A blog (of sorts) on topics related to Humanity in Hospitality

Aligning Your Values. An interview with Hotels Magazine where I expressed the importance of shared values in any collaboration. What do you think? James, 1 December 2022 

Empathy - the first of a series looking at keywords and phrases that help me. Let me know what you think!

I came across this infographic recently and it struck me how much we talk about the importance of empathy but how little we see of it in our professional lives. We can be so focused on ourselves, and what we see in others that we forget what we can’t see.

Empathy, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary is:

"The ability to share someone else's feelings or experiences by imagining 

what it would be like to be in that person's situation."

How often have you felt that someone has put themselves in your shoes to resolve a service issue (more on that next time)?

Or, do you as a leader try to imagine what your direct report may be feeling when they come to you with an issue? The best leaders I have ever worked for always did this, making sure they really understood what the individual or team was experiencing, and then tried to help or resolve the problem. And not just once – this is something to be done on a daily basis – you gain trust by listening, not interrupting, asking for input and solutions and then making things happen. Even the smallest improvement will show you care and will help build engagement. We can all talk about it, but do we really practice what we preach?

Is there anything missing from the infographic? To me, culture - you also must consider the impact of national or group culture, many people will not be happy sharing their issues or concerns in front of others. On many occasions following a meeting, what was deemed to be an agreed course of action was questioned in private by a key stakeholder. I took that as a compliment - the person concerned was confident enough to come and talk to me about it - frustrating as it may have been at the time. That was a great learning for me, especially when working with different cultures.

What are your views?

#empathy #leaders #culture #engagement #team #people #keywords #help

James, 24 November 2022