"The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer." — Peter Drucker
As
management guru Peter Drucker said, “The purpose of a business is to create and
keep a customer.” Empathy is an important component of keeping a customer.
Empathy
is the ability to put yourself in another’s shoes and walk a mile. It’s the ability to imagine what it might be
like to experience and relate to the thoughts, emotions, and experience of the
other person. Empathy is more than simple sympathy, which is being able to
understand and support others with compassion or sensitivity.
Some
people naturally exude empathy and have an advantage over their peers who have
difficulty expressing empathy. Most leaders fall in the middle and are
sometimes or somewhat empathetic. Fortunately, empathy is not a fixed trait. It
can be learned. If given enough time and support, leaders can develop and
enhance their empathy skills through coaching, training, or developmental
opportunities and initiatives.
When
empathy is not practiced within the organization—with all constituents—it’s
impossible to expect it to happen with customers. It has been said, “You can’t
truly love another before you learn to love yourself.” Organizations are no
different. If we don’t love and respect and admire the people we work with
every day, we can’t collectively give our customers the love they deserve.
Empathy is an inside-out job.
Transformational
leaders need empathy in order to show their followers that they care for their
needs and achievement. Empathy is a powerful antenna for understanding the
experiences of those around us. It helps good leaders become great leaders and
is a key to business success.
Customers
want to feel that we understand and appreciate their circumstances without
criticism or judgment. Customers have simple expectations that we who serve
them can put ourselves in their shoes, understanding what it is they came to us
for in the first place.
Build
a culture of empathy. Empathy
is an essential component of caring about your customers, your employees, and
your company, and its absence signals larger problems in organizational
culture. Empathy can’t be plastered on like a fake smile, but it can be
cultivated from within.
This is a great point. I believe that having been at 3 different companies and doing everything from customer service to sales to installation to operations has helped me be empathetic when an employee tells me their struggles. I can relate. This helps me get the best out of my employees. Empathy is a very valuable management trait.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's possible to emphasize and repeat this point enough. Without empathy one cannot establish a culture of trust. Any organization where there is a lack of trust between coworkers or between the business and its customers is doomed to fail.
ReplyDeleteTrust is king and empathy is the key to establishing an environment where trust is built.
I couldn't agree more. However many confuse this concept with sympathy or apathy. Great leaders focus on satisfaction of customers and employees. Empathy is something we can teach and therefore make part of our DNA and culture. We need more leaders with this trait.
ReplyDelete