There is more to life than making money. Even in the world of business, where you need to focus on your career and churning a profit, there is room for more empathy. But there are more reasons then you might think to value empathy. Here is some food for thought:
Understanding Your Customers
The core of marketing is finding out what people want and giving it to them. If you can do this, your company will experience huge growth. However, to understand your customers you must first really listen to them. This requires empathy. Take a more empathetic approach with your market and your results will improve.
Promoting Teamwork
Within the office, you will have people competing for the same pay raises, positions and praise from upper management. However, you still need everyone to be working together. After all, you are all on the same team. Bringing empathy into the workplace helps you connect with coworkers and trust one another more, so that the best performances can truly shine.
Helping the Community
Empathy allows you to meet the needs of your community in ways that others can’t. For instance, if your company has unique lines of access to resources, you may be able to donate some of them to people in need. While this might reduce your bottom line profits, it shows that you care and helps you build a great reputation in your market for years to come.
Finding New Solutions
We live in a day and age where your business must innovate to survive. Invoking empathy in the workplace can open employees up to sharing their best ideas with a group, without fear of judgment. When that environment exists, creative solutions to problems that you never thought about before can come to the surface. Then, your company is uniquely positioned to bring that solution to the market first.
Modern day business can be competitive. This isn’t necessarily bad. You need to have the best people rise to the top in their professions to ensure the best service and value for customers. However, empathy is something that must be included at every step of the way, so that your business can both turn a profit and promote good in the world at the same time.