Is it possible to be empathetic while maintaining monetary ambition? Is it possible to be empathetic and have an ego?
Anthony Davis. He is the Director of Communications at Solomon Schechter Academy (an elementary school) and Y Country Camp. I have worked under him at both of these establishments, working as a contract videographer and/or photographer.
Being the situation as it is, I Facetimed him.
Quotes:
“You have to make every mistake in the book to […] evolve your passion”
“Knowing that what you do is good, but knowing that it can be better, and knowing that you can make it better”.
“You have to be able to practice what you preach. So, if you have a massive ego and you’re working very hard to justify that, as long as there is no sense of disrespect”
“If everyone is working towards the same end goal, then I think empathy can come naturally”.
“ If you have an ego and you’re selfish, it’s never going to work out. Or karma will be a bitch”.
“If you can empathize with any sort of negative experience, taking away a certain level of selfishness, then you’re able to [be a good person]”.
Luckily, I had an already established professional relationship with my interviewee. Due to this there was a more natural sense of comfort, on both sides, which especially when paired with a facetime call, as opposed to in person, was beneficial. This comfort, as well as the general sense of his character that I already have helped me to prepare questions that he would resonate with. A character trait of his that he had mentioned to me one was his “enormous ego”. In preparation, I geared my questions towards him opening up about his ego. As I was transcribing my interview, I became increasingly happier with everything Anthony had said. I think that his multimedia background helped him to know what sound bites would be high quality, and he definitely delivered. Not only did I have some really great, introspective and insightful quotes, but I also have them from someone who I feel, especially after this interview, is an expert on the topic.
Something that Anthony said that stuck with me was about his view on teamwork and leadership. In an entrepreneurial setting he mentioned that empathy comes over time, through the bonds you build with your teammates trying to achieve the same goal. In doing so, you not only grow more caring, but more successful. I don’t have as much experience in this manner, as my business is a one-man-show, and only in an academic setting have I had to cooperate with teammates. Next year in University, my specialty program will involve an enormous amount of group work, far from the norm of presentations and essays. I am hoping that Anthony’s advice will stick with me, and I will strike the balance between leadership and empathy.
Jake Stendel Non Fiction Writing 