If you’ve been following the Olympics, you have no doubt seen some of the coverage given to the athletes who are adopting some of the stray dogs that roam Sochi. Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, and silver medalist, Gus Kenworthy have teamed up to provide the finances and media attention to help the many remaining animals. The bottom line is a need was recognized and people are responding. So what does this have to do with business?
This story has become one of the most outstanding narratives of the Olympics because it tugs at our feelings of compassion. In the world of work, a word like compassion may seem soft and a concept to roll your eyes at. But without it, we would lack the ability to take another person’s perspective.
Being able to place yourself into someone else’s shoes is an integral part of emotionally intelligent leadership. Employees crave to be understood and so do customers. If I’m calling into your customer service line with a problem – to some degree – I’m in a vulnerable place. Maybe my business does a lot of e-commerce, but my server has gone down. What happens to my relationship with you as my service provider if I don’t feel understood by customer service? As a business, have you thought through the experience I may be having as I interact with technical support?
The practice of mindfulness further develops the part of the brain responsible for compassion. With that in play, the idea of helping customers stems, not just from a dollars and cents place, but one of greater authenticity. There is a big difference of getting the company line vs. talking to a customer service rep that really empathizes. The authenticity, born of compassion, helps me as the customer to feel heard and cared for. This translates into me feeling like we are collaborating and that, as a company, you really are addressing my needs. If, as a customer, I feel you are loyal to me, then I will be loyal to you—maybe even make a few referrals along the way.