Consistency & Empathy

This is the time of year when the majority of the college and university graduates, go out into the great wide yonder and place their foot on the fist rung of their  business life. For some they will be given a role of supervising people, something they have never done before in their life.

Some courses will have done a good job of preparing them for this and some won't have even touched on it. Yet it is probably the most important skill they need to master if they wish to climb the ladder and have a happy business life.

There are thousands of books and courses out there on how to be a good boss,leader,manager or whatever title you wish to include. But very few talk about how, the perception of how you are viewed is what determines whether people will be on your side and assist you, or do whatever they can by any means to see you derail and fail. That's life.

Consistency is to have harmony of conduct or practice with profession. You can't make the rules up as you go along. What you say today has to mean the same tomorrow. Every time you ignore this rule, you lose. You lose trust and the confidence of the people who are in your care. Let me let you into a  little secret, people talk. Yes, that old ancient custom still exists, it is how people measure your abilities to lead. They talk about your consistency of action and words. Whenever your actions don't match your words, you lose.

Learn to be consistent in words and deeds. It will reward you a hundredfold in ways you can never imagine.

Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing. You have to be able to put yourself in the other persons shoes. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, only when you have walked a mile in another persons shoes, can you begin to comprehend their life. Here is something you may find surprising, you are working with people, not machines. Yes they have a job to do, but they also have a life,family,friends and feelings.

Like you, things will occur in their life, which will cause turbulence for a short time. It will put them out of sync, your ability to see this and put yourself in their shoes and empathise will be to your benefit. It does not mean that you become a soft touch. But knowing when to put your arm around someone's shoulder and say, " how can I assist " is something they don't teach at college. I am afraid it is a trial and error thing for you to find the right level that works for you. As you step up onto each rung you will become better at it.

Rather like that song which advises " wear sunscreen " learn consistency and empathy and your struggle and journey will become a little bit more likeable. You are a human being and the machines haven't taken over yet, so yes you will be working with other human beings, with their failings,foibles and feelings. Please do your best to master these two skills and your journey will be a little bit easier.

Colin Myles
Author & Listener

Author ; G.R.I.T   Spirit of an Entrepreneur
Author ; How to Avoid Business Failure
Author ; 5 Keys to Doing Business with The Right People
Author ; 67 Uplifting Quotes

P.S.
Meditate,live purely,be quiet. Do your work with mastery.
Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds ! Shine
Buddha

P.P.S.
Here is an interview I gave to Smashwords   https://www.smashwords.com/interview/...