EVIDENCE NEEDS EMPATHY… Especially when things are not going to plan

When it comes to using numbers as a source of motivation, empathy is a game changer.

In her book “Atlas of the Heart”, Brene Brown describes empathy as an “emotional skill that allows us to understand what someone is experiencing and to reflect back that understanding”

I love this definition because of the emphasis on “reflecting back understanding”. When you use your numbers to reflect back understanding of performance, you open the door to optimism. And progress (better performance) starts with optimism. This can be critical when things are not going according to plan.

In my last newsletter, I shared my challenge with trying to stop my brother from quitting our backyard cricket games. At the end of each day, I would read out the batting averages from lowest to highest. And day after day, my brother’s number would be the first one read out.

I knew my brother had been improving over the holidays, but the numbers I was presenting did not “reflect back that understanding”.

Looking back on it now, I realise it was “evidence without empathy”. And as a result, my brother did not want to play anymore. He was no longer engaged. He had lost his motivation to continue.

A challenge you may be facing in driving performance…

Whether that be:

• number of steps per day to improve our health;

• dollar amount to build our savings;

• hitting our budget numbers in the workplace

So, how can we use numbers as a source of motivation when things don’t go according to plan?

Based on the extensive research by Brene Brown, you can experience a number of feelings when things don’t go according to plan:

• Disappointment

• Regretful

• Discouraged

• Resigned

• Frustrated

She describes feeling discouraged and resigned as more to do with effort than outcome. In particular, “discouragement is losing the motivation and confidence to continue with our efforts. With resignation, we’ve lost the motivation to keep trying.”

When things aren’t going according to plan, evidence needs empathy. It needs to recognise that you (and your team) will feel discouraged. It needs to shine a light on effort rather than outcome. This is achieved by showing progress.

When I added empathy to evidence, I did not announce the scores from lowest to highest. Instead, I shared upcoming milestones for the next day’s play. And my brother was no longer discouraged. He had the motivation to continue with his efforts.

When it comes to using numbers as a source of motivation, empathy is a game changer.

Is the evidence driving your performance with or without empathy?

Robert