By Maria Geokezas, VP of Client Services
Empathy is often defined as the ability to recognize emotions in others and to understand other people’s perspectives on a situation. Professional empathy is an interpersonal skill that is important in developing relationships with co-workers and colleagues as well as customers.
Empathy is often considered the basis of emotional intelligence (EQ) and they don’t always get the respect they deserve in business situations. Unlike learning new technical skills, improving empathy and EQ are sometimes seen as irrelevant in business or impossible to change. Plus, it is a tough subject to discuss in the workplace. Many managers simply avoid talking to their team members about interpersonal skills. Most people are self-conscious about discussing personal feelings in a business setting thinking that it is a sign of weakness.
EQ…