We hosted our third episode of Office Hours where Ankush Bhargava, SVP and Product Head - Corporate Banking Exchange from Intellect Design Arena Ltd, shared his tips on nurturing empathy within teams.
Office hours are bite-sized, online learning experiences for our NewCampus community. These are interactive events where you can freely ask questions and engage with experienced business leaders.
Ankush has seen how empathy helps keep people motivated and productive while keeping their morale high.
Helmed by questions submitted by participants, the discussion explored many different directions. But for the sake of brevity, here are our favourite takeaways:
💬 Empathy is a leadership tool that involves giving and taking space within a conversation - Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Team members should be encouraged to express their thoughts, emotions, and concerns openly, without fear of judgment or ridicule.
👂 The key to developing empathy is to ask a lot of open-ended questions to understand how your team is experiencing their world - Open-ended questions encourage team members to elaborate on their thoughts and feelings, enabling them to express themselves more freely. Asking questions like, "How do you feel about this situation?" or "What challenges do you face in your role?" allows team members to articulate their emotions and concerns.
🌳 It is important to distinguish empathy from complacency and making concessions - Empathy does not mean turning a blind eye to poor performance or overlooking harmful behavior. Instead, it involves understanding the underlying reasons behind certain actions or challenges and providing support to address them constructively.
Fostering empathy within teams is not a one-time effort but an ongoing journey. By creating an environment that encourages open communication, active listening, and the exchange of perspectives, teams can cultivate a culture of empathy and understanding.
