Empathy, the key to success
The mental and emotional identification of one person with the mood of another, that is, the ability of one person to put himself in the place of the other is the characteristic of empathy, the key to success, a complex skill that a child must learn to become a good leader. This skill, well used, allows to become a good professional and succeed in life.
The importance of empathy in education
Parents are usually concerned about the academic grades of their children. However, sometimes all of these are secondary issues in the formation of children when we talk about success. There are other more important skills that will determine that a child triumphs from the earliest ages like empathy.
That is why, sometimes, empathy will be more important than other purely academic aspects such as languages. Thus, emotional intelligence, key in empathy, will have to be taken into account when predicting the success of a person personally and professionally. To this day, and in the near future, the fact of working with people "side by side" means that The ability to organize, work in teams and leadership are a fundamental requirement in the workers, and empathy will be the key to achieve it.
The beginnings of empathy as a social program for troubled children
The program Roots of Empathy carried out by Mary Gordon (Toronto, Canada 1996) introduced a social change in schools carried out by families, education professionals and society. This program, mainly aimed at students in conflict, tried to "reduce levels of violence and student aggression and promote social behaviors that increase levels of empathy," as explained by its foundation.Roots of Empathy'.
The methodology focuses on working in each classroom of students with a baby. The lack of verbal interaction of these (they do not articulate a word) forces the students to learn to identify the baby's feelings. Only with a careful observation and the sincere attempt to understand what really happens to the baby (if he is happy, sad or why he cries) children learn to recognize their own feelings, then be able to explain themselves, and understand how their actions They affect the feelings of those around them.
Thus, the reduction of violence in the classroom, the increase in the understanding of emotions among classmates, the increased capacity for integration of minors and the development of other skills, were sufficient results to certify that this program, In addition to improving some of the child's abilities and guiding success, it could be, why not, a real solution to some of the problems that arise in the classroom today.
Empathy as a value for leadership
The objective is, therefore, to ensure that the people who lead the great projects of the future are empathic people, able to connect with the rest and put themselves in the place of the other, which can be from their co-worker to, in broader terms , the society. For it, it is necessary that empathy be worked from school, when the children are small, helping the children to develop it like any other capacity. Some professionals are already working in this line, trying to empathize with schools in Spain, along with other types of skills and transversally, as many schools in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Ireland already do.
Educating them in empathy since childhood will be the key to getting happy people and good professionals, capable of working as a team, concerned about social problems and the ability to experiment. People who, ultimately, Know how to manage your environment.
Currently, there are many entrepreneurs that have been launched into the labor market with great and innovative proposals. All these social entrepreneurs, able to detect the problems that surround them and to devise a solution and make their work, have shown not only have an evident capacity for initiative, but also a high degree of empathy putting themselves in the place of others.
Patricia Núñez de Arenas
