Empathy is a tricky value to get right.
Just as Goldilocks had to decide which bowls of porridge were too hot, too cold, and just right, you have to find the right balance between too much, too little, and just the right amount of empathy.
If you care about your team so much that you ignore their performance, this can badly affect the organisation. Likewise, the organisation can be damaged if you do not care about your team’s well-being.
You will serve the organisation well when you have the right amount of care for your team.
But what do you need to be empathetic? A pair of ears to listen!
Tan Sok Teng, Head, Administrative Services, notes that Constance Ngiam, Senior Manager of Corporate Services, has “empathetic ears” that listen for pain points during process improvement sessions. This sensitivity enables her to “offer suggestions and potential solutions to feedback.”
It all starts with listening.
As Constance describes it, “it all starts with listening”:
“We should appreciate the importance of listening. This involves being mindful and responsive to others’ concerns … The goal is to understand other people’s concerns, motivations, as well as strengths and limitations, so that I can help them.”
Sok Teng also observes that Constance’s empathy is balanced by her patience and objectivity. When planning for onboarding, Constance “shows empathy and works with the relevant parties to address their concerns. During meetings, she pays attention to all parties and offers constructive feedback."
Tay Xiao Man, Manager of Corporate Services, also has personal experience with Constance’s empathetic ears: “Constance takes time to engage me to know my interests. She tries to learn more about me as a person when reorganising and reallocating tasks to help me do better.”
So, if you want to develop your empathy, start by listening to what others are saying! You may be surprised by the difference between how you thought they were and how they actually are. And once you understand how they are, you will be better able to help them.