JoelLindow/JoelEmpathyReflection.txt

## JoelEmpathyReflection.txt
Reflect: Empathetic Programing

-- What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?
From team building to management to non-profit efforts, empathy has helped me achieve remarkable outcomes for myself and for others. I was raised to be more sensitive to other peoples feelings and thoughts than my own. Becasue of this, I've been labeled as a good "people reader" in many previous jobs and assigned positions. This skill allows me to not only gather information from teammates, target customers, and those instructing me but also to draw out the information needed to leave individuls in a more satisfactory state of existence by the time the project or interaction is complete. Empathy is a HUGE part of achieving productive collaboration, even with those who might not desire to collaborate in a traditional sense.

How does empathy help you build better software?
Plain and simple, if you can't understand what it's like to live in the shoes of your end user you can never provide a software experience that they can truly relate to in an intimate way. BY understanding a users office/home/facility environment, their upbringing/origins, their needs/desired outcomes/wants and their overall existential experience we can better build software that feels natural to that user or group of users. It can also better tie together a group of end users by making software that's representative of a diverse collection of user interation styles.

-- Why is empathy important for working on a team?
When you work on a team, you want to draw the best thoughts and qualities out of each team member. That means being willing to meet each individual where they are and expand from there. Some people are shy, outgoing, harsh, tender, loud, quiet, problem solvers or even problem identifiers. Through empathizing and understanding how this person came to where they are in their thought process we can better understand areas where we can enhance the situation, fix the situation or even recognize that we together don't possess the tools to move further without getting more people involved who might posess the skills and mindset to bring full value to the collaborative experience. Being in a team isn't about any single person controlling emotions, thoughts or methods. It's about a collaborative effort (that may require a group leader, but not dictator) to keep things moving toward the desired outcome or point of discovery.

-- Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.
I was put into a management role of a large solar distribution warehouse. This was an international technical products distribution and forwarding hub. The manager I was replacing was demoted to a position of assisting me upon my hire. This individual was demoted and replaced due to having a "bad attitude" and not being a "team player".
On my first day I spent 4 hours with him behind closed doors asking him about his experience and his perspective, as well as why he had a reputation as a negative influience. After empathizing to his distress and concerns I came to quickly realize that he was VERY aware of many real life issues taking place within this company. Many of the issues were issues I was also passionate about. Things like running a leaner process, employee punctuality and efficiency. Benefits and access to safety equipment. Budgetary constraints that could be allieviated by reducing the way we handled waste management.
Becasue of his perspective I began many projects to run a better department and help this individual achieve these goals he had been unable to achieve in the 2 years he served in my position. After a year in the position, I came to realize that the people we were working for had NO empathy for their staff. Instead they had an idea of how things should be done and expected everyone else to just "fall in line". Managers had no true control of their departments. Ideas were not recognized. They would rather lose money and destroy moralle to maintain control over their staff than let the staff be a part of building a more dynamic, profitable and efficient company.
This was a great experience becasue it really let me experience how to continue to empathize with others and add value to other peoples lifes and careers (employees, customers, end users and even manufacturers) even within an environment that demanded silence and total compliance from it's employees. I value the struggles I went through with my staff there, and have enjoyed many years of staying in touch with eaach individual and helping them achieve new career paths that better let them contribute.


-- When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
It's hard to be empathetic in a situation where certain individuals continue to make themselves the victim or play the martyr. I'm willing to listen to someone, even a negative person, over and over and over... until that person does nothing but bring the team down. Empathy only goes so far if you're empathizing with someone who does not wish to grow themselves but stay in the rut they complain about living in. I have seen the "bad apple that ruins the bunch" bring down amazing groups many times. It's something I have no tollerance for. Life is a struggle, and the struggle makes us stronger. The mountain grows larger but our shoes must simply get stickier (sticky shoes are gross - Mike D). A group of empathetic people challenge the mountain and climb together never leaving anyone behind. However, if one member of that expedition constantly refuses to move forward with the group, but to just sit and complain that it's too hard to climb.... there must be a point of detaching the group from that individual until that person is willing to also empathize and contribute.... or reshape their own thinking until they are truly ready to joing a group and climb together. Empathy must work both ways. Not always at first... but it can not be an anchor that keeps the team from ever sailing away from the shore.
How can you improve these skills? Obviously by not just labeling people as "troubled individuals" as an excuse to work with the teammates you THINK are the "right people". Never judge a person up front or assume you know what's going on int their head or in their life. We must strive to really understand the issue before we dismiss a person as a "lost cause" or a "bad fit". Truly.... there will always be individuals that are the "bad apple", but that is the exception to the rule and can not be a quickly assigned label.


I very much enjoyed this exercise. I hope I can be a positive influience to others and develop some great relationships as I get the chance to know my classmates and instructors on a deeper level.
-Joel Lindow
	Reflect: Empathetic Programing

	-- What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?
	From team building to management to non-profit efforts, empathy has helped me achieve remarkable outcomes for myself and for others. I was raised to be more sensitive to other peoples feelings and thoughts than my own. Becasue of this, I've been labeled as a good "people reader" in many previous jobs and assigned positions. This skill allows me to not only gather information from teammates, target customers, and those instructing me but also to draw out the information needed to leave individuls in a more satisfactory state of existence by the time the project or interaction is complete. Empathy is a HUGE part of achieving productive collaboration, even with those who might not desire to collaborate in a traditional sense.

	How does empathy help you build better software?
	Plain and simple, if you can't understand what it's like to live in the shoes of your end user you can never provide a software experience that they can truly relate to in an intimate way. BY understanding a users office/home/facility environment, their upbringing/origins, their needs/desired outcomes/wants and their overall existential experience we can better build software that feels natural to that user or group of users. It can also better tie together a group of end users by making software that's representative of a diverse collection of user interation styles.

	-- Why is empathy important for working on a team?
	When you work on a team, you want to draw the best thoughts and qualities out of each team member. That means being willing to meet each individual where they are and expand from there. Some people are shy, outgoing, harsh, tender, loud, quiet, problem solvers or even problem identifiers. Through empathizing and understanding how this person came to where they are in their thought process we can better understand areas where we can enhance the situation, fix the situation or even recognize that we together don't possess the tools to move further without getting more people involved who might posess the skills and mindset to bring full value to the collaborative experience. Being in a team isn't about any single person controlling emotions, thoughts or methods. It's about a collaborative effort (that may require a group leader, but not dictator) to keep things moving toward the desired outcome or point of discovery.

	-- Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.
	I was put into a management role of a large solar distribution warehouse. This was an international technical products distribution and forwarding hub. The manager I was replacing was demoted to a position of assisting me upon my hire. This individual was demoted and replaced due to having a "bad attitude" and not being a "team player".
	On my first day I spent 4 hours with him behind closed doors asking him about his experience and his perspective, as well as why he had a reputation as a negative influience. After empathizing to his distress and concerns I came to quickly realize that he was VERY aware of many real life issues taking place within this company. Many of the issues were issues I was also passionate about. Things like running a leaner process, employee punctuality and efficiency. Benefits and access to safety equipment. Budgetary constraints that could be allieviated by reducing the way we handled waste management.
	Becasue of his perspective I began many projects to run a better department and help this individual achieve these goals he had been unable to achieve in the 2 years he served in my position. After a year in the position, I came to realize that the people we were working for had NO empathy for their staff. Instead they had an idea of how things should be done and expected everyone else to just "fall in line". Managers had no true control of their departments. Ideas were not recognized. They would rather lose money and destroy moralle to maintain control over their staff than let the staff be a part of building a more dynamic, profitable and efficient company.
	This was a great experience becasue it really let me experience how to continue to empathize with others and add value to other peoples lifes and careers (employees, customers, end users and even manufacturers) even within an environment that demanded silence and total compliance from it's employees. I value the struggles I went through with my staff there, and have enjoyed many years of staying in touch with eaach individual and helping them achieve new career paths that better let them contribute.


	-- When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
	It's hard to be empathetic in a situation where certain individuals continue to make themselves the victim or play the martyr. I'm willing to listen to someone, even a negative person, over and over and over... until that person does nothing but bring the team down. Empathy only goes so far if you're empathizing with someone who does not wish to grow themselves but stay in the rut they complain about living in. I have seen the "bad apple that ruins the bunch" bring down amazing groups many times. It's something I have no tollerance for. Life is a struggle, and the struggle makes us stronger. The mountain grows larger but our shoes must simply get stickier (sticky shoes are gross - Mike D). A group of empathetic people challenge the mountain and climb together never leaving anyone behind. However, if one member of that expedition constantly refuses to move forward with the group, but to just sit and complain that it's too hard to climb.... there must be a point of detaching the group from that individual until that person is willing to also empathize and contribute.... or reshape their own thinking until they are truly ready to joing a group and climb together. Empathy must work both ways. Not always at first... but it can not be an anchor that keeps the team from ever sailing away from the shore.
	How can you improve these skills? Obviously by not just labeling people as "troubled individuals" as an excuse to work with the teammates you THINK are the "right people". Never judge a person up front or assume you know what's going on int their head or in their life. We must strive to really understand the issue before we dismiss a person as a "lost cause" or a "bad fit". Truly.... there will always be individuals that are the "bad apple", but that is the exception to the rule and can not be a quickly assigned label.


	I very much enjoyed this exercise. I hope I can be a positive influience to others and develop some great relationships as I get the chance to know my classmates and instructors on a deeper level.
	-Joel Lindow