study reveals
This is the most important skill to be successful
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What do we really need to be successful? A study suggests that it’s a trait that drives us forward. And some might find that surprising.
What character traits are critical to success? For a long time we thought primarily of skills such as intelligence, ambition and assertiveness – especially when it comes to managers. But a study has now found that it’s actually another trait that best supports us on the road to success: Empathy.
Empathy ensures a better working atmosphere – and thus increases the chances of success
For an investigation, the US organization Catalyst asked around 900 employees in the United States about which skills help them most in the work environment and especially in bosses. The result: empathy landed at the top.
This result is apparently closely related to the corona pandemic, because more and more people are currently suffering from the psychological stress caused by factors such as working from home, school and kindergarten closures, economic fears and hardships. Therefore, the ability to empathize with employees takes on a whole new meaning – and can also make a significant contribution to one’s own success.
In the study, the researchers found that empathy leads to more innovation, commitment and a better work-life balance, among other things. Of course, those who can better put themselves in the shoes of their employees create a better atmosphere in the team and have a better understanding of the stresses that difficult situations entail. And finding solutions based on that ultimately brings everyone forward.
What exactly is empathy – and can I learn it?
Empathic people are particularly good at empathizing with others and understanding their thoughts, perspectives and feelings. studies suggest that empathy is an innate trait—albeit only about 10 percent. So we can certainly work on being more empathetic.
Psychology primarily distinguishes between cognitive and emotional empathy. Cognitive empathy is about being able to understand the thoughts and feelings of another person. Emotionally empathetic people feel the emotions of their counterpart – often even as strongly as if they were their own.
In the professional environment, cognitive empathy is particularly important and helpful. Because if we can understand why the colleague is reacting very strongly to what is actually a small problem in the project, we may be able to defuse the situation – and thus not ensure a more humane interaction with one another, but also contribute to the success of the project and ultimately to our own at.
Sources used: catalyst.org, wissenschaft.de, aok.de