Importance of Empathy

CM-empathy.markdown

Reflect

After reading the articles above, create a gist on Github and reflect (4-6 sentences) on the following prompts.

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

  Empathy has played an important role in my life, especially with having a theater background. Regardless of if you are acting, directing, or designing the lights for a performance, in order to be successful you must employ empathy in order to fully understand how to effectively communicate the emotions of the characters to the audience. Being in tune with the emotions of others is helpful in all aspects of life - personal relationships, professional environments, both hard and difficult conversations. It has helped me keep my own expectations and opinions in check by recognizing the person next to me may be viewing, approaching, the same thing from a very different perspective.

• How does empathy help you build better software?

    There are 2 main ways I think empathy can help build better software. The first is better teamwork. It seem
    as though teamwork is a huge part of being a developer, and increased empathy amongst colleagues will bring about better results. The second is that you’re more likely to create a user-centric product. When you, as a designer, are designing for what you think is the best end product, you are making pre-conceived notions about what the user needs. Going straight to the user and pushing to a point of provocation to gain insight about what their true need is, will result in a better final product. 
  

• Why is empathy important for working on a team?

    Empathy is important for a team because it emboldens understanding and prioritizes listening. It makes 
    collaboration more authentic and more effective.
  

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

    A few years ago I found myself working in a field I never had even considered - non-profit fundraising. I knew 			very little about it other than the obvious customer service elements, but was excited to be working on a
    team with 2 more experienced professional women. My direct supervisor had interviewed me herself, and she had
    told me about going to the Balkans right after the war on a convoy with Madeline Albright and I could not wait 			to work alongside her. About a week into my new job things started to seem a little off. My boss was coming 	in late every day, if at all. The next week we were at a meeting with a consultant, and she announced that her husband had left her that morning. After that she only continued to fall apart at the seams. I felt for her, and while my immediate reaction was to read up and train myself for the job as best I could, I realized that helping her feel useful and needed was the most helpful thing I could do - for both of us. While it was not at all easy to work with someone who obviously was not their best selves, nothing is more valuable than being able to learn from someone with more experience instead of attempting to just go it alone. 
  

• 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 find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings when others are not returning the favor. It 			is my default to try and understand where you’re coming from, but if you’re repeatedly not trying to empathize with my perspective I will start to lose patience. I can definitely improve this by addressing the issue early if it and when it comes up. Specifically I have had issues with bullying in the workplace, and hope to be in more supportive work environments moving forward. 
  

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

Empathy has played an important role in my life, especially with having a theater
background. Regardless of if you are acting, directing, or designing the lights for a performance, in order to be successful you must employ empathy in order to fully understand how to effectively communicate the emotions of the characters to the audience. Being in tune with the emotions of others is helpful in all aspects of life - personal relationships, professional environments, both hard and difficult conversations. It has helped me keep my own expectations and opinions in check by recognizing the person next to me may be viewing, approaching, the same thing from a very different perspective.
How does empathy help you build better software?
There are 2 main ways I think empathy can help build better software. The first is better teamwork. It seems as though teamwork is a huge part of being a developer, and increased empathy amongst colleagues will bring about better results. The second is that you’re more likely to create a user-centric product. When you, as a designer, are designing for what you think is the best end product, you are making pre-conceived notions about what the user needs. Going straight to the user and pushing to a point of provocation to gain insight about what their true need is, will result in a better final product.
Why is empathy important for working on a team?
Empathy is important for a team because it emboldens understanding and prioritizes listening. It makes collaboration more authentic and more effective.
Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.
A few years ago I found myself working in a field I never had even considered - non-profit fundraising. I knew very little about it other than the obvious customer service elements, but was excited to be working on a team with 2 more experienced professional women. My direct supervisor had interviewed me herself, and she had told me about going to the Balkans right after the war on a convoy with Madeline Albright and I could not wait to work alongside her. About a week into my new job things started to seem a little off. My boss was coming in late every day, if at all. The next week we were at a meeting with a consultant, and she announced that her husband had left her that morning. After that she only continued to fall apart at the seams. I felt for her, and while my immediate reaction was to read up and train myself for the job as best I could, I realized that helping her feel useful and needed was the most helpful thing I could do - for both of us. While it was not at all easy to work with someone who obviously was not their best selves, nothing is more valuable than being able to learn from someone with more experience instead of attempting to just go it alone.

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 find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings when others are not returning the favor. It is my default to try and understand where you’re coming from, but if you’re repeatedly not trying to empathize with my perspective I will start to lose patience. I can definitely improve this by addressing the issue early if it and when it comes up. Specifically I have had issues with bullying in the workplace, and hope to be in more supportive work environments moving forward.