“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

When asked to write this blog, I wondered what value I could add to the blogging world... “A blog on empathy in the workplace!” For me, this was a natural reaction, because it’s a natural feeling. It is not natural for everyone, and that’s okay. The world is a melting pot, as it should be, and that is what makes the world work. Maybe you are confused on what empathy really is? Maybe you’ve been misinformed that there is no room for empathy in the workplace – when in fact, we need to make a little more room.

Empathy is fellow feeling. It is a tool to connect to someone on an interpersonal level; it can offer hope and healing on a deeper level. Being able to get to this place allows you to suspend judgment, feelings, opinions, anger, and resentment. It is the ability to temporarily suspend your own opinions, to truly walk a mile in someone’s shoes.

Social engineering: two words that are increasingly being talked about in normal, day-to-day conversation.

If you are like me, when you first heard the term, you likely thought of something different than what this really encompasses. Let’s unpack the term a bit and explore the meaning behind words.