Empathy and Trust

As with all human communication, empathy is a balance.

Swing too far towards “sympathy,” and your brain may react to another person’s source of pain as if it were your own.

On the other hand, being too detached by applying clinical and logic-based observation can result in a lack of connection with others.?

So, how do you find this balance as a growth leader and earn long-term trust?

Your Brain on Empathy

Amelia Haynes, an associate researcher at the Korn Ferry Institute, put together a high-level summary in “The Brain on Empathy ” in issue 50 of their Briefings Magazine.

According to Amelia, the three primary empathy components are:

• Cognitive empathy - the ability to intellectually walk in someone else’s shoes. More hypothetical, and usually associated with a business context.
• Sympathy - also known as emotional empathy is the ability to feel someone’s pain as if it were your own. The most common association when we think of empathy.
• Compassion - sometimes called empathetic care, allows a person to put their ego aside in the service of helping others.

The crux of Amelia’s argument is that empathy cannot be applied in a work environment using a one-size-fits-all or formulaic approach. Every situation is different. However, when we apply all three empathy components, we see the greatest impact on employees, customers, and partners.

Earning and nurturing meaningful business relationships starts and ends with our ability to empathize with others. Losing the human connection can quickly tarnish a business relationship.

Empathy Completes the Trust Trio

Adjusting the empathy blend of these components in different situations will allow you to better leverage your strong authenticity and transparency beliefs in growth situations.

When you combine all three, the empathy you demonstrate to others will not come across as fake or part of an ulterior motive because of some lack of transparency.

To better demonstrate this, let’s have a look at our old friend, the Venn diagram.?

Of course, there will always be situational value when only two principles intersect. And fine-tuning all three in equal measure increases your trustworthiness to the highest possible level.

How does this concept apply to those in a growth-focused role without turning them into a so-called “dark empath”? Or, put a different way, avoiding the use of empathy in a way that is only geared towards personal gain?

Empathy in Growth Roles

The most successful growth organizations spend considerable time understanding customers' most acute problems and helping them measure how painful those problems are.

When we talk about “pain” in the context of business problems, it can take a few different forms. Ultimately, the pain has to be big enough for a customer to take action by moving away from the status quo that no longer serves them.

Helping others is where empathy provides the biggest impact.

By demonstrating an authentic desire to help others (compassion), and taking a service-oriented mindset, you signal to your customers that you:

• Would like to better understand the root cause of their pain
• Are willing to work with them on quantifying these issues
• Can provide guidance, even if the solution doesn’t involve you
• Would like to earn the right to be one of their trusted advisors

It’s human nature to want to help others, but not all sales organizations are created equal. Not all sales organizations understand the need for empathy and its long-tern value value.?

A Better Way

The worst offenders in the B2B sales world focus on implementing sales methodologies that are driven by high-pressure buyer manipulation. This approach is the exact opposite of a trust-based, transparent sales team.

In effect, they are using weaponized empathy to crack the defenses of a buyer just enough to push their personal ego-based agenda. This is not the way.

Luckily, high-performing modern growth leaders are more adept at putting their egos and sales quotas aside in the service of their clients. And are they rewarded over the long run for this close buyer partnership?

Absolutely.

Buyers stop feeling like they are being manipulated when they have a trusted partner by their side for the long journey ahead.

Growth leaders that lead from a point of service and empathize with their customers operate from a higher level of trust.?

Durable Trust

The best growth organizations on the planet view business transactions as one single step on a long journey. New business account deals, while critical to growing a company, establish the initial foundation for conducting value-added activities that serve clients in the best way.?

As Amelia Haynes summed up in her article:

Leaders must pay attention to the nuances of empathy. They must actively work to develop their interpersonal skills—and do so across all dimensions. It is essential to building deep, meaningful relationships and, in turn, loyalty.

By leaning on transparency, authenticity, and empathy, modern B2B sellers will create a trust-based culture of resiliency and durability.?

A strong culture based on these three core principles creates loyalty throughout the organization and among customers, ensuring businesses can weather any market condition.