Empathy is a competitive advantage
One of the lasting images of Donald Trump’s first year as president happened when he tossed out rolls of paper towels to bewildered hurricane victims in Puerto Rico.
Whether he is trying to give comfort to hurricane victims or trying to console the widows of fallen soldiers, Trump has had difficulty displaying any sort of credible empathy.
But maybe, over time, he could learn. Susan Frost believes an appreciation of the human condition can be learned. And if it can be learned, it can be taught.
“You have to stop. And listen. We don’t listen very well in our culture,” said Frost, president of Frost Marketing Communications Inc. in De Pere. “Certainly, we’re better than that. Hopefully, it will take us into a more responsible citizenship. We’re going to have to think differently about the human condition.”
In the latest industrial revolution, “We’ve all got access to the facts. We’ve all got Siri,” Frost said.
However, organizations that are led by management teams that appreciate and understand the human condition will be better positioned to survive in a fast-paced world of artificial intelligence and automation, Frost said.
Frost has been teaching a course titled “Humanities, Business & Critical Thinking,” at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay since 2006.
I asked Frost to explain the most important business management skills developed through an appreciation of the humanities. Here’s her list. Recognize the human condition. “All organizations are human. It’s our
common bond. Looking to the humanities for answers to business and to overall success is fundamental. For all that may change in culture or in business, the human condition remains the same. The humanities and business are not separate, but inseparable from one another,” Frost said.
Appreciate the humanities biosphere. “Educational systems create knowledge silos, which transmigrate from academia to business. When departments act independently, business does not move forward. There are no barriers in a biosphere, which recognizes interdependency. Understanding how each discipline approaches problems creates teams.”
Appreciate a sense of story. “The oldest and sturdiest form of teaching and learning, stories stay with us, providing strong lessons for leadership, negotiations and management — if we ask the right questions.”
Be patient. “Critical thinking through the humanities is a process, an ongoing learning experience that is ever-evolving. Patience is fundamental to any skill development. Similar to muscle-building, once the techniques of critical thinking through the humanities are developed, it becomes easier to think beyond the obvious. It’s not a once-and-done event.”
Create dialogue. “The skills cultivated — active listening and deeper understanding — are fostered through stories and discussions. Our fast-paced world of email, Twitter and Facebook, with a computer screen mediating true communication, misses nuance and true understanding. The face-to-face act of probing literature for leadership and management principles produces non-confrontational conversations, integrated perspectives and builds teams.”
Think with vision. “Seeing beyond the obvious is what makes visionary leaders. These leaders expand the picture frame and ask muscular questions such as, ‘What do we ultimately want to
achieve?’”
Have empathy. “Often cited as missing from today’s culture, empathy positions a critical thinker to see where others are coming from. It is not feeling sorry for someone, it’s standing in their shoes. You don’t have to ‘like’ the view, you just have to ‘get’ it. Empathy is the door to expanding perspectives, to negotiating and to discovering creative solutions,” Frost said.
Steve Jagler is the business editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. C-Level stands for high-ranking executives, typically those with “chief” in their titles. Send C-Level column ideas to him at steve.jagler@journalsentinel.com.