Sorry, No Sympathy

Sympathy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is the state of being simultaneously affected with a feeling similar or corresponding to that of another. It’s “I feel the same way as you”. Sympathy is not a desirable state amongst professional crews. For example if someone is not focused, fearful, or distracted by consequential events then feeling the same way will not benefit anyone during operations.

Empathy on the other hand is the power of identifying oneself mentally and so fully comprehending a person. You can understand someone is distracted by thoughts but you don’t have to be in the same place mentally. “I understand the way that you feel”.

A professional crew is like a Lego house built of unique blocks that fit together in a way that is strong and resilient, able to be dismantled by challenge only to rebuild as robustly as before. Understanding the others through and with empathy helps create this kind of effective affiliation.

In Search of the Perfect Crew