At some point in our lives we have experienced our friend or co-worker offering us comfort during difficult times or vice versa. It could be the case of not getting a much-desired job or promotion, fall-out with near and dear ones, missing a flight, so many such instances where we require understanding. These are actions done out of empathy. Why so? In many cases it is because, we may have experienced something similar and thus understand how the other person might feel.
The dictionary meaning of empathy is, “the ability to step into someone else’s shoes, be aware of their feelings and understand their needs”. Empathy means telling the other person we know how they feel and understanding their situation.
Now let’s look at this from a business angle. Business is to a large extent, about people. Where there are people, there are emotions. We then come to the question – What does empathy mean in business?
In the corporate and business set-up, it means a lot more than that. Today, empathy is not just understanding or putting you in someone’s shoes. It has become an invaluable factor in the success of any business.
Empathy in business dealings, have become vital in maintaining sustainable success. In any business, we are surrounded by people, be it investors, shareholders, customers or employees. Where there are people, there are emotions. With emotions come ego clashes, disputes, conflicts, worries, incidents and so on. It is only when the business connects with the perspectives and needs of these parties, will the business grow and flourish. This connection can only come with empathy.
People are priority. Without them no enterprise would function. Hence it is very important that our investors, shareholders, customers or employees, interests are made a priority. It is important to make them feel inclusive. This inclusivity becomes beneficial for all the parties concerned.
Let’s find out how this ‘Empathy Connect’ can benefit:
Empathy brings people closer
It induces trust
Empathy influences decisions
It increases inclusivity
Empathy makes the atmosphere better
It makes people work better and smarter
Creates loyal Customers
Results in Shareholder, Investor, Employee loyalty
Increase in Customers, Sales and Profit
It’s phenomenal. What this human connect can achieve. We hear of so many examples of people sticking-on with certain companies or brands, despite heavy competition, because of the empathy connect the company built with them. When a business, takes out time to empathize with the concerns and insights of their customers, their shareholders and investors or their employees, they gain their trust and makes them feel valuable. Profit is a by-product of happy and loyal employees and customers. Investors and Shareholders will not think twice about investing in a company which cares about the people connected with it.
How can one become sensitive to the importance of Empathy? There are books and videos available to give a certain understanding. There are training programs which give a deeper understanding on the subject. The one that tops the list is using NLP in the journey of Emotional Intelligence. NLP – Neuro-Linguistic Programming, in other words, the science of learning the language of your own mind! With the help of this tool, becoming sensitive to the environment and people around with whom you transact becomes easy and fruitful.
Benefits of using NLP – upping your Emotional Quotient Empathy stems from an understanding of the others’ emotions, thus enabling us to behave accordingly. To gain this understanding one needs a high EQ. To possess a high EQ, one must be in-sync with one’s own mind. NLP helps you achieve all this!
NLP has applications for many different fields, be it business, sales & marketing, therapy, education, or sports. People have been trained in each of these fields and the results are fantastic.
Let’s see how:
Makes people excel in their chosen field.
Help us understand our own mind first – intimately, to produce outstanding outcomes.
Enable us to decode behaviours and thoughts so that we can find the right approach or solution.
NLP helps us uncover our problem areas.
It helps us become conscious of what is going on in the background – awareness.
Helps develop great teamwork and promotes a ‘can do’ attitude.
Help us communicate with deeper understanding and improve relationships – through the NLP communication model and relationships.
It enables us to create great “rapport” with anyone we meet, by presenting ourselves in a way that appeals to them “unconsciously”.
It enables confidence by creating motivating states of mind and morale, eliminates negative thoughts by the process of Anchoring, one of the key elements in NLP.
Helps create direction and focus.
It might be a good idea to check this out! Happy learning!
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