gear_up_preWork

What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?
 - In my life empathy has helped me to be understanding and considerate of others' views. Most recently my city has been dealing with a 
 large amount of BLM rallies and being understanding of their purpose and goal has helped me to be more understanding and supportive. 
 
How does empathy help you build better software?
-Empathy helps by reaching out and learning other people's ideas and concerns to make a better product. Everybody can find different faults
in products depending on their unique experiences. people with disabilities may be looking at a product for aid where others look at it for entertainment. 
It is important to keep in mind that just because you see no fault in a program it is important to reach out to others to get their opinion. 

Why is empathy important for working on a team?
-Empathy is extremely important when working with others to better understand their point of view. When working in this field it is important to remember that a 
large diverse group will be viewing and using your product. A goal of mine is to work towards a more inclusive world where everyone feels equal and included and to achieve this I need to be diverse in my understandings. 

Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.
 - When at my last job as a manager I had to work with customers from very different backgrounds who were upset about a service or situation and my job was to handle these people through patience and understanding. Most often taking the time to let them voice their concerns gave me enough insight to relate to the problem to find a solution. 
 
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 understanding when a co-worker becomes hostile when approached with ideas other than their own. Some people may get frustrated or mentally shut down
when they are pushed to work with others whose views are so far from their own. I would work to understand empathetically why they are so against new ways to better understand their situation. It is never wise to just close up and refuse to work with someone based on different views so working with them
would be my biggest goal.