the context and has a series of needs that can be satisfied.
The design thinking model
[em-puh-thee] – the psychological identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.
The whole aspect of empathy makes a lot of sense because simply put, it is a method to know a person and their desires. However; interestingly enough, empathy loses its importance when the focus moves from product users to development teams.
It is important for leaders to communicate with your team members, they want to know you understand where they’re coming from and what they’re feeling. So, how do you as a leader show empathy at the work place? Here are some critical steps to demonstrate empathy:
- Listen – Listen to understand. Refrain from processing the information too soon and arrive at solutions
- Understand the feelings – Keep a balance in understanding what is being said and the feel with which it is being communicated.
- Reflect back to what is being said (“so what I hear you say is….”)
- Validate their feeling (“I understand your feeling….”)
- Assure support and conclude the conversation
- Make no false commitments – Don’t sympathize and make false commitments. This can impede trust.
Showing empathy, and reflecting back feelings when appropriate, not only demonstrates good listening, it shows you care for the team and provide a sense of security to encourage the team to ideate, innovate and take risks.
As a leader, your behavior tells the employee you care; increases the transparency and at the same time, helps you and your team member build trust.
So next time you have a conversation with your team, pay a little extra attention to how empathetic you are towards them. The payoff will be totally worth it.
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