5/7/2021 Empathic curiosity – a key success factor in leadership

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left to right: Mahesh Hivarekar, Dr. Ralf Franke , Yogesh Tripathi, Amit Singh, Ranaparatp Singh, Ankit Kumar, in front: Kapil Kumar,
Construction of 33/11kV Power Distribution, Greater Noida, Siemens AG, all rights reserved.

Empathic curiosity – a key success

factor in leadership
Ralf Franke Follow
Global EHS / HSE Head at Siemens 126 13 0

I am a medical doctor by profession, and I work as a manager in a global corporation. My

experience from an extensive career has shown me very clearly: empathy is a key competence. 
What does “empathy” mean?
In general, empathy is interpreted as a construct with two components. On the one hand,
empathy implies the emotional capability of sharing the feelings of others. On the other, it
means the cognitive ability to understand the personal experience and the emotions of others. 
Why is empathy so important for our role of leaders?
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5/7/2021 Empathic curiosity – a key success factor in leadership

As leaders, we have to fulfil two tasks: to reach our business goals, and to foster positive
relationships and satisfaction within our team members. Research shows Bergabung sekarang
that if we take Login

emotions into consideration, business decision-making as a process is improved, and the quality
of the decisions we take goes up. It also demonstrates that to take emotions into account makes
a major contribution to fostering deeper connections with each other – to strengthen our
relationships, and cope better with the challenges our jobs bring about. This does not imply,
however, that a leader needs to identify with other people’s emotions and to try and satisfy just
about anybody. Rather, he or she should aim at understanding the specific feelings of team
members, and integrate those feelings into the process when taking prudent decisions. 
Empathic curiosity – what’s behind that?
The key to grasping the subjective reality of our team members is empathic curiosity. This is
primarily a matter of attitude: it encompasses the acknowledgement that “we don’t know” as
well as the decisive “intention to comprehend”. For us, this means the manager recognizes that
he or she does not fully understand and wishes to learn more about a team member’s situational
experience – what that person is afraid of, is hoping for, or seeking. The prerequisite for
developing empathy is to acknowledge being different und to not understand, linked to the
strong desire to understand. Empathic curiosity means being curious about the thoughts and
feelings of our people as well as about the reasons for those thoughts and feelings. 
Empathic curiosity – the key question
It is not sufficient therefore to describe empathy as a situation in which a partner or person is in
a certain emotional state. It is a rather a matter of understanding comprehensively the specific
meaning of a situation to a team member.
The key question is simply, “Why?”
In a professional setting, asking “Why?” can appear to be disrespectful and combative – which is
not the attitude you may want to put across. It hints to confrontation and accusation. However,
to ask “why?” doesn’t need to be confrontational or to insinuate blame, depending on how – e.g.
in which tone – this question is asked. Used appropriately, that one word can rather open the
door into the inner world of your employee. Asking the powerful question “why?” compels
people to feel and think deeply – and to talk about the results.
How to develop a competence of empathy – changing the perspectives 
Empathy is not taught in the auditorium. It requires real interaction with real people. I myself am
probably not a natural talent in the context of empathy – it is something I had to learn.
Therefore, as a medical doctor taking on a new job in a company, I started out working for a
couple weeks in the trainee center and on the assembly line to understand the kind of work
team members did. A positive side effect is that this allowed me to learn to weld, operate lathes,
and grind. – To this day, it is important to me to be close to people. This is why, time and again, I
take out time and visit construction sites and speak with the workers.
The secret of success – if there is one – is the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes,
and to consider things from his or her point of view as well as your own.
Henry Ford

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5/7/2021 Empathic curiosity – a key success factor in leadership

Let me assure you: in order to understand others, it is helpful to immerse oneself in their worlds
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and foster understanding for their situations by way of one’s own experience. sekarang
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shadowing will support this just as a few days‘ worth of volunteering e.g. in . shelters for the
homeless, at a hospice, or a women’s refuge.
This requires a bit of courage – but it is worth it. Stay curious!
Here is a very interesting video: Nurturing empathic curiosity for better leadership
Jodi Halpern of the University of California at Berkeley comes from a medical background and
sports extensive clinical experience. She has spent many years researching empathic curiosity. In
this video, she explains to a broader business audience how empathic curiosity can help in key
areas of leadership.

Diterbitkan oleh
Ralf Franke Ikuti
Global EHS / HSE Head at Siemens

#EHS #HSE #teamsiemens #OneWorldOneLifeWecare #Leadership #Empathy #empathiccuriosity #leader

13 komentar

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Kathy Robinson 3 bln

Health Management Officer at Siemens plc

I completely agree. Thanks for sharing Ralf. Understanding individuals and what
support they need in the workplace is key to business success. These skills should no
longer be seen as 'fluffy' but essential to the continual development of both individuals
and organisations.
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Almuth Siegl 2 thn

Entrepreneur | Environment- and Equity Warrior | Tech Enthusiast | Mentor | Fundraising
Specialist for Sustainable Companies and Projects from Research Institutes | Angel Investor

Very well written article Ralf Franke Have a wonderful day 🙋♀

Suka Balas

Pia Shields 2 thn

On maternity leave

Great and honest article. We are not working with job titles, we are working with

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5/7/2021 Empathic curiosity – a key success factor in leadership

people. We spend so many hours per day with our colleagues. It is so important to
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know your team and earn their trust and Empathy is the key to that. sekarang Login

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Joel Arellano 2 thn

Experienced Project and Service Technical Specialist, delivering high-value projects Fire Safety
and Security System.

I like those purple colored hard hats.

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Gerald A. Krug-Strasshofer 2 thn

Managing Director bei NPG, Advisory Board Member

I just can say: BeXellent. BeCause you can. 😉🚀😉 And next program starts in
October...www.bexellent.at
Suka Balas 1 Suka

Sandip Maitra 2 thn

Head of Business Unit EHS in Siemens Ltd. Mobility India. #Moving beyond..
#passionformobility

Obviously!
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Sarbajit Das 2 thn

Senior Engineer HSE at Toyo Engineering Corporation

Very true sir.

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