By Ryan Heinl

"\[Virtual reality\] connects humans to other humans in a profound way that I’ve never seen before in any other form of media. And it can change people’s perception of each other. And that’s how I think virtual reality has the potential to actually change the world." – Chris Milk, virtual reality entrepreneur

At its core, leadership is about connection--one that enables the leader to motivate, inspire, and guide others.

That’s why it’s so important that leaders build the skills that enable them to connect with other people. And one of the most powerful ways to build real connections with people--practice them virtually.

Virtual reality (VR) creates an unprecedented opportunity to transform how we see the world through emotionally powerful experiences as real as anything we experience in reality. The powerful emotions generated in VR scenarios help to create understanding as well as form memories similar to those created by real experiences. That has a tremendous potential to transform how leaders see the world and practice leadership.

At DDI Labs (our team focused on innovation) we've been exploring the potential of VR to better support leadership growth. While VR is increasingly being used in training to help people practice functional skills, it's relatively untested for leadership applications. Our tests, however, are revealing deep potential to deliver transformative experiences for leaders in several ways.

One of the most important ways VR benefits leaders is by generating empathy. Nicknamed the “empathy-generating machine,” VR helps people understand other perspectives. Rather than simply observing a situation and hoping the viewer identifies enough with the characters to feel empathy, VR puts the participant directly into another person's shoes, which enables them to to experience life from another perspective.

This opportunity to develop empathy in leaders is a powerful tool, particularly when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Many of the issues around diversity and inclusion in the workplace come down to a struggle to relate to people who are different from ourselves. After all, most leaders, especially at higher levels, understand the research connecting diversity to better business results.

But for people who have often been part of the "in group," it's tough to understand what it's really like to feel left out in the workplace. And in many cases, they may quietly wonder why people who are marginalized don't do more to try to avoid being left out.

When we tested VR experiences where the participant is purposely excluded, it created a powerful reaction for many leaders. For some, it was their first time ever experiencing exclusion at work, leaving them feeling angry and profoundly moved. We heard things like, "I've always been on the other side of the situation. Have I been making people feel this way all along?" In follow-up conversations, participants also commented that the experience often stayed with them for a long time, challenging their thinking about how they'd been approaching things.

For those who had experienced exclusion before, particularly women and minorities, the experiences tended to produce relief, as in, "Yes, that's exactly what I've been trying to explain about what it's like." At times, there were even tears shed. For them, the VR scenario became a tool to share their lived experience to help others understand.

Empathy isn’t the only reason to use VR. Read my full blog post to learn how VR offers a psychological safe space for skill practice and for thoughts on how to get started using VR.