As I write this, software engineers are researching empathy and working to integrate it into AI dialogue systems for the sake of a better user experience and, most importantly, a higher level of understanding. Engineers say that empathy not only helps with accurate understanding during the current interaction through emotion and personality awareness; it also helps systems build a library of understanding regarding user preferences, communication style, and context clues.

For example, when I use my choice of chatbot to check my work, it remembers that I want to avoid the overuse of industry quotes and provides a total number of quotes used at the end of its feedback to confirm I'm okay with that before considering the piece done. This accumulated knowledge, which provides a deeper level of understanding, allows me to save time typing the same prompts for each piece of work I upload for review. This is what deeper listening through empathy does. 

Misunderstandings = Rework

Researchers studied three emergency departments in England, where funding incentives were attached to efficiency targets. Patients were to be seen and either referred on or discharged within four hours. On paper, every patient who met the time target counted toward success.

Doctors and nurses described the work as a conveyor belt. One nurse said the "care" part of the job had become hard to do. One doctor said he felt like "a robot or a computer."

What stuck out to me was the effect on the staff. They began to doubt their own judgment. They wondered whether the patients they sent home were actually doing well. They couldn't be sure, because the only thing being measured was speed, not quality of care. If a patient returns a week later, that is not a fast case. It may be rework, and possibly at the cost of someone's health.

Your team may have the same blind spot: measuring speed, not understanding. The clock is easy to see. The moment someone didn't understand is not.

These days, work can be done very quickly in the wrong direction, making the process of undoing the work that much more complex and time-consuming. One unclear instruction handed off to a fast team or fast tool can be repeated many times before anyone notices.  

The Feedback Loop

In my coaching practice, clients rarely bring their deepest concern to the first session. They test the room first. So I listen for their surface concern and repeat or paraphrase back to them what I heard. It goes something like this: "Here is what I'm hearing. Did I get that right?"

That one question does three things. It tells the person they were heard. It gives them a chance to correct me. And it builds the trust they need to say the harder thing next time.

Listen. Say it back. Confirm. Empathy is often treated as a soft skill, but this loop works as a quality check that every profession can use. 

Understand, Don't Absorb

Not all empathy works the same way. Empathy that has us take on another person's emotions tends to wear us out, while empathy that helps us understand their perspective tends to lead to more supportive behavior at work.

That difference matters. The loop above asks you to understand, not to absorb. You can grasp what someone needs, say it back, and confirm it without carrying their feelings home. The first takes seconds and can be repeated all day. The second is where the fatigue shows up. 

In Essence

An added layer of empathy can save time through additional clarity and lead to more supportive behavior in your circles. Attitudes around you may shift in response to the concern and intentionality that say, "I want to make sure I got this right."

Communication has not happened until both people confirm what was meant. Practicing this level of empathy takes a few seconds. Skipping it can take weeks.

What might you learn from one extra check? 

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