Sympathy or Empathy? That Is The Question...

Biggest Takeaways You Don't Want To Miss: There are two sides to emotional intelligence. Not only do emotionally intelligent leaders understand and articulate their feelings. They are also able to understand and articulate the feelings of other people.

 

The limitations of sympathy. In an attempt to establish connection, a leader might sympathize with someone by sharing their own story. While helpful in letting someone know they’re not alone, sympathy robs someone of an opportunity to be understood and accepted. Empathy can be developed. If you are not naturally empathetic, a willingness to grow and a simple development plan can do wonders. And if empathy is intuitive for you, continue to work at not only mastering this critical skill but pass on what you have learned to others.

 

 

When someone else is in pain, healthy leaders prioritize compassion over connection. As important as it is for someone to feel they are not alone, it is even more important for them to feel understood and accepted.

Need to grow in empathy? We can help!

We put together a development plan that helps you better understand empathy and build a step-by-step approach to becoming the leader you want to be for your church. Download it for free and take your leadership to the next level!

Links Mentioned In The Episode EMPATHY DEVELOPMENT PLAN - fivefactors.net/empathy VIDEO - “It’s Not About The Nail” PODCAST EPISODE - Jenni Catron on The Four Dimensions of Leadership GET HELP - Ask Matt and Tal a Question Five Factors Coaching - fivefactors.net/join Five Factors Facebook Group FOLLOW: Matt (twitter.com/mattadair) and Tal (twitter.com/talprince)