![\"Empathy\"](\"https:\/\/corevalues.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Empathy-why-it-is-important.png\")
It was one of those good days. A day when a former client calls and says, \u201cThat empathy performance question we put into our employment interviews probably saved us thousands of dollars and a lot of conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It was one of those good days. A day when a former client calls and says, \u201cThat empathy performance question we put into our employment interviews probably saved us thousands of dollars and a lot of conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u00a0 How\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe candidate\u2019s resume was stellar. He looked great and presented himself very well. But when we asked him how he demonstrated empathy in the last six weeks with friends or family, he was stumped.\u201d So, what does empathy have to do with a potential team member\u2019s job fit?<\/p>\n
Empathy i<\/a>s a universal team principle that promotes high commitment and cooperation in the workplace. It is the ability to understand another person\u2019s perspective or circumstance whether you agree with this person or not. Empathetic people are curious and possess a desire to know and understand others. It is important to successful conflict resolution because understanding diverse perspectives allows collaborative solutions to rise from chaos.<\/p>\n Likewise, the ability to beam your self into another person\u2019s shoes lays the foundation for moral decisions and is a condition for peace. Like Obama\u2019s grandmother who, when counseling the moral character of her grandson, said, \u201cHow would you feel if that happened to you?\u201d<\/p>\n People who lack the capacity to flip situations and try them on for size are doomed to shallow relationships, deeds of shady moral character, cruelty, or a psychological condition known as narcissism. Narcissists are often poor listeners and poor communicators because they are unable to comprehend or listen to another person\u2019s emotional pain. And, when taken to extreme they are unable to recognize the shame and pain they pile onto others because they are unable to access and face the shame and pain within themselves.<\/p>\n Bad things that happen are always another person\u2019s fault. And, narcissists tend to do well in hierarchical power positions because success is proof they are better than others. From a team perspective, however, they drive the people around them crazy, which justifies their thinking that everyone else is the problem — certainly not them.<\/p>\n In Emily Yoffe\u2019s Slate Magazine\u2019s article, But Enough about You: What is narcissistic personality disorder, and why does everyone seem to have it?<\/a>, <\/strong>Yoffe names a host of leaders that fall into the narcissistic category. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Edwards, and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich are a few. And she reports that an article posted in the New York Times<\/a><\/strong> claims that Blagojevich\u2019s self pity he demonstrated on multiple talk shows after being ousted for allegedly trying to sell a senate seat \u201cdid a better job illustrating narcissistic behavior than any psychological text book.\u201d<\/p>\nThe effect of Narcissim on Morality<\/h3>\n