The Competitive Edge of Sympathy
Creating a Culture of Empathy to Drive Success in Business
Shep Hyken interviews Maria Ross. They discuss her new book, The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success, why empathy creates a competitive advantage in business, and how companies can foster empathy from the inside out.
The Interview with Maria Ross:
Authentic empathy can create a competitive advantage for companies and can reap huge rewards and bottom-line benefits. In an empathetic culture, employees are more innovative and productive, while customers are more loyal and result in more revenue and good press.
Empathy must be authentic for it to be effective. Avoid the “empathy veneer,” which is the mere illusion of empathy without the reality of it. Companies cannot pretend to be empathetic to reap the rewards that true empathy provides—if they try, it will backfire spectacularly.
For empathy to be believable on the outside,
