THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Applied empathy: a revolutionary approach to leadership

Applied empathy: a revolutionary approach to leadership

HOW CAN we be viable in today’s changing world? What do we do to weather the rampaging storm of digital disruption? When will the next storm of disruption surge again?

These questions certainly challenge leaders to pull their organisations through the storm. But do you think existing marketing principles, approaches and strategies suffice the effort? Are there any new methodologies that remain unexplored?
I have worked extensively with many CEOs and top executives from numerous organisations and found many who are resilient to rapid changes whereas many others who are still reluctant as to where and how to begin the journey. Delving into the issue, we found the main reason for this problem being a trap of past achievements or dated approaches which inhibit a timely change.

Three risks of business crisis
A fast-moving world: The truth is even when we have 24 hours just like before but the world changes every second. Unlike the past, these changes are unpredictable and leave us with little to no time to brace for impact. Rather than being complacent, organisation leaders and their people should be vigilant for the quick and the unexpected, ready for impromptu correction and reskilling to thrive resiliently in the fast-changing business world.
Resting on your past achievements leads to a downfall: Be aware that new challenges and opportunities always come up in the disruptive business landscape. 
Sticking to the old ways and past achievements is neither a way to survive nor a formula for sustainable success. Leaders must be able to rediscover how to deal with new challenges. Even recurring challenges that you’ve tackled before doesn’t necessarily call for the same approach every time. Good leaders shall demonstrate new and smarter ways to face recurring challenges more effectively.
Cosmetic change isn’t enough: Stop deceiving yourself that you’re abreast of others in the disruptive world if your change is only superficial. The needed change is actually not the minor adjustments but a multidimensional, radical transformation: to rework the entire organisation including structure, process, people and mindset. Even if you are already able to adapt quickly, bear in mind that this doesn’t guarantee that you would consistently stay ahead or others may not be able to surpass you. 
As the world is getting increasingly complex and interrelated, to keep the leading pace or even to simply exist in today’s business world, the prerequisites have extended beyond knowing merely your competitors, the market shares, the world’s megatrends and consumer behaviours. Instead, to take the lead, you must explore new methods and that is finding your business empathic opportunities. 
This is to say that, as the world becomes increasingly more complex and interdependent, it’s extremely critical that we train our ability to shift our perspective as a means to obtain greater understanding about a system to seek new prospects. 
In details, empathy is about understanding and about seeing the perspective of others. It isn’t at all about being soft or weak and has nothing to do with sympathy. Take a look at the most successful examples of empathy. 
First, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft has used empathy to revive the falling company. He didn’t only bring the company out of impending doom, but also significantly increased market value. And he did all that by transforming the mindset of Microsoft and its people from ego to empathy.
Second, Michael Ventura, CEO of award winning agency Sub Rosa, used the same concept of empathy to solve complex problems of his clients. They worked with General Electric (GE) on solving the problem of women’s fear of going to their mammography appointment. With empathy, they created a space for these women to share their experiences and through this, were able to solve the problem.
Both Nadella and Ventura proved that empathy isn’t a passing fad – it is a lifestyle that you as a business leader must live and inspire your people to live. Empathy can be practised in many different ways and it can be used to solve problems. 
In this highly disruptive world where changes become the new normal and problems become complicated, to solve them in the most effective way, taking into account the different angles of the problem is necessary. With empathy, you might even come up with a hybrid of different solutions that can solve even the most complex problems in your organisation. 
But this can only happen if you’re willing to open your mind.
When there’s so much proven power that empathy holds, shouldn’t you grab that opportunity and bring your organisation to a whole new level of success?

Contributed by Arinya Talerngsri, Chief Capability Officer and Managing Director at SEAC (formerly APMGroup), Southeast Asia’s leading Executive, Leadership and Innovation Capability Development Center. 
She can be reached by email at [email protected] or https://www.linkedin.com/in/arinya-talerngsri-53b81aa 
For daily updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/seasiacenter 
 

nationthailand