# Empathy 体谅 Domain: 🟦 Relationship Building ### Signature Theme Description You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are your own. Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective. You do not necessarily agree with each person’s perspective. **You do not necessarily feel pity for each person’s predicament —this would be sympathy, not Empathy.** You do not necessarily condone the choices each person makes, but you do understand. This instinctive ability to understand is powerful. You hear the unvoiced questions. You anticipate the need. Where others grapple for words, you seem to find the right words and the right tone. You help people find the right phrases to express their feelings —to themselves as well as to others. You help them give voice to their emotional life. For all these reasons other people are drawn to you. ### Shared Theme Description People who are especially talented in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others’ lives or others’ situations. ### Additional notes: It's like having a sixth sense; you feel what other people are feeling. It's not just thinking about others or considering their emotions; it's actually experiencing them. (source: 2) Ability to predict other people's responses, to know what will land well with certain people (source: 2) Defined as the attention to the emotional state of others. Individuals with Empathy are also in touch with their own emotions and know how to effectively express them to others. (source: 3) In the first "Star Wars" film (Episode IV A New Hope), Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi instructs his young protégé, Luke Skywalker, in his Jedi training, saying, "Trust your feelings, Luke." (source: 6) ### Raw vs. Mature Raw Empathy owns the emotion, "I follow the feelings of others." Mature Empathy is empowered by other's emotions, "I lead by knowing the feelings of others." (source: 5) ### Helps and Hinders (source: 6) _**Helps**_ - You have a way of hearing emotions without words -- and as such, you can tend to others' emotional needs while they are still manageable, before they get blown out of proportion. - You have an innate sense of when feelings need to be addressed and instinctively know what questions to ask to get others to open up. Trust your intuition; follow your instincts in such situations. - Your attention to others' feelings -- and your ability to anticipate how certain decisions will make them feel -- make you a valuable asset to your team as you assess the potential reactions to policies, processes and procedures you must implement. - As a team leader, you bring caring, concern and understanding to your team members, making them feel valued, respected and appreciated. _**Hinders**_ - Experiencing others' emotions can be draining. Know when you need to take a break, find some "alone time" and recharge. - If you lead a team, you may tend to put off delivering bad news or having difficult performance conversations for fear of the possible emotional reaction. In times that call for such candor, use your Empathy to find the most compassionate and helpful way to have these necessary conversations. People will appreciate your honesty and caring. - You might worry about how others will feel about decisions you make, and so, when facing such decisions, you might procrastinate. Don't let your Empathy paralyze you; use it to make good decisions that take into account others' feelings -- and devise a response to any potentially negative reactions. - Sometimes your Empathy can take the form of sympathy, which by itself is not bad. But if sympathy keeps you from making a difficult decision -- or makes you put off the inevitable -- leverage the other side of your Empathy: How will others feel if you don't make the hard decisions that come with leadership? ### With other Themes: (my own, needs refinement) Empathy, Individualization, Harmony Empathy "I know how you feel" Individualization "I know you feel different than the others" Harmony "I know the feelings everyone has" #CS/Empathy🟦 and #CS/Adaptability🟦 One of the great gifts that one receives from being in the presence of a person high in Adaptability is that he or she is completely focused on you in that moment. And that can feel like Empathy to the receiver. So while the outcome or behavior may feel the same, the drivers of those behaviors are different. Both themes are very present in the moment with others. Empathy is intuitive about how people are feeling; Adaptability is reactive to how people are feeling. • Can sense how someone feels often times without even talking to or interacting with person; when those with Adaptability interact with a person they are so focused on that person that feelings become obvious. • Empathy can tell how you are feeling before talking to you; Adaptability can tell how you are feeling by talking to you. • Adaptability easily adapts to the external; Empathy adapts to sympathize with others. (source: 4) ^a8afa9 #CS/Empathy🟦 and #CS/Developer🟦 Developer understands the potential in others; Empathy understands the feelings of others. Empathy knows how someone feels; Developer knows what someone needs. (source: 4) ^e7db5c #CS/Empathy🟦 and #CS/Includer🟦 - Includer wants to make others feel accepted and welcomed; those with Empathy want to make others feel understood. - Includer knows how it feels to be left out, so want to ensure that others never feel excluded. Empathy knows how it feels to have one's feelings discounted, so want to ensure that others never feel emotionally diminished. ![[🟦 CS_Harmony#^ba3b48]] ![[🟦 CS_Harmony#^d729dd]] ![[🟦 CS_Includer#^7f2414]] ![[🟦 CS_Includer#^6811b9]] ![[🟦 CS_Positivity#^4f52aa]] #CS/Empathy🟦 & #CS/Positivity🟦 Empathy is an emotional thermometer, reading the emotional state. Positivity is an emotional thermostat, setting and affecting the emotional state. (source: 2) ![[🟦 CS_Positivity#^afc533]] ![[🟩 CS_Intellection#^4cafee]] ![[🟦 CS_Connectedness#^4a6c71]] ![[🟦 CS_Relator#^dc5d3a]] ### Themes that amplify: (source: 6) #CS/Connectedness🟦 #CS/Harmony🟦 #CS/Individualization🟦 #CS/Relator🟦 #CS/Includer🟦 #CS/Adaptability🟦 ### Themes that moderate: #CS/Achiever🟪 #CS/Activator🟧 #CS/Command🟧 #CS/Competition🟧 #CS/Analytical🟩 #CS/Discipline🟪 #CS/Intellection🟩 ------------ ### Sources: 1. Theme Descriptions: Rath, Tom. _StrengthsFinder 2.0_. Gallup Press, 2007. 2. [Empathy: Highlights From Your CliftonStrengths 34](https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/266834/empathy-highlights-cliftonstrengths.aspx) 3. [Empathy: Learning to Love All 34 Talent Themes](https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/251105/empathy-learning-love-talent-themes.aspx) 4. [Comparing and Contrasting CliftonStrengths Themes](https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/250409/comparing-contrasting-cliftonstrengths-themes.aspx) 5. [Pairing and Expanding Your Strengths: Empathy](https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/250700/pairing-expanding-strengths-empathy.aspx) 6. [The Empathy Theme: How You Can Productively Aim Your CliftonStrengths Talent](https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/249716/productively-aim-empathy-talents.aspx)