Empathy is a skill, not a superpower.
Empathy is at the core of our teaching as educators, but far too often we hear it referred to as a superpower.
This is yet another myth about empathy that we have to bust.
When we talk about something as a superpower, the connotation is that it is something only special (literally superhuman) people can achieve.
You don’t have to be Thor or Wonder Woman to have empathy, but it is a skill you have to practice.
In our book, we argue that “Empathy matters because it is the sun around which the solar system of relating to others revolves, and it’s important to understand that empathy is a skill you can develop and not an innate superpower a select few have because empathy always asks: how can we ask more questions and how can we make fewer assumptions?”
Learning how to ask more questions and operate on fewer assumptions is hard work, it is a serious skill, but it’s not something we should frame as unachievable.
Empathy means trying to understand all the things that make up the person in front of you – to help you understand who they are, how they act, and why they make the decisions they make.
It can be awkward, and uncomfortable, and definitely requires growth. But empathy is not a superpower.
Empathy is something we all need to work on, not only to be better managers, colleagues, and employees, but to be better humans.
Learn more about our work HERE.
