The Strategic Importance of Empathy

We often find ourselves assuming about the reasons why people behave the way they behave but we fail to ask "why do I find their behavior maddening or frustrating?" 

We have to slow down and remind ourselves that everyone has their own reasons for their behavior and as leaders we must allow ourselves to empathize and learn if there is something we can do about it. 

 Here are some questions you can use to explore about a person's behavior:

• What are their beliefs and assumptions? Can I allow that information to inform how I approach them?
• Can I take a broader perspective on what might be driving them? What impulses or reasoning might be informing their behavior?
• Am I creating a condition that they are finding the need to adapt to that I might find frustrating?
• Is there something I can do to change how I'm showing up and influence the environment in which this other person is operating?