Using empathy to navigate teams, clients, and challenges in tech
When you work in tech, a lot of emphasis is put on delivery. Timelines, scope, processes, and doing things properly matter. But many of the hardest moments on a project for early-career professionals aren’t technical. They’re human.
Why empathy matters in tech
Empathy helps when:
A client is frustrated and you’re expected to handle it, even though it’s not your fault
A team is under pressure and people stop saying what they actually think
You’re trying to be clear and professional without coming across as difficult
On one project, we had delays because we were waiting for proprietary hardware. It was outside our control, but the client was understandably unhappy. Rather than focusing only on explaining the situation or defending the plan, I spent time listening to their concerns and acknowledging the impact the delay had on them. From there, we looked at what could still move forward within constraints, which helped keep things on track.
I’ve worked with organisations like Unilever and Google, and this shows up consistently. When people feel heard, conversations tend to be more straightforward and decisions easier to make.
Empathy for early-career professionals in male-dominated environments
If you’re early in your career in tech, especially in a male-dominated environment, empathy can feel complicated. You might be the one noticing tension in meetings, smoothing things over, or picking up on issues before they surface. That doesn’t automatically make it your responsibility, and it doesn’t make your contribution less serious.
What stands out now is how different that journey might have felt with someone to talk things through with. Someone who had already seen the patterns, who could help me sense-check decisions, or simply say, “this part is hard, and it’s not just you.”
This comes up a lot in mentoring conversations. Not because people want answers handed to them, but because they want context, perspective, and a place to think out loud without being judged. Especially early in a career, when you’re expected to make big choices with very little information. I didn’t have that support when I needed it most. That experience shapes how I show up now, and why mentoring matters to me in a very practical way.
Applying empathy in your work
Empathy plays a real role in project delivery. Not as a personality trait, but as something you can notice, practice, and choose how to apply. Paying attention to how people feel and what they need can make communication clearer, decisions smoother, and your work more impactful.
