While familiarity is said to breed contempt, can it also breed empathy? Recent research conducted by Clements United shows this to be the case with career transition.
Having invested over 14 years working with well over 500 executives in transition, I had arrived at some conclusions based solely on experience versus having empirical support, so I set out to learn whether or not my insights were rooted in more than speculative thinking.
In 2013 I conducted research amongst executives I have worked with through their transitions and 160 of the 235 sampled completed the survey, a 68% response rate.
While the research covered a number of topics, this issue is going to focus on the attitudes of these respondents towards their interaction with people in transition.
During my many years of practice I have had clients surprised by people in their networks in two fashions. Clients have been disappointed by how some people have reacted to their change in status. They are shocked when people they know well, or had worked closely with, do little to help or provide support.
On the other hand, these same clients have often expressed appreciation and amazement at how helpful some people, who they may not have known well, have been. So, what explains the difference in reactions?
I have often thought and said that in all likelihood, the people who are going beyond what was expected have probably been through career transition themselves.
This appears to be the case, as the research shows that people who have been through transition are highly supportive of people in transition: 91% of respondents had “taken face-to-face meetings with people in transition during the past 12 months”; 93% of respondents had “spoken over the phone to provide advice or to help someone in transition during the past 12 months”; and 96% of respondents had “provided a networking connection to someone in transition during the past 12 months.”
Many of my new clients have admitted upon our meeting that they had too often failed to make time for people in transition. Upon landing their new roles many stated they would not have that attitude in the future and the research supports those sentiments.
By all accounts, those who have “been there” have empathy for people who are in transition and they really do make an effort to make a difference. In this case, familiarity does breed empathy.