Your Brain at Work Turn Empathy Into Your Superpower with Stanford Psychologist Jamil Zaki
Aug 20, 2020
Jamil Zaki, Stanford Professor of Psychology and author of “The War for Kindness”, discusses the transformative power of empathy. He explores how true understanding doesn't always stem from personal experience. Zaki emphasizes empathy’s crucial role in leadership, especially during stressful times, and reveals how power can paradoxically weaken empathy. He delves into the complexities of allyship in organizations, the positive potential of virtue signaling, and the importance of deep listening for effective leadership. Zaki even introduces a kindness challenge to inspire community connection.
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Empathy Is A Multi-Part Superpower
- Empathy is an umbrella of related abilities: sharing emotions, understanding them, and feeling concern to help.
- These combined skills predict happiness, leadership success, and stronger relationships.
Treat Crisis As A Pivot To Connection
- Acknowledge that people are hungrier for connection during crises and design for it deliberately.
- Use moments of shared struggle to strengthen organizational cohesion rather than ignore them.
Operationalize Empathy Not Just Values
- Learn the science of empathy before prescribing it as an organizational value.
- Translate empathy into concrete behaviors so employees experience, not just read, those values.
