What Does Empathy Have To Do With Your Business?

This blog was originally published as a LinkedIn article in August 2022.

The popular researcher and writer, Brené Brown writes, “Empathy is not connecting to an experience. Empathy is connecting to the emotions that underpin an experience.” We’ve heard so much about how important empathy is to interpersonal relationships and fostering connection with other people but what does it have to do with your business?

The reality is, your circle is not big enough to sustain your business. If you don’t understand the needs, experiences, and emotions of the people outside of your circle, you cannot build a product or service that will matter to them.

How can we build empathy with the people who will become our customers?

Watch and learn - This simple practice will save you a lot of time and heartache. When we pause to observe existing behavior, we can create a visual library of knowledge that leads to asking better questions. We begin to understand the language, actions and rhythms that shape an experience. Doing our own homework first helps us become better at every other step.

Ask questions - Then ask more questions. Research can often feel like a difficult prospect, but think about how you get to know anyone new - you ask them questions about themselves and then follow up questions.

Get outside of your circle - We often turn to our family and friends for perspective and advice. When it comes to your business though you need to move outside of your circle and explore the experiences and emotions of people you may not currently understand.

Notice patterns - Look for patterns of behavior and thought. These things often have nothing to do with who your customer might be but rather what they see, feel, and do. When you focus in on how different people make decisions you can find important patterns that you may not have noticed before.

Record and reference - Keep track of what you find in whatever way is most accessible to you. It does you no good if you write everything down in a notebook and leave it in the back of your drawer. You want to constantly remind yourself about who you are building your product or service around. You can’t do that if your notes are gathering dust somewhere you can’t even remember.

Do it all again - People change. You will need to repeat this pattern over and over as you grow your organization. Curiosity must be continuous.

Practicing these things is a great way to start developing empathy for your customer. When you apply this to your product and service design you will build a business that creates high value for your customer.