Does not mean being ‘soft’

There is no question that empathy and understanding others are important soft skills, but there is nothing soft about having and developing these skills. Understanding others does not mean that you have to agree with their feelings or point of view. Instead, it means that you recognize their point of view, and accept that it is different from yours. You may still have to do difficult things that others do not agree with, but hopefully, both you and they will understand rather than judge that.

Calls for a more personal approach

We work with colleagues, sometimes spend years in their company

Requires deepening emotional intelligence skills

People who are good at understanding others exhibit some common behavior traits

Asks for more listening than talking

Most of us are busy pushing our views, ideas and opinions

Requires sincerity

As humans we are programmed to detect and dislike insincerity

Empathizing does not mean being ‘soft’

There is no question that empathy is an important soft skill, but that does not mean

Entails empathy – and empathy can be learned

The modern world makes it easy to lose sight of the feelings of others