Empathy

Gear Up Assignment Mod 0

Gear Up - Empathy

* What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?

	Empathy is probably one of the most developed aspects of my social consciousness.  Witnessing different cultures while backpacking through different countries has expanded my understanding of how the world works beyond my own personal experience, and I strive to implement that awareness into all of my interactions.  Knowing that I have one valid subjective experience and truth while simultaneously navigating a world where every single other person has their own equally valid subjective truth has allowed me to see things from perspectives vastly different than my own.  Looking at every single person as a mirror has allowed me to expand my personal understanding of the world as well as where and how I fit into a much larger picture than my one life can offer.
 

* How does empathy help you build better software?
	
	Ultimately I feel like the main reason behind building software is to enhance and improve convenience, efficiency and quality of life for the users.  As stated before, I only have my own understanding about how the world works for me.  By listening to other people and being open to struggles, perspectives and differing opinions it gives a much wider spectrum of experience that will ultimately contribute to being able to serve a wider and more diverse number of people.  Empathy also allows for more cohesive and open communication within a team dynamic which allows for problems to be solved faster and with less friction.


* Why is empathy important for working on a team?

	Working in a team brings the benefit of multiple different perspectives to look at a problem and find the best solution.  Allowing everyone’s equal and unique contribution to be heard creates a broader understanding of how a solution to any given problem can be found.  Acknowledging and honoring the truth of every individual’s experience allows for every team dynamic to also be a perspective broadening learning opportunity.  Remaining open to potentially differing perspectives creates a wider possibility of seeing things in a new light that would not have been possible without an external perspective that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. 


* Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.

	Over the past 2 years, I have been primarily focusing on helping my partner open an elixir bar in RiNo.  It has been such a challenging project and there are many times that she has been so overwhelmed and wanted to quit.  By allowing her to express her frustrations and her fears without trying to fix anything or making her wrong for her authentic experience, it always allowed for those frustrations and fears to pass.  In supporting her by simply being a listening ear it always allowed her to feel understood for the monumental task that she had undertaken, and ultimately the piece by piece progress has finally led to Honey opening by the end of October 2019!


* When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?

	I am challenged to tune into empathy when I’m in a very combative or hostile situation.  When I feel like I am being attacked or that someone else is being very bossy and critical, it puts me in defense mode which cuts me off from my heart space.  This kind of situation doesn’t happen often, but when they do my best way forward is to take a few deep breaths and try to still practice open and active listening.  Meeting abrasive unconscious energy with empathetic understanding is a hard thing to do, but ultimately I feel like staying centered in Self is the best way to allow those kinds of challenges to be faced effectively and gracefully.  

Gear Up - Empathy

• What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?

  Empathy is probably one of the most developed aspects of my social consciousness. Witnessing different cultures while backpacking through different countries has expanded my understanding of how the world works beyond my own personal experience, and I strive to implement that awareness into all of my interactions. Knowing that I have one valid subjective experience and truth while simultaneously navigating a world where every single other person has their own equally valid subjective truth has allowed me to see things from perspectives vastly different than my own. Looking at every single person as a mirror has allowed me to expand my personal understanding of the world as well as where and how I fit into a much larger picture than my one life can offer.

• How does empathy help you build better software?

  Ultimately I feel like the main reason behind building software is to enhance and improve convenience, efficiency and quality of life for the users. As stated before, I only have my own understanding about how the world works for me. By listening to other people and being open to struggles, perspectives and differing opinions it gives a much wider spectrum of experience that will ultimately contribute to being able to serve a wider and more diverse number of people. Empathy also allows for more cohesive and open communication within a team dynamic which allows for problems to be solved faster and with less friction.

• Why is empathy important for working on a team?

  Working in a team brings the benefit of multiple different perspectives to look at a problem and find the best solution. Allowing everyone’s equal and unique contribution to be heard creates a broader understanding of how a solution to any given problem can be found. Acknowledging and honoring the truth of every individual’s experience allows for every team dynamic to also be a perspective broadening learning opportunity. Remaining open to potentially differing perspectives creates a wider possibility of seeing things in a new light that would not have been possible without an external perspective that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own.

• Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.

  Over the past 2 years, I have been primarily focusing on helping my partner open an elixir bar in RiNo. It has been such a challenging project and there are many times that she has been so overwhelmed and wanted to quit. By allowing her to express her frustrations and her fears without trying to fix anything or making her wrong for her authentic experience, it always allowed for those frustrations and fears to pass. In supporting her by simply being a listening ear it always allowed her to feel understood for the monumental task that she had undertaken, and ultimately the piece by piece progress has finally led to Honey opening by the end of October 2019!

• When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?

  I am challenged to tune into empathy when I’m in a very combative or hostile situation. When I feel like I am being attacked or that someone else is being very bossy and critical, it puts me in defense mode which cuts me off from my heart space. This kind of situation doesn’t happen often, but when they do my best way forward is to take a few deep breaths and try to still practice open and active listening. Meeting abrasive unconscious energy with empathetic understanding is a hard thing to do, but ultimately I feel like staying centered in Self is the best way to allow those kinds of challenges to be faced effectively and gracefully.