ICommunicate Radio Show #126: How to Use Accountability and Empathy to Define Your Culture

There are two sides to every story. Understanding where someone else is coming from can have limitless benefits on your relationships and stronger teams. In part two of our empathy series on ICommunicate, Joe Lyman joins Mark to further discuss how to empathize with people that disappoint us as well as how to create a culture that encourages dialogue and vulnerability. Segment 1: Whether it’s a driver cutting us off on a freeway or an employee being late to work, our default reaction is to get annoyed and assume that the world is out to get us. Who deserves our empathy? How can we alter our mindset to better understand what people may be going through? Segment 2: Putting ourselves in somebody else’s shoes is usually much easier said than done, but that doesn’t mean we should give up on trying to understand why people feel the way they do. How can we come to better understand the people who may disappoint us? What strategies can we use to create a culture of empathy and vulnerability? Segment 3: In the heat of the moment, we tend to prioritize venting our frustrations to the person that we’re upset with rather than offering solutions or constructing a dialogue. How can we change this mindset and allow for a culture of dialogue within the workplace? Segment 4: When we start a dialogue on habits and behaviors with another person, we can’t usually expect an instant outcome. What steps can we take to motivate the people we care about? How do we make empathy effortless?