Author: Fabrizio

Training empathy

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We must say “I am sorry” and “thank you” as many time as it is needed to strip the expressions of any trace of shame, defeat, capitulation. We must say that often, over and over again.

Even when we are not fully convinced we should.

Even when the other person’s behaviour does not fully justify it.

Even when there are tens of additional things to take into consideration.

It is one of the most effective ways to train the empathy muscle, and start seeing those around us as human beings that live outside of our narratives.

Give it a try.

Would you?

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Would you buy your own product?

It’s not a difficult question to answer for most founders and executives, but there is a lot more to it that is worth asking.

Would you spend money regularly over a period of time to use your product?

Would you do that after having visited your website?

Would you move away from your main competitor?

Would you click, read and act on any one of the automated emails in your nurture flow?

Would you be engaged by your blog and social media posts?

Would you be ok with being automatically charged once the trial period is over?

Would you accept the LinkedIn invite from one of your sales rep?

Would you work for your company if Google, Apple or Tesla would come knocking?

Would you accept a job offer even knowing how things work at your company?

We should stop dissociating. We are customers and buyers in the first place, we do know what we enjoy to consume and what we spend money on.

It is a very good place to start from.

Hiding

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If there is a feature or a characteristic of your product that consistently keeps your audience from buying, you have one of two options: change the feature, or change the audience.

Hiding the feature, on the other hand, is but a shortsighted and counterproductive trick. You actually want people to know about it as soon as possible, so that you do not end up wasting time with those who consider that a roadblock.

This is something marketing departments often get wrong.

Happiness

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No one is responsible for your happiness but you.

Not your boss, who is delaying your promotion until next year.

Not your partner, who is distracted by their troubles and can’t always give what you would like.

Not your kids, who have been fussy lately, always trying to catch your attention as soon as you start doing something that matters.

Not your friends, who cannot commit to a vacation together for any reason they choose to share.

People around you are important and crucial in supporting your efforts, sharing your values and worldview, making you learn and grow as a human being. Yet, the decisions they make and the actions they take are not the reasons why you are (or are not) happy.

No one is responsible for your happiness but you.

And you are responsible for no one’s happiness but yours.

With this in mind, focus.

In the middle

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As it often happens with complex issues, even the discourse around the current pandemic has been shrinked to a binary matter: economy vs (public) health.

And of course, as with any complex issue, there is much more to take into consideration. There is the problem of parents who are taking care of their kids full-time while also working. There is the problem of foreign students who can’t support themselves for the lack of part-time and seasonal jobs. There is the effect of high level of stress and anxiety on the general well-being, that clearly mostly affects those who already face difficulties in a normal situation (and not only in the US).

If we want to move past (and forward) this serious situation, picking a side is probably not the wisest thing to do right now. Let’s stay in the middle instead, let’s listen to and appreciate the various stories that are emerging, and let’s together envision a future where greys are not squeezed for the sake of polarization.