Insights from Head of Coaching

Dear Students,
 

You might think of empathy, a word that only entered the English language a bit over 100 years ago, as being a “touchy-feely” way of showing that you understand how another person feels, especially when they are upset, sad, confused, etc. And indeed, this term originates in the root “pathos,” which is Greek for “feeling.” Yet, why would the CEO of Microsoft, the company with the second-highest market cap globally, declare that a concept defined by an English psychologist known for studying consciousness in 1909 be the one skill that separates successful people from everyone else in 2024?
 

In a simple, direct way, the article below spells out the deceptively critical importance of empathy to ambitious international students like you. First, empathy reflects a range of highly-valued Western power skills, including listening (which the writer highlights), and arguably also attention to detail, verbal communication, cultural awareness, curiosity, patience and self-awareness. Importantly, the writer also notes that empathy also fosters trust, suggesting that when aspiring professionals like you and your friends show a colleague or leader that you understand, are sensitive to and care about his/her ideas, concerns, hopes and fears, the listener is bound to feel more inclined toward relationship-building.
 

And this line of reasoning feeds the third, significant reason that empathy is so key – new grads like you, who are seeking to build successful global careers, will need to master a wide range of interpersonal competencies that extend well beyond functional expertise, an array of which have been shown to “make or break” corporate leaders. True empathy is informed by an abundance mindset, fosters collaboration, reflects integrity and demonstrates mindfulness. In reality, then, perhaps it’s not so strange after all that Nadella links empathy with leadership, which is very much a product of the power skills of inspiring, influencing, negotiating with and persuading colleagues.
 

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Says What Defines Successful People Really Comes Down to 1 Trait   This is a skill that separates successful people from everyone else. www.inc.com

May you be blessed with moments of empathy from friends and family this weekend.
 

Best,
 

Amy-Louise
 

P.S. For more on different kinds of empathy, please see the pre-pandemic-era, yet classic article below.