While empathy has always played a key role in my coaching career, I don’t think I have ever needed to exercise my empathic skills as much as I do now.
Such extraordinary times we are facing on the planet. While we have all been thrown into this strange reality, we, as human beings have had to face such extreme changes, not only in our personal lives but also at work.
There has been, over time some confusion over the word ‘empathy’, It has been labelled as sympathy, been seen as a method to manipulate and also looked upon as a sign of weakness. Being English we have all, on some level been told to ‘deal with it’, ‘get on with it’, ‘move on’, in fact us Brits even created an idiom to reflect this, ‘stiff upper lip’ meaning to display fortitude and stoicism in the face of adversity, or exercise great self-restraint in the expression of emotion.
If I can share a story. My Father and I some years ago attended a funeral of a close family member. A hugely distressing experience. I remember feeling intense sadness and naturally started to cry. My Father said ‘ Liz, no time for that, come on, be strong…’stiff upper lip’.
I remember feeling such a responsibility to contain my emotion and deal with it. I can honestly say that in that moment all I wanted was a reassuring look, or simply the space to navigate my feelings of sadness.
Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of others. To demonstrate empathy by listening to their thoughts and creating space for expression.
My role as a Neurolanguage Coach® is all about connection. Every client I have is unique and on their own personal learning journey.
By applying empathy enables me to have an accurate understanding of the needs and concerns of each client.
This involves listening with your ears, eyes and heart, something I believe can be applied in any role.
Such extraordinary times we are facing on the planet. A little empathy can go a long way…
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
― Leo Buscaglia