Page 36 - Kindness - No Forward

Silver Rule #4
The Rule of Empathy:

We Must Show We Care for the Other Person’s Situation

“To understand everything makes one tolerant.”
-Germaine de Stael

People want to be understood.

They want to deal with someone who understands their problems, their
fears, their worries, the “stuff” they carry around with them every day.

They keep coming back to the people and the companies who say with
their actions and attitude, “I understand….I want to help.”

People Seek Out Others Who Understand Them

Alcoholics Anonymous, divorce recovery groups, Mothers Against Drunk
Driving; all of these groups and hundreds more are popular because
people can surround themselves with others who have “been there”,
people who understand what is going on, people who can empathize with
their situations and their feelings…people who have shared the same
experiences.

Customers, prospects, family members, virtually everyone will go out of
their way to be around people who understand them. And they will avoid
those who show that they don’t.

Do you really want to spend time with someone who says (either verbally
or nonverbally), “I don’t care about you or your problems?”

I can remember as a child having problems at school or with friends. I
would go to my mother, who would comfort me by telling me that she had
been there, that she understood, and that it was going to be all right.

That’s empathy. The warmth of a mother’s arms, a feeling that is
communicated as “I understand….I care….I’ve been there.” Parents tend
to empathize with children.

It is time for employers to empathize with employees, for companies to
empathize with customers.

Take a look at the annual lists of companies who make up the 100 best
places to work. You’ll find examples of firms who understand the needs of
single parents, people facing retirement, employees who want to further