What’s in this issue:
💭 Thought: How to empathize with anyone
🖊️ Reflection: When do I find it easy and challenging to empathize?
📚 Read: The Deceptively Simple Liftoff Checklist (geared towards new or stagnant teams)
😆 Today’s Laugh
This might be mostly cute (vs. funny), but sharing in case it happens to bring a smile to your face. 😄
💭 Today’s Thought
You can empathize with anyone
Empathy is often talked about as one of the most important leadership (and life!) skills. And naturally, it’s way easier to access empathy with people who have values or qualities that we admire and also perceive in ourselves.
But how do you extend empathy towards someone you dislike, fear, or simply cannot understand?
In their book Leadership Presence, Kathy Lubar and Belle Linda Halpern offer this:
You can empathize with anyone, because there is some part of everyone in you.
Take a minute to let that sink in.
Now, let’s try it out!
Think about someone you’re having difficulty developing, connecting with, working with, or understanding. Try any of these activities (courtesy of Lubar and Halpern) to tap into greater levels of empathy:
Over the next week, when you’re around that person, look only for things that you like and respect about them. Write down at least three things. What, if anything, shifts for you?
Divide a piece of paper into four quadrants, labeled Work, Home, Past, and Dreams. Give yourself three minutes per quadrant to fill in as much information as you can about the other person. How does this make you feel? Does it change how you might react to this person in the future?
If you’re having a conflict with someone, ask yourself, What do you think the other person’s feelings are around this conflict? What are their needs? How can you respond to those needs without sacrificing your own?
If you’re supporting someone in changing a behavior or trying something new that feels easy to you (but might be hard for them), imagine yourself changing an engrained behavior or doing something hard. What would need to happen for you to make that change / do that thing? What’s it like? Does this change how you might support this person going forward?
If you manage people, you might also consider sharing these exercises with your team members — to help them navigate conflict and/or work more collaboratively with others.
🖊️ Today’s reflection
If you’re new to journaling, I highly encourage you to read Nancy Adler’s article: Want to be an outstanding leader? Keep a journal.
This week, find a quiet place and gift yourself 10 minutes to reflect on any of these prompts (or invent your own!):
In what situations (or with what people) do I find it easy to empathize?
In what situations (or with what people) do I find it hard to empathize?
What value does empathy bring to my leadership, and to my life?
📚 Today’s Read
The Deceptively Simple Liftoff Checklist
Whether you’re part of a new team or one that’s been around a while but perhaps is feeling a bit stuck or lost, this article contains critical questions to help a team clarify and/or re-engage with their purpose, alignment, and context.
See you next week!
xo,
Anne