The process of reaching agreement by understanding what the other side truly needs and creating enough psychological safety for them to reveal it -- applied empathy under pressure.
Tensions
Voss teaches empathy as a tactic, raising the question of whether instrumental empathy is genuine -- though the behavior is identical either way. "No" as gold and "That's right" as the goal seem contradictory but operate at different stages: "no" clears the ground, "that's right" is the destination. Giving the "illusion of control" sounds manipulative, but calibrated questions genuinely invite collaborative problem-solving.
Related Concepts
trust | decision | strategy | leadership | clarity