Psychologist Daniel Goleman, famous for his work on emotional intelligence, believes understanding the emotions of others is a critical leadership trait.

Empathy isn’t just a positive feeling. It’s a strategic imperative that can transform business in three ways:

1. Enhanced Collaboration and Creativity: Empathetic environments encourage open communication and trust. This leads to more collaboration and innovative ideas. Team members take more creative risks.

2. Improved Satisfaction and Retention: When people feel understood and valued, they’re more satisfied and engaged. Employees, contractors and vendors stay connected with the company, reducing turnover.

3. Stronger Customer Relationships: Empathy impacts how your business engages with customers, leading to deeper customer relationships, improved satisfaction, loyalty and repeat business.

Here’s how to start elevating empathy in your business:

1. Active Listening:
Empathy starts with understanding. Ask open ended questions and make it a priority to listen and reflect back what you hear. Imagine yourself in the other person’s shoes.

2. Lead by Example:
Demonstrate empathy through your actions. Evaluate the performance, not the person, and always provide guidance on how they can improve. Respect every human.

3. Flexible Work Policies:
Recognize that work is only one part of life and personal scheduling conflicts will occur. Balance the imperative to achieve immediate results with long term sustainability.

Empathy works like cosmic alchemy. It’s a powerful catalyst that transforms problems into solutions.