I recently listened to an interview with Satya Sadella, CEO, Microsoft. It struck me just how insightful this leader is about the world we live in today, his vision for innovation at Microsoft and in general. And he makes the case for empathy as the source of innovation. I appreciate it too.
Innovation is a big word. It might mean new products, services, processes and whatever else comes to mind. In college athletics, innovation might relate to the way teams collaborate to bring fluidity to their play, a coach develops fresh thinking about game strategies and culture building, and the department develops and raises money for student-athlete centered facilities that bring or revitalizes a program and for that matter the entire student body.
I just finished working with a SUNY college SAAC, where competing in Division III athletics is relatively new. We spent one session on empathy and culture, and we asked, “what’s the buzz about empathy”? My answer was just listen to brilliant minds of people like Satya at Microsoft.
Empathy is that most humane quality as Satya said. At our core, we are social beings. We want to relate to people, inspire thinking and let them know we understand, respect and appreciate their ideas.
As we enter the holiday season, I urge us all to consider and honor empathy, on and off the field. Like water, it is our source to be our best.
Here are six things to think about that might make your "source" come alive:
Embrace gratitude
Be at choice to make informed decisions
Want to be curious
Want to be an inquirer not an examiner of people
Want to be our authentic selves
Want to let our peers know “we got it”
When empathy thrives, we all flourish.
Happy Thanksgiving.
