[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/12\/07\/empathy-customer-engagement\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/12\/07\/empathy-customer-engagement\/","headline":"Empathy in business: The groundwork for building lasting relationships","name":"Empathy in business: The groundwork for building lasting relationships","description":"Practicing empathy in business is critical to the function of any organization","datePublished":"2015-12-07","dateModified":"2020-11-17","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/ted-rubin\/#Person","name":"Ted Rubin","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/ted-rubin\/","identifier":120,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c668c8821df1a2ed296584c5b0b15e9cacfc7ce1ed2cdbd97351315123a748e7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c668c8821df1a2ed296584c5b0b15e9cacfc7ce1ed2cdbd97351315123a748e7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/emotional-intelligence-concept-communication-skills-reasoning-and-vector-id674953064-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/emotional-intelligence-concept-communication-skills-reasoning-and-vector-id674953064-1.jpg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/12\/07\/empathy-customer-engagement\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/purpose\/","name":"Purpose","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purpose"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/purpose\/purpose-general\/","name":"Purpose","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purpose"]}],"wordCount":700,"keywords":["Customer Engagement","Empathy","Relationship Marketing","Remote Work"],"articleBody":"Perhaps you\u2019re a parent sending a child off to a new school or college, an employer welcoming a new employee, or even a salesperson nurturing a prospect through a difficult decision-making process. In any type of relationship, the ability to empathize with what the other person is going through is critical.The \u201cand so it goes\u201d phenomenon of going back to school that\u2019s so prevalent right now reminds me of how important milestones are to the people experiencing them, and why we need to cultivate empathy in all of our relationships (especially during those milestones).Don\u2019t be too busy to listenRemember how scary it was to enter middle school when you were a kid? Especially if you just moved to the area and didn\u2019t know anyone? That\u2019s perhaps one of our earliest angst-ridden moments entering adulthood. Moving from a one-classroom environment to a multi-classroom schedule is a big deal. The rules shift. More is expected of us. It\u2019s stressful!Our lives are super-busy today, but it\u2019s still up to us as parents and school officials (who were once children) to remember that anxiety and help guide our children through it. Looking back, did your parents take the time to listen to you and address your fears before, during and after the transition? How did you feel about that at the time?Parents who take time to think about transitions from their children\u2019s point of view, to listen to them and to encourage open dialogue tend to enjoy a rich relationship with their children all their lives. If you let yourself be \u201ctoo busy to listen,\u201d you\u2019re robbing yourself and your child of something precious\u2014the relationship glue that holds close-knit families together.Empathy in business: Walk that mile in their shoesJust as empathizing with our children is important, practicing empathy in business is just as critical to the function of any organization. Leaders\u2014remember where you were early in your career, and take pains to ease employees into your systems and minimize their discomfort. Does that mean you need to coddle people? Nope. They\u2019re adults. But they still need time to navigate your landscape and learn what\u2019s expected of them. You\u2019ve been there, but many times we get so caught up in where we are right now that we forget to think about how it feels to be the new kid on the block.Take a look at HR and other employee-facing aspects of your business from a new-hire perspective. How can you make their transition from newbie to highly functioning employee a smooth one? If you don\u2019t have a mentoring system, start one. Didn\u2019t you feel more comfortable when someone took you under their wing?Listening and putting on someone else\u2019s shoes helps build that relationship glue, and it works the same way in the business environment as it does in personal life. People are people whether they\u2019re family members, employees, vendors, partners or peers.Empathy also helps at the negotiating table. Good negotiators do their homework by finding out as much as possible about the needs and wants of those on the opposite side of the table.When your team members look at the negotiating process from the adversary\u2019s view of the world, it helps them position your solution as a best fit, and sets them up for growing a long-term relationship once the contract is won.#JustBeNice goes a long wayListening, looking at things from another person\u2019s perspective, letting them know you understand them and are willing to help\u2014all of these are facets of empathy that need consistent practice. Some people seem to find it easier to develop empathy than others, but it all comes down to one thing: being good to people. Keep doing it and you\u2019ll get better at it!I\u2019ve often said that relationships are like muscle tissue, the more they are engaged, the stronger and more valuable they become. Developing empathy in business is an important component in helping build those relationship muscles. Practicing its facets improves all walks of life, and should be on everyone\u2019s exercise list."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2015","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"12","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/\/12\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"07","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/\/12\/\/07\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Empathy in business: The groundwork for building lasting relationships","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/12\/07\/empathy-customer-engagement\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]