When I began doing a little research on the importance of empathy, I was thinking I would find lots of articles on why empathy is important in social relationships but what I discovered made me tilt my head like a puppy that doesn't quite understand his human's command. Companies are paying big bucks to figure out how to bring empathy not into their work force, but into their business model. They are trying to figure out how to connect with their customers. Huh? And then I sat for a while and thought, "Laura, clearly you are not being very empathetic right now." And then I thought some more and it started to make sense.
The companies that are the most successful KNOW their customer. Steve Jobs was noted as knowing what customers wanted before they did. Neiman Marcus is the pinnacle of customer service relations. Disney continues to be a huge draw for families both with movies and amusement parks. Think about where you shop and why you continue to shop at a certain store, even if the location is not convenient. For me, I have probably fifteen grocery stores within a 10-mile radius but I will still go a bit further to get to Trader Joe's because they seem "to get me'. The employees are always happy. The prices are reasonable and the food selection for my family is great. And I always leave Trader Joe's in a better mood than when I entered. I don't know any other retail chain that can do that....for me.
One article I read explained that a certain automobile company was worried they were losing their share in the luxury car market. So they holed up in a posh San Francisco resort and began planning on how to win back their fare share. A consultant asked, "Who is your customer and what do they want?". Shockingly, the executives had no idea. So, they were given a task. Spend 30 minutes interviewing people from your customer base. Grudgingly, the businessmen complied. When they returned, the consultant gave them each $50 and told them to go shopping for a gift for the person they just interviewed. One man purchased a bright red fanny pack for his twenty-something person. Gift not well received. Others purchased knick knacks from around the Bay Area. "Why," they were asked, "would you buy memorabilia for someone who lives here?". "Seemed good" was the reply. But one group bought an entrepreneurial book and tucked the remaining $20 in the front flap. Why? Because their gentleman wanted to get out of his tech job and start his own business.
Empathy is a hard concept for a lot of people to understand but it's a very important word. To understand the wants and needs of another person is crucial in every aspect of our lives. And something that is lacking in our world. We seem to be a bit more inward thinking than outward. More individualistic and less communal.
Successful leaders have this quality. Good friends have this quality. Outstanding doctors, nurses, police officers, teachers or firefighters have this quality. Military personnel usually have more empathy than most civilians. Empathy is one of the most selfless acts and probably the hardest to show on the list of seven happy people traits.
I am learning to be more empathetic with certain things. And I am trying to find resolutions to problems instead of complaining...perhaps that is the empathy peeking through. But I will admit...being empathetic is a daily struggle. But I do know I feel happier when I connect with someone through a shared understanding of a certain emotion, be it happy, sad or somewhere in the middle. And isn't that what most of us want on some level? To make a connection? To be understood? For someone to just "get it"?
I read a great quote the other day: "I'm a strong person, but every once in a while, I would like someone to take my hand and tell me that everything's going to be alright." Just so you know, I'm here with hands wide open.
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