Skill 8: Empathy and Active Listening

This article series explores each of the Top 10 Skills of 2023 identified by the World Economic Forum, offering a roadmap to make them accessible to every individual. In this article, we will delve into the eighth skill, “Empathy and Active Listening”. For information on the seventh skill, please refer to Dependability and Attention to Detail.

Berkeley University defines empathy as:

“The term empathy is used to describe a wide range of experiences. Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling”.

VeryWellMind defines Active Listening as:

“Active listening is a communication skill that involves going beyond simply hearing the words that another person speaks but also seeking to understand the meaning and intent behind them…”

Genuine Focus on Empathy, Compassion, Sincerity, and Encouragement

This skill appears to be more aligned with an individual’s personality traits than a concrete skill. Many would argue that these traits play a significant role in life as a whole and are not exclusive to the professional realm. Interestingly, these attributes are now recognized as pivotal for the future economic success of businesses, signifying that the World Economic Forum envisions a future more centered on humanity than many might anticipate.

We are living in an era obsessed with automation and machine learning, where the only advantage humans seem to possess over machines is their humanity. While this may not be surprising for a service-based industry, does the same hold true for a technology-focused company? Analyzing the challenges faced by teams in the IT sector often reveals that they stem from a lack of qualities such as empathy, compassion, sincerity, and encouragement necessary for effective teamwork.

It is arguable that social media and the internet, in general, have eroded some “essential” interpersonal skills that contribute to thriving teams. Therefore, for all organizations to achieve success, it is crucial to focus on the “innate” qualities inherent in all human beings, recognizing that some may require more guidance than others in developing these skills.

How to Encourage Employees to Be Empathetic, Compassionate, Sincere, and Encouraging

It can be challenging for some professionals, including mentors and managers, to believe that it is their responsibility to contribute to the personal development of employees. They would likely find greater satisfaction if tasked with providing training on how to work effectively with others, making empathy and active listening the central focus.

However, by abstracting individual behaviors, it becomes more difficult for the person to connect these actions to themselves and understand how to apply them in the workplace. Emphasizing the personal aspect makes it evident that the learner is expected to evolve in interpersonal relationships.

Initiating the process with a discovery period, where employees learn about their current perception and receive clear insights into necessary development, is always a good idea. Often, employees will need feedback from third parties to gain clarity on areas that require development. It is then possible to nurture personal growth within the professional realm through conscious self-reflection and by encouraging journeys of development in the workplace. Additionally, role models provide another avenue to enhance these essential interpersonal skills, entrusting coaching responsibilities to those respected for these qualities.

Conclusion

• Being human is the competitive advantage of employees in an era of automation and machine learning;
• Effectively working in a team necessitates these essential interpersonal qualities;
• The use of feedback and self-reflection can aid individuals in developing these qualities, and it should be the responsibility of all companies to provide such support.

Written by: Ederson Corbari