What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?
- I can’t even put into words the way empathy has shaped my life but I will try my best. I have had manly lesson in empathy and some can be real eye openers. One of the major ones that comes to mind is the process of embracing other peoples views and expanding on compassion. Back in 2006 I was just kicked out of the Air Force due to downsizing and had no real direction. I was set in my ways and wasn’t open to other view points and really didn’t put any effort into understanding other people. Then during a huge job crisis, I went and tested for the fire department and didn’t get in. Turning to the only place hiring at the time which was the theatre in my local community collage I was able to find steady employment. I started working in the theatre full time and would often run into people that shared different values then I did and issue would come up that I would have never thought of else where. This started to open up my eye to different ideas and ways of thinking and over time it changed my entire beliefs. Then one day while driving home I was listening to the local news which was talking about bill SB-1070. For all of those people who lived in Arizona at the time that was all anyone could talk about. This bill gave the right for officers to stop people without a reason and check to see if they where citizens. I found myself saying people don’t deserve to be treated like that and that we needed to have more compassion than what was being shown. This snowballed into my volunteering for a local tribe doing children shows. This had opened my eyes even more to see what they had to go through on a day to day basis. That same Summer I wrote a massive paper that talked about Luis Valdez right hand to Cesar Chavez and the founder of the El Teatro Campesino. Flash forward to 2012 United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) my beliefs have changed 180 degrees from what they use to be. I find myself am expecting of other and ready to listen to the issues that people have. Which is a long conversation I had the opportunity of having with Luis Valdez in person over brunch.
How does empathy help you build better software?
- I could not think of a way where having empathy would be a bad thing. When building software you want to think about who is using the software and how it is going to be used. This requires that the builder of the software try to understand what the user wants and needs from the software. Empathy will effect every way a site or project might be conducted. I might think that red is an aggressive color and might not add it to a design of a page due to my perception however maybe the client and people using the sight see it as celebratory. Not only does empathy effect the end product but it has a huge effect on the process. Without empty I might miss hearing a great idea that has been tossed out because I don’t feel the need to listen. Even when not talking about the project or work I think it helps build relationships with your team members over all making work more enjoyable.
Why is empathy important for working on a team?
- Having empathy is vital to a team success. I think without it the team would be able to stumble through an issue but any project would be less fun and creativity hindered. When people feel that they can express themselves freely and be heard people tend to feel more comfortable put ideas forward that could help the end product. If I personally feel that I am not being listened to I know won’t go out of my way to put forth extra effort. I know that other people feel the same when they don’t feel listened to production and overall work place happiness drops. I also think it is important to build those connection and opens the door for curiosity and creativity. Besides the end product having empathy on a team just makes for a more enjoyable time.
Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.
- Many moons ago I was working as a production head at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. This was my first major leadership role. This was something I thought I was ready for however I was hit hard with the reality of the situation. I was placed at the head of a crew that the budget was cut making the normal crew of 30 plus down to 15 and it was a big anniversary season with large productions. When I first my boss was rather hot headed and enforced the idea of listen to me or else. I took this and copied the behavior and would not listen to issues as much as I should have. I got busy and didn’t take the time to check in with my crew or crew heads. I was worried about my boss coming down on me and failing at my job. However I was failing my team and I wasn’t seeing it. I had to demote one of my crew heads and things where falling apart. Then one day something happened that was not expected my boss and his boss quit over night. This put me and one of the lighting teacher leading the whole technical department for a large theatre which was something I thought I was not ready for. However I took the time to listen to other and really opened up to my team. I found a lot of resentment and people burnt out which stung. We where able to make the productions work on time and never missed a curtain but my team was growing to hate me but the theatre in general. I took the time to meet with each person and had a conversation where I listened to them. I found that the crew head did not deserve to be demoted and the crew was happy to welcome him back as a leader. I found that I had people stepping up that need to be recognized more. After I started to listen to my team and dropped the my way or the high way attitude my team was breaking loads in records. We even had the artistic directors come watch one of the load ins because they where worried about losing the production heads. They told us that that was the fastest load in they had ever seen in 20 plus years of working in the space. Once I showed empathy and listened to my team I was able to turn a failure into a success.
When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
- One of the most difficult situations I run into is when I get pressure from above or feel that I am in a hurry. Even though that summer at Utah was eye opening I still run into issues when my leadership does not show empathy or that I feel pressed for time. Just like in the ted talk the person mentioned that several priest past a person pleading for help while studying that same issue. I think it becomes easy to put on blinders when a project is due or that leadership isn’t what it should be. However in those times I need to remember my lesson from Utah and listen to others and try to show empathy. Even if I am not in a leadership roll I need to work better on listening to people and making sure that people feel included.