Closing the Empathy Gap: A Skill We Can't Afford to Lose

A few years ago, I was having coffee with a close friend. We hadn’t seen each other in months, and as soon as we sat down, he started venting about a rough patch at work. He was talking fast, visibly frustrated, and as I listened, my mind wandered to my own to-do list for the day. I was nodding, maybe throwing in the occasional “yeah, I get it,” but I w…