1) What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?
I am not a very empathetic person, but I have learned the importance of listening to people so I can try to sympethize with them. I have a much more logical, engineering type mindset. My parents raised me with a very "business-esque" approach to dealing with emotions. I also have ADHD, and one symptom is difficulty picking up on social cues. (It's like I'm trying to watch a TV show, but someone keeps changing the channel so it's hard to keep track of the storyline.) Because of my disability, I've been bullied and mistreated a lot, and so I am very accepting and empathetic toward people's differences.
My husband is much more empathetic than I am, and he has really helped me in learning how to be more empathetic, less intense, and be more in touch with my own emotions.
2) How does empathy help you build better software?
While the articles spoke to empathizing with customers/users, my experience has been very different. At my previous job, I was working with a small group to build a internal web app to replace an existing process. The primary goal of the project was to save users a lot of tedious manual work. However, we ran into a competing problem where the users were so busy that transitioning to a new process was extremely limiting. Empathy is certainly an important factor in designing and building the app, but it was one of many considerations.
3) Why is empathy important for working on a team?
My experience on that same project showed me how incredibly important empathy is for team dynamics. Disagreements often resulted from the people in the team not communicating with each other, and not understanding what others were thinking and feeling. Every person in our team became defensive and critical. The people on the team had never developed trust and understanding stron enough to bear the external stresses of the project.
4) Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.
In my last job, I worked a lot with older people who weren't very good with computers. In those types of situations, I maintained a "customer service" mindset (focused on active listening and proactivity). I was patient and walked them through problems even when people needed help with the same problem multiple times over the course of a few months. Colleagues told me that they really enjoy working with me.
5) When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
However, my interpersonal skills are one of my biggest insecurities. I can generally get along with people, but I can sometimes get frustrated when there aren't clear rules for communication. People have told me that I can get very intense that blocks me from seeing things other people's perspectives.