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: Are there instances where empathy is awkward?
: Sometimes, you just don’t want to be empathetic. Those old stories play in your mind and it’s just easy to think that people are ignorant or against the way that you think, so they’re wrong. It’s just where we naturally go. I think when we come to that realization, it starts to get kind of awkward, as in “I don’t want to be empathetic right now because you are wrong, and you need to change.” So, quite often, I need to pause, reframe, be curious, and be open-minded. I try to “stay above the line”: remain curious and not go below the line of, “You’re wrong and I’m right, and I’m not going to talk to you until you see things my way.”
: Finally, what are your aspirations for empathy in your workforce and in the world?
: We need to continue having conversations about empathy and continue having our leaders model it. What does empathy look like? Everybody, especially our leaders, need to model that.
“Assuming positive intent” is a phrase that we use a lot within our group at Land O’Lakes. When we ask ourselves, “Why are they doing it that way?”, we have to assume positive intent. Everybody has a reason why they do what they do. Even if I disagree with it, I have to remember that we are actually trying to work towards the same goal. We just approach it in different ways. So, let’s have that curiosity, ask them what they are trying to gain, and consider how it is similar to what we are trying to do. Let’s find those similarities, be curious, and help each other out!
“ This wretched pandemic has touched every aspect of our daily script and forced
us to look into the mirror to reveal who we really are. What does your reflection say about YOU? I trust you learned that you have been able to relate to, feel for, and/or see situations through the eyes of others and to genuinely empathize with those diver“se and ever-changing experiences.
- Vicki Cerda
E-Learning for Kids
“ Never again will we, who have lived through these times, take for granted a hug with a loved one, a shared meal, or a family gathering. If we needed to be reminded to set aside our devices and look our fellow human beings in the eyes...and smile...that“ reminder is the gift of these dark days.
- Tracey Nicholson
PMG Learning
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