Empathy, Effort, and Evolving as a Professional

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Empathy, Effort, and Evolving as a Professional

By Aditya Pooji

Starting a new journey in a company always brings a mix of excitement, nervousness, and uncertainty. When I joined my current organization, I was fortunate to be involved in multiple projects through the Monday.com tool in a role that resembled a Scrum Master — facilitating tasks, tracking progress, and helping teams move forward.

Soon, I was assigned to one of the company’s major ongoing projects, initially as a backup with an admin role. My focus was on gathering documentation, understanding workflows, and getting up to speed. While navigating through this, I noticed a gap — an opportunity — within the JIRA tool being used by the team. Despite the multiple responsibilities already on my plate, I decided to grab it.

And let me tell you — it wasn’t easy.

The work was overwhelming. There were expectations, multiple deadlines, and a constant need to juggle between teams, tasks, and timelines. What pushed me further was something personal — a colleague of mine, who was already leading that major project, got appreciated and highlighted by the client. Though I was grateful to be mentioned by our founder in the same meeting, it still felt... incomplete. My efforts felt overshadowed.

At the same time, I was silently dealing with office politics, teasing remarks, and the challenges of travelling and adjusting to new office timings. I was mocked at times — “Scrum Master toh full free hai” — not everyone could see the load I was carrying or the silent pressure I was under. And yet, I gave my all.

What Sparked the Change? One Word: Empathy.

Amidst all this, a moment came that truly changed my perspective.

As part of my evolving role, I was also supporting transport movement across systems in SAP and helping with the code review process. One day, our founder asked me and the technical lead how many reviews were done and how many were still pending. I froze. I didn’t have the answer. I thought this was something the technical lead would handle — after all, I was still learning.

While I struggled to answer, our founder turned to the lead and said, “He’s new — he should be supported.” That sentence hit me hard. It wasn’t just a defence — it was a reminder of empathy in action.

I decided to take accountability.

That same day, I began collecting data on the code reviews — how many were done, how many were left. I compiled the numbers and submitted them the next morning. I didn’t offer excuses. I simply said, “We’re on it — we missed it, but it’s covered now.”

From that moment, something shifted.

People began involving me in daily discussions, trusting me with important updates, and I became a central part of the project. The same technical lead who I once thought was distant started supporting me, even taking ownership when things went wrong — whether the mistake was mine, his, or someone else’s. There was more openness, more collaboration, more trust.

Empathy Is Power — Quiet but Transformative

This journey made me realize that empathy isn’t weakness. It’s a quiet superpower that can break walls between people, shift team dynamics, and foster a culture of growth.

Yes, not everyone will respond to empathy in the same way. Some people may take advantage of your kindness. Some environments may remain cold no matter how much warmth you offer. But it’s still worth trying — not just for them, but for you.

Because empathy doesn’t just change others. It changes you. It changes how you show up, how you deal with setbacks, and how you build your identity in a professional space.

A Final Thought

Whether you’re new to a team, stuck between roles, or just silently hustling without recognition — know this: you’re not alone. The journey might not be smooth, and it might feel unfair at times. But keep learning, keep owning, and keep leading with empathy. You may not see the impact immediately, but it’ll come — in ways you never expected.

And one day, you’ll look back and realize: this wasn’t just a phase of struggle. It was your phase of becoming.

If you resonated with this, feel free to share your own experience in the comments. Let’s keep the conversation around empathy alive — not just in words, but in actions.

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