You Need Empathy to Thrive in Business

Henry Ford is quoted as having said, "Why is it every time I ask for a pair of hands, they come with a brain attached?"

Regardless of whether did Mr. Ford actually say that or not, or whether did the industrial age really need mindless automata to run the work, it is no longer the case today. The modern version of this quote, translated by Leonadro Herrero, is: "I don’t need creativity, the last thing I need, just people doing the stuff".

Dr. Herrero concludes: "Sure! There are repetitive and mechanistic jobs that need to be done in a repetitive and mechanistic way. You don’t want people reinventing the wheel. However, you should seriously consider a robot. It’s much better, no health insurance, no holidays, no team building, perfect employee engagement scores."

In our modern workplace, even though technical skills are still important in getting the job done, soft skills have become of the utmost importance. The 4 Cs: Critical thinking, communications, collaboration, and creativity are today, more than ever, required for getting a job and becoming the best at it.

Yet, of all the soft skills, there is one that stands out and, in fact, is the basis for being successful in the others: Empathy.

Why you need empathy?

If business is all about people, then business is all about empathy. No transaction between two humans can succeed without a bit of empathy in the mix. Empathy, the ability to not only detect what others feel but also to experience that emotion yourself, is present in every aspect of our social life, even when we are doing business. It is what enables you to see something from someone else’s perspective, not just your own.

According to Roman Krznaric, empathy is “the art of imaginatively stepping into the shoes of another person, understanding their feelings and perspectives, and using that understanding to guide your actions.”

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Leo Buscaglia, Motivational Speaker & Writer

Empathy is not just for leaders

When it comes to leadership, it is essential for leaders to have empathy. An empathetic leader can understand, relate to and be sensitive towards customers, employees as well as the community. And that's how he is able to build a level of trust with all parties, leading to a strengthened relationship between them and improved collaboration and productivity. After all great teams follow people, not orders.

However, contrary to wide-held belief, empathy is not only for leaders. Every individual have it to a certain degree and can work to master its art. And empathy will elevate his performance in whatever position he holds.

It is important for an employee to understand his surrounding, to be in tune with the other members of his team, his managers, his employers... How many times did an employee fail to interpret the changes happening around him, why are his managers acting in a certain way, or why the clients are driven away? and how many times did he get shocked, felt unsecure, and failed to react properly in decisive situations only because he couldn't understand the others' feelings and interests?

Here’s why empathy in the workplace matters:

1. Understanding Everyone's Interests

This is a critical step that is usually missing. Empathy allows you to understand the motivations of the others, and therefore identify their interests. Whether you are participating in a meeting or doing negotiations, the outcome of the meeting will become much more predictable.

2. Setting Expectations

Naturally when you understand others' feelings and interests, you will not get shocked with their acts and decisions. Working in a team, empathy allows you to understand your position within the group, and how others look at you. With this awareness, you will be able to set clear expectations.

3. Successful Negotiations

Knowing the motivation of the other side will help you "win" in negotiations, or reach the best "win-win" outcome, whichever you choose. Understanding what's more important and what's less important to them is key to knowing what concessions to make and where to hold your ground.

4. Design Thinking

As as developer, I am often asked to improve the user experience in a software or a website. Putting myself in other users' shoes, and understanding that they have different perceptions and interaction ways, is the only way to succeed in UX.

5. Effective Collaboration

Both empathy and collaboration involve focusing less on self and more on others. To collaborate means that, once we’ve overcome our selfish part, we share effort, success and failure in order to achieve a common goal. But, how could this be possible without embracing other people’s point of view and making it our own? Without the capacity to suffer through other people’s suffering, without the willingness to get involved in other people’s effort and without the empathy required by collective work, collaboration will be impossible.

6. Sales Increase

Every skilled salesperson knows that the key to closing sales is anticipating your customers’ needs and demonstrating how your product or service will suit their needs best. Truly understanding your customers’ needs means reflecting on their fears, desires, pain points and whatever keeps them up at night. If your sales team doesn’t intimately understand your customers’ lives, how can you expect them to explain how your products or services fit their lives? This is the power of empathy in business.

7. Customer Satisfaction

Research suggests human interaction is the primary way people judge service quality, and these interactions shape an organization’s reputation. When we approach our work with a belief that each customer deserves our focused attention and kindness, it shows. It builds trust and loyalty. Taking time to observe, ask questions, and respond thoughtfully is key to meeting the needs of the people we serve.

8. Building Trust

Credibility is a cornerstone for effectiveness. Performance is based on service, problem solving and effective interaction. Trust is a baseline. Empathy allows and accurate sharing of thoughts and feelings when congruence and alignment are consistent. This expresses trustworthiness in communication and behavior.

9. Minimizing Conflicts and Reducing Stress

Empathy minimizes free floating hostility, suspicion, conflict and confrontation. It lowers the limits of stress and the cost associated with the feelings.

10. Knowledge Transfer

Empathy is foundational for building bridges between individuals, understanding each others’ complex emotions, gaining a diverse perspective, and leveraging relationships for collaboration and progress. Effective transfer of knowledge, whether it is giving or receiving, may not be possible without fully understanding the other's point view and how he feels about this point view. And it is through empathy that we may understand how to approach each other to share our knowledge.

11. Interviewing for a Job

The hiring manager sitting across the table from you during the interview is not hiring as an act of charity. She is hiring because she has specific needs. Too often candidates show up to a job interview focusing on what they bring to the company, based on past experience, education, and skills. However, empathizing with the hiring manager, understanding her company's needs, and then showing how your experience, education, and skills address those specific needs will go a long way to improve your chances of being hired by her.