Empathy: HBR Emotional Intelligence Series

by Harvard Business Review, Daniel Goleman, Emma Seppälä (Contributor)

Empathy is credited as a factor in improved relationships and even better product development. But while it’s easy to say “just put yourself in someone else’s shoes", the reality is that understanding the motivations and emotions of others often proves elusive.

This audiobook helps you understand what empathy is, why it’s important, how to surmount the hurdles that make you less empathetic - and when too much empathy is just too much.

This collection of articles includes: “What Is Empathy?”, by Daniel Goleman; “Why Compassion Is a Better Managerial Tactic Than Toughness”, by Emma Seppala; “What Great Listeners Actually Do”, by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman; “Empathy Is Key to a Great Meeting”, by Annie McKee; “It’s Harder to Empathize with People If You’ve Been in Their Shoes”, by Rachel Rutton, Mary-Hunter McDonnell, and Loran Nordgren; “Being Powerful Makes You Less Empathetic”, by Lou Solomon; “A Process for Empathetic Product Design”, by Jon Kolko; “How Facebook Uses Empathy to Keep User Data Safe”, by Melissa Luu-Van; “The Limits of Empathy”, by Adam Waytz; and “What the Dalai Lama Taught Daniel Goleman About Emotional Intelligence”, an interview with Daniel Goleman, by Andrea Ovans.



Running Time => 1hr. and 46mins.

©2017 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation (P)2020 Gildan Media

Genres: Psychology, Business, Self Help, Nonfiction, Leadership, Audiobook, Personal Growth

Audible Audio

First published April 18, 2017

Reviews

[meltemay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empati boşluğu, merhamet yorgunluğu, bilişsel ve duygusal empati, aşırı empati, aktif dinleme gibi üzerine düşünülmesi gereken mevzulardan kısa kısa bahsediliyor. Alışılagelmiş HBR üslubu ve detaysızlığı bu kitapta da var. Kavramlara aşina olmak için okunabilir.

[Trinh Chau · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. The empathy triad:
- cognitive empathy: the ability to understand another person’s perspective
- emotional empathy: feel what somewhat feels
- empathetic concern: to sense what people need from you

2. Compassion is a better managerial tactic than toughness They will be more loyal to you, and anyone else who have witnessed your behavior may also experience evaluation and feel more devoted to you
- take a moment
- put yourself in other’s shoes
- forgive

3. What great listeners actually do?
- periodically ask questions that promote discovery and insight
- include interactions that build up a person’s self esteem
- make a cooperative conversation
- tend to make suggestions

4. Empathy is key to a great meeting

5. Encourage people to focus on self interest alone because when people feel restored, they’ll be able to perform the demanding tasks of figuring out and responding to what others need

[S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This marks the last book of the best ideas in Emotional Intelligence as curated by Harvard Business Review. The collection was a good reminder to anything that we associate with "soft skills" although it went beyond it to explain management and organizations tools that draw there strength or are weakened by "emotions"....
At the end of the day, moderation is key in either relying on it for you management style or not....

[B. Han Varli · Rating 3 out of 5]

ağır bilişsel görevler (bir dolu bilgiyi aynı anda akılda tutmak veya kalabalık ve yoğun bir ortamda konsantrasyonu korumaya çalışmak vs.) gibi empati kurma çabası da zihinsel kaynaklarımızı tüketir. sürekli empati gerektiren işler, "merhamet yorgunluğu" denen duruma yol açar. kişi, stres ve tükenmişlik nedeniyle artık empati gösteremez hale gelir. bu durum yavaş yavaş, aşama aşama gelişir ve sonunda kronikleşir

harvard business review'in duygusal zeka serisi'nin üçüncü kitabı empati, on bölümden oluşuyor. empati nedir, şefkat neden sertlikten daha iyi bir yöntemdir, iyi dinleyiciler aslında ne yapar, empati başarılı toplantının anahtarıdır, aynı yoldan geçmiş olmak empatiyi zorlaştırıyor, güç empati becerisini köreltir, empatik ürün tasarım süreci, facebook kullanıcı verilerini korurken empatiden nasıl yararlanıyor, empatinin sınırı, dalay lama daniel goleman'a duygusal zeka konusunda neler öğretti... gibi bölümleri var.

kendini başkasının yerine koymak gibi kısa bir tanım empatinin ne olduğunu kısmen anlatıyor olsa da günlük hayat pratikleri içerisinde empatinin izini sürmek benim açımdan etkileyiciydi.



bilirsiniz, şirketlerin insan kaynakları departmanları, karakter analizleri gibi prosedürler ile çalışanlara dair raporlar hazırlar... size bir dizi soru sorarlar ve güçlü, zayıf yönlerinizi ortaya çıkarırlar. zannediyorum geçen seneydi, çalıştığım şirket alanında uzman biri ile anlaşmış, sıradan testlerden daha farklı olarak çok kapsamlı bir test ile beni karşı karşıya bırakmıştı. çözmesi iki saati alıyordu ve sinir bozucu sorularla doluydu. bazı sorular karşısında dakikalarca düşünüyordum ve gerçekten eziyete dönüşmüştü benim için.

iki buçuk saatlik testin sonunda bir mail geldi, testi tekrar çözmemi rica ediyorlardı, yeterince veriye erişememişlerdi. oturdum bu kez daha az zaman ayırmaya yemin ederek hızlı hızlı testi çözdüm, tekrar aynı mail geldi. karakterimi analiz edemiyorlardı. arkadaşlarım tövbe est yoksa karakterin mi yok gibi şakalar yapıyordu ama gerçekten sinirlerim bozulmuştu. testi tekrar iki saat gibi bir süre harcayarak çözdüm. ardından bir mail almadım, ilgili uzman bana bir toplantı attı, biraz utanarak biraz da merak ederek toplantıya katıldım.

uzman, testi defalarca çözmemin mükemmelliyetçi bir karaktere sahip olmamla ilişkili olduğunu anlattı, ona göre çok tutarlıydım ama bu durum karakter saptama konusunda testi yanıltıyordu. yaklaşık bir saat boyunca konuştuk, iki sayfa not aldım tespitlerine dair. bana, bendeki en büyük eksikliğin empati olduğunu söylemişti. birkaç örnek verdi, bazı sorulara verdiğim cevapların keskinliğinden bahsetti. teknik ağırlıklı bir kariyerde devam edeceksem empati yoksunu olmamın iyi bile olacağını, ama şimdiden güçlü bir potansiyele sahip gibi görünen yönetici karakterimi pekiştirmek istiyorsam bir noktada bunu çözmemi tavsiye etti.

çok şaşırmıştım. aslında fena arkadaş değilimdir dediğimi hatırlıyorum. ardından bu kitabı aldığımı hatırlıyorum.

şimdi bu derleme ile birlikte, yaklaşık 150 sayfa boyunca empatiye dair detaylar okudum. benim için ufuk açan bölüm kesinlikle empatinin sınırları bölümü oldu. ben empati yapmaktan yorulan bir karakterdim, hatta bıkmıştım. neden bıktığımı, nasıl empati yapmayı yöneteceğimi öğrendiğim enteresan bir kırılma yarattı bende.

geri kalan bölümler sıradan bölümlerdi, dolayısıyla kitap tek başına müthiş olmasa da kısmen iyi bir kitap diyebilirim.

size ufak bir sır vereyim, sürekli tahmin yürütmektense, insanlarla konuşmak empatiden çok daha başarılı bir yöntem bence.

[Karla Jaime G-R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro está buenísimo para entender de que la empatía va más allá de la famosa frase “ponte en mi zapatos”. Es breve, directo, viene con ejemplos. Solo le faltan dibujitos jajaja lo explican súper bien y si estás liderando un equipo o te cuesta trabajo entender a tus compañeros o personas en general, este libro puede ser de gran ayuda.

Realmente pienso que debería ser como el “Coquito” de las relaciones humanas. Porque así como nos enseñan a escribir nos deberían a enseñar sobre la inteligencia emocional desde el colegio y nuestros hogares. 😪 Pero tal vez ese ya sea un tema más complejo de tratar, por ahora solo queda recomendar con todo mi corazón este breve libro de bolsillo, disponible también en español. 📘🙌

[Elif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Belirtmek lazım ki bu kitabın ilk bölümü aslında Duygusal zeka ve liderlik kitabında anlatılan neredeyse her şeyi içeriyor.
Kendim için hazırladığım özet;

Bilişsel empati; başkasının bakış açısını anlamak ve bunu yapmak için o kişiler hakkında kafa yorması.
Duygusal empati; başkasının hissettiğini hissetmek mentorluk konusunda yardımcı olur ama önce kendi duygularını anlamalısın.
Empatik ilgi; başkasının sizden beklentisini sezme ve kişisel sıkıntıları başkalarının acıları karşısında duyarsızlaşmadan yönetmek. Örnek olarak insanlara yardım etmek için aramıza mesafe koymak (doktor)

Çalışanın yöneticisine güveni arttıkça performansı da yükselir. Bir başkasının hatalarına öfkeyle yaklaşma bu güvensizlik ve stres ortamı yaratır. Sakin ol, kendini karşıdakinin yerine koy, bağışlayıcı ol.

İyi dinleyicinin özellikleri: söz kesmemek, yüz ve sözlü ifadeler, denilenleri aynen tekrar edebilmek. İyi dinleyici olmak için arada soru sorarak konuşmayı ilerletmek gerekir. Sohbet işbirliği içinde ilerlemeli, tek taraflı olmamalı. Aralarda tavsiye ve önerilerde bulunulmalı. Güvenli bir ortamda iletişim olmalı, uygun göz teması kurulmalı, söylenilenlerin özünü anlamalı, beden dilini gözlemlemeli, eleştirel olmaktan kaçınılmalı, sorular yöneltip yeni bakış açıları geliştirilmeli ve kendini sohbetin ana konusu haline getirmemeli. Özne her zaman dinlenilen kişi!

Olumlu duygular gibi olumsuzlar da bulaşıcıdır özellikle de liderlerin duyguları bulaşıcı.

Aynı sıkıntıyı yaşamış kişiler genel yargının aslına size empati beslemekten uzaktır. İnsanlar zorlu deneyimlerini doğru hatırlamada başarılı değildir, yaşadıklarını hafife almaya eğilimlidir buna empati boşluğu denir. Bu yüzden aynı durumu yaşayanların bunu atlatabileceği algısına kapılırlar. Karşıdakinin sıkıntısına odaklanmak ve aynı sıkıntıyla uğraşan başkalarının da olduğunu kendine hatırlatmalıdır.
Geçmişteki zorluklarını unutmasan da kararlarını her zaman geçmişe yönelik almamalısın.

Geribildirim almaktan korkma ne pozisyonda olursan ol! Geribildirimi tek bir yerden alma!

Empati kurma çabası zihinsel kaynakları tüketir. Merhamet yorgunluğu bunun sonucunda oluşur ve artık empati gösteremez hale gelir (hemşireler). İlk belirti başkasına yardım edebilmek için kendi ihtiyaçlarından vazgeçme. Empati sadece enerji ve bilişsel kaynakları tüketmez aynı zamanda kendi kendini de tüketir. Bir kişiye gösterdiğin empati arttığında diğerine gösterdiğin empati azalır.

Empati etik değerler üzerinde olumsuz etki yapabilir. Başkasının yararı diye hile yapmaya itebilir. Başkası için yalan söyleme, hırsızlık yapma. Kolektivizmin yaygın olduğu ülkelerde bu daha yaygın. Aidiyet duygusu ve üyelerin birbirine bağımlılığı.

Empatinin aşırısını dizginlemek için işi bölüştür, daha az fedakarlık iste, insanlara nefes alma imkanı ver. Başkalarının neler yaşadığını tahmin etmek yerine onlarla iletişim kur.

Dalay Lama'dan şefkat dersleri son bölüm. Şefkat duygusu empatiyi bir adım ileri taşır ve başkasının sıkıntısını içimizde hissetmemize yol açar ve sonucunda o kişiye yardım etmek isteriz. İnsan kendine de şefkat gösterebilir, empati karşıya yapılan bir şeydir.

[Kipi (the academic stitcher) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very quick read with good thoughts on what empathy is, how we can increase our level of empathy for others, and how important empathy is for leaders in all types of organizations. The content in each of the chapters was adapted from content previously published by Harvard Business Review on their website (hbr.org), so regular readers of their site may not find much original information here. For my purposes in using the book with my students, the first six chapters (What is Empathy?, Why Compassion is a Better Managerial Tactic Than Toughness, What Great Listeners Actually Do, Empathy is Key to a Great Meeting, It's Harder to Empathize with People if You've Been in Their Shoes, and Becoming Powerful Makes You Less Empathetic) will be especially helpful. The chapters that deal specifically with business won't be as useful, but others who are organizational leaders will likely find these chapters to be helpful. One concept that I want to explore more thoroughly is found in Chapter 9, and that is the idea that empathy is zero-sum. According to the author, we only have so much, and when we are tapped out in a given situation or relationship, we have none to give in another. This may not be a new concept to others, but I've never thought of empathy in that light before. Emotional energy, yes. Empathy, no. Just one interesting thought I'll take away from this little book.

[Firat Fidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duygusal Zeka Serisinin en son kitabı olan Empati’de de yine birbirinden güzel akademik makaleler mevcut. İş dünyasında duygularımızın aslında ne kadar önemli olduğunu, zorlandığımız durumlarda empati yeteneğimizi kullanarak bu krizlerden nasıl çıkabileceğimizi ve empati yeteneğimizi nasıl geliştirebileceğimizi bize anlatan bu makalelerde mutlu olmaktan ziyade mutlu kalmanın önemine daha çok değiniliyor. İnsanda bulunması gereken üç empati yeteneğini (cognitive - seni anlıyorum, emotional - senin gibi hissediyorum ve empathetic concern - neye ihtiyacın olduğunu biliyorum…) detaylıca anlatmış. Yine kütüphanenizde bulunması gereken bir HBR yayını.

[Hoora · Rating 5 out of 5]

کتاب لذت‌بخشی بود. از لحظه‌ای که کتاب به دستم رسید تا تموم شدنش حتی یکبار هم ازش چشم بر نداشتم.
به نظرم کتاب مفیدیه برای تمامی افراد در تمامی سطوح نه تنها مدیران.
ترجمه کتاب به فارسی جاهایی مشکل داره و خیلی روان نیست ولی همچنان خوندن کتاب با همین ترجمه به نخوندنش ارجحیت داره از نظر من

[أبو فاطمة 14 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some articles are excellent & few seemed superficially related
In general they aproach empathy as a tool or leadership skill to increase productivity, not as a virtue

[Kelly Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it up for work - great read (and short) and great take aways

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many rich and enlightening articles in this little book.

[Shaunik Khosla · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a collection of well sourced academic articles on empathy and it’s application in management. Adam Waytz’s “limits of empathy” gives an interesting perspective to the the subject.

[ssherylc · Rating 3 out of 5]

the concepts surrounding empathy and its compounding effects in terms of business, leadership, team management were certainly thought provoking, however given the size of the book, they were, in my opinion, insufficiently explored ?

but i guess, as its primary purpose WAS to be of something more tuned towards research and academia, it was a slightly dry read?? BUT IT WAS SHORT SO IT WAS STILL FINE HAHAHA. oh but lowkey it did have several rather interesting case studies throughout.

solid 3.5

[Daniel Ottenwalder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empathy isn’t softness.
It’s a force multiplier for leadership.

When you use it well, you get better information, stronger relationships, and clearer decisions. People tell you the truth, they stay loyal, and they follow you because they trust you not because they fear you.

But empathy only works when paired with boundaries and self-management.
Unmanaged empathy leads to fatigue, insider bias, and distorted fairness.
Managed empathy creates clarity and alignment.

True compassion = understanding + action.
You listen, interpret, and then take steps that serve the long-term mission, not short-term emotions.

Power makes empathy harder, so you have to deliberately protect yourself from ego traps and isolation. Keep people around you who tell you the truth, ask questions that challenge you, and keep you grounded.

The skill:
Stay curious, stay connected, stay long-term.
Hold people to a high standard without disrespect.
Empathy gives you the information you need to do this.

The principle:
Compassion strengthens performance.
Anger corrodes loyalty.
Curiosity creates alignment.

The takeaway:
Use empathy to understand what people need.
Use boundaries to protect clarity.
Use long-term vision to guide action.

This combination turns empathy from a feeling into a leadership advantage.

Extended notes:

1. What Empathy Actually Is

Emotional intelligence has three pillars:
self awareness, focus on others, and the ability to build strong relationships.

There are three types of empathy:
cognitive empathy, which is understanding how someone else sees a situation.
emotional empathy, which is feeling what they feel.
empathic concern, which is knowing what they actually need from you.

⸻

2. Why Compassion Works Better Than Toughness

When someone is underperforming, compassion makes accountability easier, not harder.
It becomes a conversation about improvement rather than a fight over blame.
Curiosity creates progress, anger shuts people down.
Compassion builds trust and loyalty, while anger pushes people away.
People usually return whatever energy you bring into the room.

How to be more compassionate:
pause before reacting so emotion does not leak into the conversation.
step into their perspective, even briefly, because you may notice something you missed.
forgive when possible because forgiveness builds trust and opens space for creativity.

⸻

3. What Great Listeners Actually Do

Real listening is not staying quiet.
It is helping the other person think more clearly.
Good questions lead people to discover their own assumptions.
Great listening raises the other person’s confidence and creates a sense of safety.
Feedback moves more smoothly when someone feels understood.
Good listeners make others’ ideas better and stronger, instead of replacing them with their own.

⸻

4. Empathy’s Role in Great Meetings

Empathy improves agendas, pacing, and the overall quality of decisions.
Self management allows you to read the room and understand the emotional dynamics.
You need to control your own emotional signals so you can guide the team.
Avoid using your personal history as the standard for others.
People have different emotional and cognitive resources.
Saying “I went through this, so you should too” kills trust.

⸻

5. Why Success Makes Empathy Harder

People who have succeeded often forget what struggling actually feels like.
This creates an empathy gap.
If you have survived something difficult, you may overestimate how capable others are of doing the same.
This leads to impatience, misjudgment, and unfair expectations.
The insight here is that empathy should increase when someone has less experience, not decrease.

⸻

6. How Power Reduces Empathy

Power naturally creates distance.
You hear less honest feedback and people soften their words.
You begin to believe your own narrative.
Without safeguards, empathy declines without you noticing.

Safeguards that matter:
an executive coach or mentor who tells you the truth.
real feedback from people who are not trying to impress you.
regular questions that check your blind spots.
examples: am I walking the talk, am I avoiding hard conversations, am I isolating myself in decision making, am I surrounding myself only with people who agree with me.

⸻

7. Empathetic Product Design

The shift is from focusing on technology to focusing on people.

The process:
study people until you understand their behaviors and what drives them.
synthesize the patterns into a clear insight.
write a simple summary of what is really happening.
ask why repeatedly to uncover motives and constraints.
turn the insight into a clear value proposition.
iterate constantly and test whether the value is real.

⸻

8. How Facebook Uses Empathy for Safety

Set goals that come directly from users, not internal assumptions.
Study real usage through surveys, interviews, and observation.
Avoid assuming you already know the answer.
Use cross functional teams to see risks from multiple angles.
Focus on outcomes rather than inputs or activity.

⸻

9. The Limits of Empathy

Empathy drains mental energy and eventually causes compassion fatigue.
Excess empathy toward insiders creates ethical blind spots.
You end up protecting your circle instead of protecting fairness.

Ways to manage the limits:
share the emotional load across teams.
look for solutions where no one loses face instead of forcing a sacrifice.
take breaks when needed because energy is part of the skill.

⸻

10. What the Dalai Lama Taught Daniel Goleman

Compassion is the difference between understanding and taking action.
You can only care for others effectively if you take care of yourself first.
Expand compassion outward: first yourself, then people close to you, then acquaintances, then the wider world.
Think long term. Ask what is slowing down your own development and what you can change today.
Take wisdom from everywhere.

[Devin Ambron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compassion centered workplaces are on the rise. Are you ready to anticipate the needs of your team?

Three types: Cognitive Empathy (I understand you), Emotional Empathy (I feel you) and Empathetic Concern (I know what you need).

Almost no one is trained in Empathetic Concern. The ability for someone to sense how you feel and what you need from them.

[Pyramids Ubiquitous · Rating 3 out of 5]

mostly useful snippets of articles relating to empathy in the workplace. there are a few instances of shameless advertising here, but the book does give an overview of the power of empathy in a leader. this is more a springboard into further reading than anything else, but does provide enough insight to hold out on its own.

[Christopher Pokorny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short collection of HBR writings on Empathy. Part of the “How to be a human: Emotional Intelligence” series. A short reader to give you insights on the topics they address. Helpful for the workplace, which can be so industrial to the detriment of the vital human resource!

[cypher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something to definitely remember, because the concept of empathy takes a more defined dimension: there are 3 classified types of empathy, it’s not just one concept in business literature. We have:
Cognitive Empathy (understanding another person’s perspective - so, the one most of us confuse with all-empathy :D ), Emotional Empathy (the ability to feel what someone else feels - so, the one we also had as the previous one, because we just assumed empathy means caring), and Empathic Concern (the ability to sense what another person needs from you - so, this is what you call someone that is smart, that understands you, but is missing the other 2 categories of empathy, which were the ones most of us thought were actual-empathy, so, I guess, this 3rd thing is not it, THE-empathy, but it's important for business-empathy) …but sure, let’s continue with the book:
“Cognitive empathy enables leaders to express themselves in meaningful ways to reports” - ok, got it! This book is not really-really empathetic in nature.
“Cognitive empathy requires leaders to think about feelings, not actually feel them” - great, so they can stay detached. Exactly what we want our empathetic leaders to be (business-pun intended).

From this book, I honestly felt the “scientific” approach to empathy (all this dissecting and patterning) was just making things seems even more cold-hearted. The (Harvard) business (Review) approach.

they can “fake it until they make it”, they say.

next: show compassion to get better results. ...because you really care…about…hopefully the employee’s financial and emotional welfare, not just your personal leader’s metrics.
…but, wait: “if you are more compassionate, (…) your employee will be more loyal to you” - such a tempting incentive…

next: forgive for _you_ to feel better. …yes, you should come first, always…you are a leader and have people depending on you? wait, should you care about others first? for real? nooo.

…at this point in the book I understood clearly, with this approach, I can’t help being sarcastic, this is just too cold for me to accept calling it _empathy_. Maybe if I say the word many more times it becomes the real deal...

More of “greatest” hits:
“Empathy allows you to read people: whom is supporting whom, (…) where is the resistance?”

“Sometimes the supporters are not supporters at all, they are smart, sneaky, idea killers” - so empathetically put (for the business).

“Power is very important (…) learning to read how the flow of power is moving and shifting can help you lead the meeting, and everything else” - …I thought this was about empathy…ok, we call it “empathy”. Let’s ask google to add this as a synonym to _power_, _control_ and _dominance_, and it will be ok.

“Empathy will help you understand how people are responding to _you_, as a leader” - yes, teach me to be “empathetic”.

“[if you are not empathetic] you will look like a fool” - I don’t want that, yes, I wish to have more “emotional _intelligence_” than that.

Chapter 7 - let me sell you my business (calling something “empathetic research” makes it be with that empathy thing, I promise)

Chapter 8 - “how Facebook uses empathy to keep user data safe” (I’m getting the popcorn, because this sounds like fiction…ok, they mention “consumer driven goals”, which means if they fail they loose users, ok, this is more real-reality)

CONCLUSION: business empathy is a different type of empathy, it’s “empathy”.
…oh, and i would call “preferential empathy” bias, yes, i would name it bias.

This is a good for business (unempathetic) book about empathy. The title makes it hypocritical, and I do not like that.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puntos clave del libro:

1. Qué es la empatía y por qué es importante
La empatía es la capacidad de ponerse en el lugar de los demás para comprender sus emociones y perspectivas.
En el trabajo, la empatía es esencial para construir relaciones sólidas, mejorar la comunicación, y fomentar un entorno colaborativo.
Líderes empáticos son más efectivos porque generan confianza, motivan a sus equipos y manejan conflictos de manera constructiva.

2. Los tres tipos de empatía
Empatía cognitiva: Comprender cómo alguien piensa y cómo interpreta el mundo.
Empatía emocional: Percibir y compartir las emociones de los demás.
Empatía compasiva: No solo entender y sentir, sino también actuar para aliviar el sufrimiento o apoyar a alguien.

3. Beneficios de la empatía en el entorno laboral
Mejora la colaboración en equipo.
Aumenta la creatividad y la innovación al valorar diferentes perspectivas.
Reduce la rotación de personal al fortalecer las relaciones interpersonales.
Potencia la toma de decisiones al considerar los efectos en las personas involucradas.

4. Cómo desarrollar la empatía
Escucha activa: Prestar atención total a lo que dice la otra persona, sin interrupciones ni juicios.
Hacer preguntas: Mostrar interés genuino en las experiencias y emociones de los demás.
Practicar la autoconciencia: Entender tus propias emociones para manejar mejor tus respuestas.
Exposición a la diversidad: Relacionarte con personas de diferentes antecedentes para ampliar tu perspectiva.

5. Obstáculos para la empatía
El estrés y la presión del tiempo pueden dificultar la capacidad de ser empático.
Los prejuicios y estereotipos también limitan la conexión con los demás.
Una cultura laboral competitiva puede desincentivar las relaciones empáticas.

6. Empatía como herramienta de liderazgo
Los líderes empáticos inspiran confianza y lealtad en sus equipos.
La empatía facilita el manejo del cambio organizacional, al abordar las preocupaciones y resistencias de las personas.

Conclusión
El libro enfatiza que la empatía no es solo una habilidad interpersonal, sino una ventaja estratégica en cualquier entorno profesional. Al cultivar la empatía, las personas y las organizaciones pueden construir relaciones más sólidas, promover el bienestar y alcanzar metas comunes de manera más efectiva.

Este enfoque práctico y basado en investigaciones hace que el libro sea una lectura esencial para cualquier profesional, incluyendo médicos que buscan fortalecer la relación con sus pacientes y colegas.

[Dr. Tathagat Varma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The old golden rule says to treat people the way you would like to be treated. Of course, that is so wrong at several levels. First, it treats the other person as insignificant or non-existent. So, whether you are dealing with an animate object, an animate object, a colleague, a child, or a stranger, it doesn't matter because you don't even recognize them in the equation! Secondly, it is all about "me, me, me!" The desire to be treated in a certain way - come what may - appears to be self-centered. Thirdly, how can someone unknown to you know how you want to be treated? And finally, what if you believe you want to be treated as royalty at all times? Net net, the idea of treating people using self as the reference point, seems misplaced. So, we got the upgrade of it - treat people how they would like to be treated. Now, that makes much more sense. Everyone must be respected for who they are in their context, not in someone else's context. However, this is much harder, for we must undertake serious and significant efforts to learn about the other person, lest we allow our mindsets and prejudices to overshadow our perceptions and cloud our judgments. So we need to develop empathy about others so that we know them at a fundamental level and are willing to accept them unconditionally. The key is to discern the context without applying any judgment, especially one that our context might influence. Sounds easy, right! But most people don't quite know how to practice it.

#Empathy is a hot topic these days. Everyone claims they are practicing or undertaking efforts to improve empathy, be it for customers, employees, or society. Most people incorrectly assume they know enough about what empathy means! However, most people don't fully understand what it really means to be empathetic. This audiobook does a great job of discussing some issues around this vastly misunderstood topic.

And as this book discusses, perhaps even empathy might not be enough in some situations, and we may need to develop#compassion to address them.

[Jimmy Bedoya-Ramírez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una mirada estratégica sobre la empatía como competencia clave del liderazgo contemporáneo.

Sinopsis:
En Empatía, reúne artículos esenciales de Harvard Business Review que analizan la empatía no como un rasgo blando, sino como una capacidad estratégica para liderar, influir y tomar mejores decisiones. A partir de investigaciones en psicología organizacional, neurociencia y gestión, el libro muestra cómo la comprensión genuina de las personas mejora la comunicación, reduce conflictos y fortalece la cultura organizacional, especialmente en contextos de cambio y presión.

Mis impresiones:
Este libro desmonta la falsa dicotomía entre empatía y exigencia. HBR presenta la empatía como una habilidad que potencia el desempeño, la confianza y la cohesión de los equipos. No se trata de “ser complaciente”, sino de comprender motivaciones, emociones y contextos para actuar con mayor inteligencia relacional.
La lectura es clara, rigurosa y aplicable. Resulta especialmente útil para líderes que deben gestionar diversidad, tensiones internas o decisiones difíciles, demostrando que la empatía bien entendida no debilita la autoridad, sino que la legitima.

Lo mejor:
• Enfoque basado en evidencia y casos reales.
• Claridad al vincular empatía con resultados, innovación y retención de talento.
• Herramientas prácticas para mejorar comunicación y liderazgo.
• Equilibrio entre sensibilidad humana y exigencia organizacional.

¿Y los peros?
No es un libro inspiracional ni emocional en exceso; exige reflexión para trasladar los conceptos a la práctica diaria. Sin embargo, esa sobriedad es su mayor fortaleza: convierte la empatía en una competencia profesional medible y entrenable.

Recomendado:
✔ Para líderes y directivos que gestionan personas y equipos diversos.
✔ Para organizaciones que buscan fortalecer su cultura y legitimidad interna.
✔ Para quienes entienden que liderar personas exige comprenderlas antes de dirigirlas.

[Rooba GunaSingh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers what empathy is, the different types of empathy, why empathy is needed, its role in workplaces, how it helps to build trust, loyalty and relationships with your stakeholders, what empathic fatigue is, and why compassion can be more important than empathy.
People who believe they possess high EQ should read this book. One important point I strongly agree with and personally relate to is that when empathy is consistently channelled toward the outer circle, there is little or nothing left to give to one’s own family. I’ve witnessed this in real life. Those who are highly empathetic outwardly often struggle to be emotionally available at home.
This raises an important question: how do we balance empathy? The book makes a convincing case for choosing compassion over empathy, especially to prevent burnout and emotional imbalance.

That said, if you already know the quick summary of these concepts, this book may not add much new information. It’s a quick-read type of book overall.

[Henrique Vogado · Rating 3 out of 5]

O que dizer da Empatia? Uma qualidade/capacidade cognitiva ou que se trabalha?
Mais um bom livro da coleção Inteligência Emocional da HBR.
Gostei dos capítulos, mas com 2 apontamentos que não gostei - a repetição de um capítulo "O que os Bons ouvintes realmente fazem" que já tinha lido noutro livro e o capítulo "Como o Facebook põe a empatia ao serviço da segurança" que parece mais um conteúdo pago a publicitar o serviço dessa Rede Social".
Gostei dos "Limites da Empatia" e gostei especialmente do exemplo no "Liderar com compaixão é mais eficaz do que liderar com severidade" que mostra muito bem a melhor forma de captar a confiança dos estagiários e de quem começa uma carreira. Vale a pena ler.
São 3*** devido aos 2 capítulos referidos que não gostei.

[Marco Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro que recaba muchos artículos de hbr pero lo que me llevó l definición de la empatía: empatía cognitiva, empatía emocional e interés empatico.

La compasión como estrategia de gestión, es decir, tomarse un tiempo para entender y formular respuesta en frío

Los grandes escuchadores hacen preguntas además de asentir y confirmar


Empatizar con la gente es más difícil si has estado en su lugar dado que lo mides como tú lo superaste

Convertirse en poderoso te hace menos empatico dado que tu ego crece

La empatía es agotadora dado que te roba energía, cuidado

Más allá de la empatía está la compasión, pasas de entender a ejecutar

[Prashanth Nuggehalli Srinivas · Rating 2 out of 5]

By framing empathy as a good tactical choice where apparently manifesting it in workplace in certain well-defined ways could result in an outcome of improved trust and teamwork seems to be an underlying driver of this book. Although based on extensive and possibly high-quality research in organisational psychology at Western, high income country corporate workplaces, the book appears much more about how to give an appearance of empathy rather than an intellectual journey into the biopsychosocial origins of empathy.

[Deepak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief read with succinct scholarly articles focused on Empathy. The new learning for me is to know about people who have endured challenges in the past is less likely to show compassion for others facing similar challenges. This book also renders a sense of how we should avoid seeking compassion from the people who least likely to provide it. The most exciting read is knowing the limitation of empathy such as compassion fatigue, empathy depletion and lapses in ethical judgement because of discrepancy in empathy towards the people we know and outsiders.

[Sandeep Gautam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of articles around the theme of empathy. Some articles were pretty good while some others left a lot to be desired.

Very short read so no harm in checking out and reading articles that resonate with you - I particularly liked the ones by Emma Seppla (one empathy vs toughness in work settings) , Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman (on listening well), and Jon Kolko (on empathetic product design).

[Bruna Demichei · Rating 3 out of 5]

o livro é literalmente, um monte de artigos sobre empatia. é bem teórico e fala bastante sobre pesquisas. sem dúvidas, a melhor parte foi quando em um dos artigos e pesquisas, é comprovado que é mais difícil ser empático com alguém, se já passamos pela mesma situação. no início fiquei meio confusa, mas depois fez muito sentido e fiquei refletindo sobre isso. fora que é uma leitura super rápida! 3.0🌟

[Evaggelia Bakovasili · Rating 3 out of 5]

Πολύ βοηθητικό βιβλίο, που αξίζει να το διαβάσει ο καθένας. Πραγματεύεται το θέμα της ενσυναίσθησης, ενός συναισθήματος, ή καλύτερα μιας συναισθηματικής ταύτισης που στις μέρες μας φαίνεται να λείπει όλο και περισσότερο από τους ανθρώπους. Είναι και θα είναι διαχρονικό και μπορεί κάποιος να ανατρέξει σε αυτό, όσες φορές χρειάζεται, αφου βοηθάει να κατανοηθούν τόσο οι προσωπικές, όσο και οι εργασιακές σχέσεις μεταξύ των ανθρώπων που συναναστρέφεται ο καθένας μας.