Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is not a weakness. On the contrary, it can demonstrate that you care for others, that you listen to others, and that you are aware of the emotions and motives of others.
Empathy in the workplace can be a real problem solver. It can enable us to resolve conflict, build more productive teams and improve relationships with co-workers and customers.
When I got a new job in March 2019, I took on a team that was antagonistic to other departments. They were far too quick to judge others as incompetent and ineffective. As a result, an adversarial relationship had developed, creating mistrust and suspicion amongst teams.
One change I encouraged my team to practice in meetings was empathy. Bring your full attention to the conversation and listen carefully to what someone else is saying. Remain focused on understanding the reasons why others act or behave in a certain way. You don't have to agree with them, acknowledge it and set aside any judgement. You are now attuned to the other's needs and can take affirmative action to improve their well-being.
Empathy can take time to entrench in a team, and this team had done incredibly well in adopting it over a year or so. As a result, they became a more cohesive and effective team and no longer exhibited the "us and them" mentality that strained working relationships.