{"id":11653,"date":"2026-04-27T07:45:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T07:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=11653"},"modified":"2026-04-27T07:45:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T07:45:29","slug":"9-tips-for-managing-with-empathy-from-a-neuroscientist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=11653","title":{"rendered":"9 tips for managing with empathy from a neuroscientist"},"content":{"rendered":"


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<\/p>\n

Managing people is about helping people tap into underutilized reserves and overlooked skills that are indigenous to them, not fixing their habits. <\/p>\n

The people you manage naturally look to you for answers. They might even ask you to tell them what to do, which creates two major problems:<\/p>\n

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  1. If you tell them what to do, and even if you\u2019re right, they won\u2019t learn anything.<\/li>\n
  2. If you give clear instructions regarding what to do and things still go wrong, they more than likely will blame you for the resulting mess.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This kind of dynamic quietly creates an unhealthy dependency where the employee begins to look to you not just for guidance, but for approval. Anyone who relies on you for everything doesn\u2019t make you a better manager or manager; it limits both their development and yours. That\u2019s why boundaries are not optional\u2014they\u2019re essential. <\/p>\n

    Managing with true empathy means supporting without enabling, guiding without taking over.<\/p>\n

    GENERAL DOS AND DON\u2019TS FOR PRACTICING EMPATHY<\/h2>\n

    What You Should Do<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Start by looking inward to understand how you show up for every conversation. <\/p>\n

    Practicing self-awareness involves observing our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without judgment. This can be challenging, as we often become so caught up in the moment that we fail to notice our internal state. However, by regularly taking a step back and observing ourselves, we can begin to identify patterns and triggers that influence our behavior. <\/p>\n

    Once we become more aware of our emotions and beliefs, we can start to take steps to manage them in a more client-centered way. This may involve challenging our negative thoughts, practicing relaxation techniques, or seeking support from others. By developing greater self-awareness, we can become more mindful of our impact on others and create a more positive and productive environment for client success and personal growth.<\/p>\n

    Here are some tips for cultivating and practicing self-awareness:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    1. Pay attention to your physical sensations.<\/strong> What are you feeling in your body? Are you tense, relaxed, or somewhere in between?<\/li>\n
    2. Identify your emotions.<\/strong> What emotions are you experiencing? Are you feeling happy, sad, angry, or something else?<\/li>\n
    3. Observe your thoughts.<\/strong> What are you thinking about? Are your thoughts positive, negative, or neutral?<\/li>\n
    4. Consider your motivations.<\/strong> Why are you doing what you\u2019re doing? What are your goals and intentions? Reflect on your interactions with your clients and others. How are you interacting with others? Are you being respectful, kind, and supportive? If not, you have more work to do. With that said, let\u2019s consider another \u201cdo\u201d for accurate empathy.<\/li>\n
    5. Listen actively & nonjudgmentally.<\/strong> Pay close attention to what they\u2019re telling you with their words and nonverbal cues. Are you reflecting what they\u2019re saying back to them with your own insights, gestures, and facial expressions? It\u2019s ideal to take some time after fully listening to them to think about your response, so you can respond with empathy. Don\u2019t make the mistake of trying to multitask. You\u2019ll miss out on what they mean, even if you don\u2019t miss out on the words they say.<\/li>\n
    6. Build on what they\u2019re saying, so you can move toward greater understanding and connection.<\/strong> Yes, as a manager, you\u2019re supposed to help your clients based on what you know. However, what you know to be true for you or someone else might not be particularly helpful or true for another client. <\/li>\n
    7. Revisit and reflect.<\/strong> Regular introspection and reflection are critical on your journey of growth and self-actualization. If you can acknowledge that there\u2019s always room to improve, and you\u2019re willing to do the work to figure out how, then your outcomes will mirror your efforts. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      What You Shouldn\u2019t Do<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      Don\u2019t ignore or downplay your own biases.<\/strong> Be honest about where you\u2019re coming from and unpack your own baggage before you try to listen and engage in conversation. What are your personal triggers? Are there certain factors at play, like your age, race, gender, culture, personality type, or background that might be potential barriers to understanding? Some limiting beliefs are more deeply rooted than others. <\/p>\n

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      1. Don\u2019t overlook indicators of misplaced empathy.<\/strong> Empathy is about stepping into another person\u2019s experience, seeing the world through their eyes, and connecting with their feelings. Sympathy, on the other hand, means recognizing their pain from the outside and offering compassion without fully entering into their emotional space. <\/li>\n
      2. Don\u2019t assume that you\u2019ve mastered empathy and have no more work to do.<\/strong> Learning accurate empathy is a lifelong process. As we\u2019ve established, every person and situation is different. You\u2019ll also change a lot throughout your life. It might be easier to show empathy in one season of your life and more difficult in another.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        If you adopt a learning mindset and get curious about yourself and others, you\u2019ll constantly improve your ability to show accurate empathy. You can then apply these dos and don\u2019ts to work and any other life situation.<\/p>\n


        <\/strong>Excerpted\u00a0from\u00a0Leading\u00a0from\u00a0the Heart<\/a>\u00a0by Dr. D. Ivan Young, published by Post Hill Press. Available April 28, 2026, wherever books are sold.<\/em><\/p>\n


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        Managing people is about helping people tap into underutilized reserves and overlooked skills that are indigenous to them, not fixing their habits.  The people you manage naturally look to you for answers. They might even ask you to tell them what to do, which creates two major problems: If you tell them what to do,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11653","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brand-spotlights"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}