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The first attribute of Social Awareness is empathy. You are empathetic if you: Are attentive to emotional cues Listen well Understand others’ perspectives Show sensitivity Help others based on an understanding of their needs and feelings. 10/10 Before we start, give yourself a quick score out of 10 as to how empathetic you think you are. (You can compare this score to your empathy rating after completing this module.) What Exactly is Empathy? Unlike sympathy, which is feeling sad or pity for someone, empathy fosters selfless consideration and action. Using the empathetic attributes listed above, empathy promotes “behaviour which is positive, helpful, and intended to promote social acceptance and friendship” that comes from within. Psychologists Daniel Goleman and Paul Ekman have divided empathy into three types. “Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand how a person feels and what they might be thinking. Cognitive empathy makes us better communicators because it helps us relay information in a way that best reaches the other person. Emotional empathy (also known as affective empathy) is the ability to share the feelings of another person. Some have described it as 'your pain in my heart'. This type of empathy helps you build emotional connections with others. Compassionate empathy (also known as empathic concern) goes beyond simply understanding others and sharing their feelings: it actually moves us to take action, to help however we can.” Inc.com Increasing Your Cognitive Empathy Cognitive empathy works on making educated guesses. But because physical movements and facial expressions can be misinterpreted (a smile, for example, can mean joy or it can also indicate sadness) it means that you need to consider what you know about another person, and have a willingness to learn more. It is human that your thinking may be influenced by past experiences and an unconscious bias. Be careful not to assume or rush to judgment. Take a moment to reflect on any feedback you receive after interacting with others (written, verbal, body language). This will help you in two ways: It will help you better understand others and their personalities. You will discover how others perceive your thoughts and communication style. “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Stephen R. Covey Increasing Your Emotional Empathy Emotional empathy requires diving deeper to understand how the other person feels, and why they feel like that. It leads to a deeper connection, giving you a more complete picture of the situation, and finding a way to relate. This can only be done through active listening. Resist the impulse to judge, to interrupt with your personal experience, or to suggest a solution. One of our favourite books about empathy is the 1962 classic, “To Kill a Mockingbird” in which Atticus Finch says: “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” Increasing Your Compassionate Empathy By relating to what the other person is going through with emotional empathy, you will be better able to offer some comfort. While what worked for you may not work for this person, don't let that hold you back from doing what you can. The best way to help is to ask the person directly what you can do to help. Practising Empathy In Your Life Remember that you don't have the whole picture. At any given time, everyone you encounter is dealing with issues of which you're unaware. Bear in mind that how you view others and how you deal with them is influenced by your moods, struggles, and other factors. Put empathy into practice by: Listening to others, rather than trying to talk to them Checking in on if you think there is something wrong Learning about people from different backgrounds and cultures Showing concern and care for others Paying attention to the needs of others Understanding others rather than of judging them. Seeing the world through another’s eyes helps people to get along better and to feel better and is also a vital part of becoming the best person you can be. Next Do the quiz below... Answers to the Questions How did you score? Use the table below to mark your current decision-making skills: What Your Score Means 18-42 Your decision-making hasn't fully matured. You aren't objective enough, and you rely too much on luck, instinct or timing to make reliable decisions. Start to improve your decision-making skills by focusing more on the process that leads to the decision, rather than on the decision itself. With a solid process, you can face any decision with confidence. We'll show you how. 43 - 66 Your decision-making process is OK. You have a good understanding of the basics, but now you need to improve your process and be more proactive. Concentrate on finding lots of options and discovering as many risks and consequences as you can. The better your analysis, the better your decision will be in the long term. Focus specifically on the areas where you lost points, and develop a system that will work for you across a wide variety of situations. 67 - 90 You have an excellent approach to decision-making! You know how to set up the process and generate lots of potential solutions. From there, you analyze the options carefully, and you make the best decisions possible based on what you know. As you gain more and more experience, use that information to evaluate your decisions, and continue to build on your decision-making success. Think about the areas where you lost points, and decide how you can include those areas in your process. As you were answering the questions, did you notice some themes? This quiz is based on MindTools’ six essential steps in the decision-making process: Establishing a positive decision-making environment. Generating potential solutions. Evaluating the solutions. Deciding. Checking the decision. Communicating and implementing. Improve Your Decision-Making Skills The good news is that you can improve your ability to make effective decisions – even with uncertainty and pressure in the mix. As with all other skills, the more positive decisions you make, the better you will become with using the right tools and strategies. This will improve your confidence in your decision-making skills, and so the upward spiral to success begins. Use the Dux 3-Questions to grow and improve: What am I doing well? Do more of that? What am I not doing well? Use the quiz results to identify areas that need some work. What will I do better next time? Use the info below: “1. Establishing a Positive Decision-Making Environment (Questions 3, 7, 13, 16) How much time should you spend mulling over a potential decision? Ten seconds? Ten minutes? Ten hours or more? It all depends on what’s at stake. To minimize agonizing indecision, determine the significance of a decision (How great of an impact will it have on my life? How much will it cost me?), and set a deadline accordingly. If it’s something as simple as deciding where to go for lunch or what to watch on TV, remember to keep things in perspective and keep your timeframe for decisions to a minimum. This is closely tied with evaluating the significance of a decision — if it won’t affect you or others in a significant way, then don’t waste time endlessly debating between your options. When you have a group decision to make, it’s best to decide the details well in advance in order to avoid conflict amongst group members immediately prior to the event. This could be used for movie nights or dinner parties; while it dampers the spontaneity of plans, it improves the decision-making skills of everyone involved and decreases the likelihood of bickering amongst the group. 2. Generating Potential Solutions (Questions 4, 8, 11) Before you can begin to make a decision, you need to make sure that you fully understand your situation. Start by considering the decision in the context of the problem it is intended to address. To find out if the stated problem is the real issue, or just a symptom of something deeper, ask yourself “why?” over and over (five times) to get to the root of the problem. 3. Evaluating Alternatives (Questions 1, 6, 15) This may seem obvious, but when it comes to making major decisions — new cell phone or laptop, car brand, etc. — putting in the time and effort to fully inform yourself about your impending purchase can mean the difference between product satisfaction and relentless frustration. It’s more than just researching the facts and logistics of a decision — getting a personal opinion can also improve your decision-making by giving you the confidence and reassurance that you’re making the right decision. Whether it’s asking your auto mechanic friend about a car purchase or checking Consumer Reports before buying a new kitchen appliance, informed opinions are quite helpful. 4. Deciding (Questions 5, 10, 17) To simplify the cost-benefit analyzing, limit yourself to fewer options. The more choices are presented to us, the greater the difficulty in making a final decision. More choices can lead to more regret because we consider all of the missed possibilities and worry whether we could have chosen one of the many other routes that were available. As such, narrowing your options will lead to greater peace of mind. Then it’s important to weigh the pros and the cons to ensure that you’re making the best decision possible. This requires a cost-benefit analysis, in which you examine the outcome to every possible route (both positive and negative). This will help you see the opportunity costs, or the things you miss out on when one decision is preferred over another. 5. Checking the Decision (Questions 2, 9) With all the effort and hard work you’ve already invested in evaluating and selecting alternatives, it can be tempting to forge ahead at this stage. But now, more than ever, is the time to "sense check" your decision. After all, hindsight is great for identifying why things have gone wrong, but it's far better to prevent mistakes from happening in the first place! Before Make New Connections (Connessione) – Systems thinking Systems thinking is a holistic approach to problem solveing that focuses on the way that the parts of a system relate to one another and how systems work and develop over time and in the context of larger systems. By focussing on systems in their entirety, more creative solutions can be developed. Da Vinci was convinced that everything is related and we are all part of something bigger. The same applies in business. No business exists in a vacuum, but rather in the context of its workers, its owners, its client base and its physical environment. People who can see this are highly valued in the business world. The same applies to students. Those who can see themselves in the context of the world in which they exist, the outcomes they hope to achieve through their studies, the society they want to contribute to and their own circle of family and friends will certainly achieve more than those who do not have the ability to use systems thinking. Leonardo da Vinci is often regarded as the embodiment of the blending of art, humanities, science and technology, because of his vast array of abilities. During the renaissance, art, science and technology were not as separated as they are these days. There seems to be a subtle shift back towards this overlap as we see especially in the research and development of technology. This systems thinking could be just the creative push our generation needs to solve the many problems we are facing. Balance Body and Mind (Corporalità) – Body-mind fitness We have all heard the saying ‘healthy body; healthy mind’. Well, it may surprise you to know that Leonardo da Vinci was an originator of this concept for the western world. The ever-growing popularity of yoga in the western world is proof positive that people are believing in and benefiting from this principle. The physical benefits of exercise are obvious; the mental ones are not as well-known to everyone. Exercise releases endorphins, which are powerful chemicals also known as the feel-good chemical. Moderate exercise has proven to be as effective in treating mild depression as medication is – with the added advantage of only good side-effects. Those of us who suffer from depression will agree that creativity is all-but-asleep in times of depression, so staying fit is crucial for us. Exercise also promotes better sleep patterns, neural growth and feelings of calm and well-being. Physical activity also helps to relax your muscles and relieve body tension. Most of us know the clarity of mind that comes after a great workout. So, when your body feels better, your mind will operate better. And how do we exercise our brains? Well try doing a crossword or the Sudoku in your daily newspaper. Be careful of what you expose your brain to… there is so much information available and so much of it is utter garbage. Treat your brain to quality input with challenging content for a brain workout. Another good choice for brain health is to cut down on screen time. Balance Logic and Imagination (Arte/Scienza) – Whole-brain thinking There is a theory that people are left-brained or right-brained. Much research over the past decades has been done in this field with the finding that one side or hemisphere of the brain is dominant in all humans. People who are analytical and methodical in their thinking, are said to be left-brained. If you’re more creative and artistic, you're said to be right-brained. This thinking can limit people when we decide that we are left-brained so we cannot be artistic or even creative; or if society has told us we are right-brained so give up on understanding science, math or even logic. In general, society favours the so-called left-brained thinkers. Careers involving numbers and analytics tend to be higher prestige and more lucrative than those in the arts, for example. When you are able to balance the hemispheres or tap into both types of skills, you are able to think more creatively and become an expert problem solver. Whole-brain thinking uses our four intelligences: Analytical – evaluate problems ideas using critical thinking Artistic – envision possibilities using your imagination and visual thinking Relational – how you connect and work with other people Operational – planning, organising and activating ideas Da Vinci believed in engaging the whole brain. In fact, he was so obsessed with the idea of right and left-hemisphere balance, that he taught himself to be ambidexterous! While we are not suggesting that you spend years relearning to write, the idea is that you reach into all your knowledge and learning when approaching problems. The artistic skills and the scientific skills should not be mutually exclusive. The development of this whole-brain thinking is called ARTE/SCIENZA. Da Vinci put t this way, “Study the science of art and the art of science.” When most people think of Leonardo da Vinci, his masterpiece the Mona Lisa comes to mind. For five centuries, people have been fascinated by her enigmatic stare: is she smiling? Is she angry? The technique of the panting is what has baffled art lovers though. The unbelievably light brush strokes are so sheer that the eye cannot discern them; this is what the Italians call Sfumato – literally translated means “vanished or evaporated – like smoke.” In his earlier paintings, da Vinci used a sharper technique and became enamoured with the blurriness later on. Similarly, in a leadership position: the higher you go, the more ambiguous your problems become. You will need to submit to the SFUMATO. We need to be able to see through the haze and find solutions. Life is not always made up of black or white choices; there is an entire spectrum of grey in between that we need to explore. Sfumato is about learning to embrace the uncertain. This is a common undertone in the other principles we have explored thus far – remember stepping out of your comfort zone with Curiosità and Dimostrazione… Don’t feel anxious or afraid when faced with the unknown, rather see it as an opportunity to be creative. Don’t force yourself into a mould because that is the way that is known and expected. Instead, be bold and explore the unknown to find the fit that is right for you. Michael Gelb says in his book, How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci, that the most distinguishing characteristic of highly creative people is their ability to go off into the unknown. Da Vinci himself never stopped learning; what should we? Another of da Vinci’s principles is SENSAZIONE which means the sharpening or awakening of the senses. He believed that his continual refinement of his five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch) enhanced his working and thinking capabilities. Much research has been published on the benefits of listening to or hearing classical music. According to Readers Digest, subjects who listened to a Mozart sonata for a mere ten minutes displayed IQ scores that were nearly ten points higher after the study than they were before. Researchers say that classical music enhances the brain’s spatial temporal reasoning, or the cognitive spatial understanding. It has the additional benefits of lowering blood pressure, contributing to better sleep and sharpening memory too. But, most importantly for our topic, listening to classical music boosts creativity. If you cannot enjoy classics, the good news is that a recent study has found that listening to any happy, energetic music can increase people’s creativity. Researchers found that listening to Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” enhanced their divergent creativity. (This is the ability to find many solutions to a problem.) Da Vinci purposely created an environment that fed his senses. You can do this too by creating a work space using your favourite bold colours, fragrances (perhaps use a room diffuser or humidifier with essential oils), music or natural sounds like running water or birds chirping; try new food flavours to constantly surprise your taste buds and experiment with tactile input. The key is to constantly surprise your senses by changing sensory input so that we don’t become numb to what is around us. It can be as simple as literally stopping to smell the roses, or trying a new cuisine, or simply becoming more aware of your environment. Think Independently (Dimostrazione) – Learning from experience The great Leonardo da Vinci taught his students the principle of DIMOSTRAZIONE – thinking independently and learning from hands-on experience. The University of Alabama states that: "Independent thinking is the process of making sense of the world based on your own observations and experiences rather than depending on the word of others". It is the way we find and apply information and our ability to act rather than react, to source our own information rather than simply accepting it from others. Independent thinking enables learners to make sense of the world based on personal experience (trial and error) and observation, and to make critical decisions in that way. In this age of fake news, theft of personal information and manipulation, it is more important than ever to think for yourself and form your own conclusions based on personal discoveries rather than simply accepting the deluge information that is constantly presented to you. Travelling and discovering the world for yourself is one of the best ways to learn to broaden your mind. You will realise that stereotypes are for the ignorant and people are far more interesting and complex than the stereotype would have you believe. Once you force yourself out of your comfort zone, you might look back and see that it wasn’t so comfortable after all. You might also discover ways to improve the life of your people through interaction with others. We tend to surround ourselves with like-minded people and this can stunt independent thinking. Try to see other perspectives and do not necessarily follow the herd. Great innovators are people who question the status quo. They take a different path. So, to be an independent thinker, start by asking questions, questioning everything, taking on new challenges and making up your own mind rather than simply accepting what is presented to you. Curiosity (Curiosità )–The insatiable quest for knowledge and continuous improvement Curiosita is one of the Da Vinci principles referring to “an insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.” (Gelb, 1998) When you look back at the most innovative minds over the history of time, Leonardo Da Vinci’s has to be the top of that list. The man, although celebrated for his artworks which still take millions of people’s breath away every year, was also an anatomist, architect, botanist, city planner, engineer, equestrian, inventor, geographer, geologist, military scientist, musician, painter, philosopher and raconteur – not to mention an avid juggler! It is therefore no surprise that we look to his teachings for inspiration for our own creativity. If you think back to childhood and the wonder and awe that everything held for you, you will remember your insatiable curiosity (and perhaps even your parents’ annoyance at your constant questioning). Da Vinci believed that we should never lose that quest for information and discovery. We should look at things and wonder how they work, wonder how they could work BETTER. If we were to simply accept things as they are, there would be no innovation. If pre-historic man accepted life as it was, we’d still be waiting for the invention of fire and the wheel! The great innovators of our time like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk embody this principle. Jobs looked at the developing personal computer and was curious as to how it could be better. The result was Apple MacIntosh Computers – still the most sought-after PCs available. Elon Musk is a man who absolutely refuses to accept things as they are. SO much so that this brilliant billionaire is preparing to colonise Mars! Some say that this curiosity could save humankind. Just think what you can achieve when you free your inner child and become insatiably curious. “The journey into self-love and self-acceptance must begin with self-examination… until you take the journey of self-reflection, it is almost impossible to grow or learn in life.” Iyanla Vanzant Active vs Passive Participation in Life As life happens, so you can be a victim through inaction. Or you can soar through active reflection. Which do YOU CHOOSE to embrace? The Dux 3-Point Reflection For phenomenal personal growth, ask yourself these three questions after a major occurrence, and at the end of every day: What did I do well? What did I not do well? What have I learnt that I will do differently next time? Next: Quiz time...