Putting yourself in someone elses shoes examples
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August 17, 2016 • Coaching, OPD, Values Show Daniel Pink defines empathy as “the ability to imagine yourself in someone else’s position and to intuit what that person is feeling” (Pink, 2006, p. 159). My sister, a special education teacher, is an excellent empathizer. It is simply part of who she is. She truly seeks to understand the circumstances, thoughts, and feelings of the students and parents she serves, and she is better able to lead them because of her innate ability to connect with the experiences of others. For individuals like me, who weren’t born natural empathizers, empathy is a skill we can develop. In his book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future, Daniel Pink suggests the following work activities to build empathy: 1. Consider what each person in your office experiences on a daily basisHave each member of your team write their name on a piece of paper and then have the other team members write what they think are the highlights of that person’s day, the worst parts of that person’s day, that individual’s frustrations, and what they consider rewards. How does Mary like to be rewarded? What is our boss’ biggest frustration? What is the highlight of Adrian’s day? What really brings Rachel down? 2. Understand one another’s storiesHow did each person in your office end up working at UNTHSC? What brought you all together? What are the common themes for everyone in your department? 3. VolunteerDid you know that we have multiple volunteer opportunities here at UNTHSC? Do you enjoy gardening and want to get involved in the community garden? What about volunteering at the Cowtown Marathon? Or, would you like to get involved on one of our Values Initiative Teams? – Jessie Johnson Coaching Corner: Empathy also ties into the International Coach Federation (ICF) core competencies. Using empathy helps the coach to establish a trusting relationship (#3) as well as activates active listening (#5) as you seek to understand on a deeper level. Sources: Seijits, Gandz, Crossan, and Reno (2015). Character matters: Character dimensions’ impact on leader performance and outcomes. Organizational Dynamics, 44(1). 65-74. doi: 10.1016/j.orgdyn.2014.11.008. International Coach Federation. (N.D.). Core Competencies. Retrieved from http://coachfederation.org/credential/landing.cfm?ItemNumber=2206 Pink, D.H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY: Riverhead Books. Podcast by Matt Chandler put yourself in somebody's shoes Meaning(s)1. imagine yourself in someone else's situation PopularityHow to Memorizeput yourself in somebody's shoes for a moment
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