Compassion and empathy; fundamental to successful business
By Shefali Mehta and Elena Tsakakis
The past year has tested many of us in ways we have not been tested before. The agitation from a volatile U.S. election against the backdrop of global geopolitical unrest, a year of protests and a raging pandemic are testing our system; the cracks and fissures are exacerbated, the strengths and gaps apparent. The same is true for us as individuals living through these shocks to our system. We are forced to face ourselves, our beliefs and test the strength of our values in these moments of crisis. As we navigate these challenges together, the values that hold us together strain and the way we show compassion to ourselves and others becomes increasingly important.
“Why do we remain so skeptical of the very human and very important traits of compassion and empathy?”
In a time defined by disruption at the root of society highlighting the issues and contradictions of the current system, a time when we arguably all need a little extra compassion, a little extra empathy and a little extra care, why are we so quick and proud to exclude these values from corporate business models?
When corporations are leading movements towards diverse cultures, inclusive work environments and now faced with addressing the challenges associated with blurred lines between work and home life, why do the behaviors and sentiments in the corporate world remain unchanged, with the focus on increasing revenue and demanding productivity despite the many external factors influencing our daily lives? We are not showing ourselves grace as we navigate these shifts together, and the corporate business model remains intact, dominant.
Open Rivers was founded with compassion and empathy as core values of the business model, defining the way we approach problems, collaborate with clients, and share our work. While perhaps not the norm, including these values was inspired by an interaction with a senior executive several years ago, whose actions seemed myopic and trivial relative to the size of the problem we were addressing. He moved slowly and without much care for the impact on employees. The frustration was inevitable, and only increased when a good friend and colleague was compassionate towards this executive’s predicament. Why feel compassion for someone who towers over others, earns millions a year and has seemingly little to complain about? Yet, by approaching this individual with compassion and empathy results not only in a better understanding of their position, but better support movement towards a solution. While this is certainly not the only time that compassion and empathy have proven their value in the corporate world, it serves as an example for the strategic benefits of incorporating the values that connect us into the business model.
Compassion not only facilitates open and kind relationships, but it helps from a strategic perspective. Compassion creates solutions that actually take into account elements that would typically be overlooked, and impacts the priorities of decision-making. Imagine how decisions would be made if the focus was not just money, but the health of employees, the health of the environment and the longevity of tangible results. Compassion broadens and incorporates metrics beyond money and away from systems that emphasize profitability, shareholders and projections with little considerations beyond.
Compassion is particularly relevant in agriculture and the environment, fields defined by a myriad of complex, intertwined problems that stretch over time and space. Compassion helps focus novel thought on the environment, on financial viability, on sustainability, both corporate and otherwise, and on ancestral wisdom. As a guiding principle, compassion moves beyond the financial-focused approach that has guided the agricultural industry for so long and explores outcomes with producer needs at the forefront. As we’re seeing and experiencing, the system is in desperate need of solutions that prioritize the environment and producers’ wellbeing, while still yielding enough food to feed a growing population.
In partnership and in support of compassion, is empathy. Empathy also changes decision-making, from how we look at hiring, to how we treat employees, to how we consider what we make and what we do. Empathy can be a challenge; it is easy to empathize with people who are like us, in situations that we can identify with and understand. But the beauty of empathy is the opposite. Empathy allows us to connect with people who are nothing like us, to step back and explore a new perspective. It beckons us to investigate how we can think more inclusively.
“Empathy allows us to put aside our own preconceived notions and beliefs to truly understand others despite our different drivers, backgrounds and worldviews. ”
Truthfully, the full strength of empathy is rarely utilized. There is a lot, and even more so recently, written about what it means to define and build a healthy, diverse and inclusive work culture. However, you cannot simultaneously maintain and diversify a culture. By definition, the act of diversifying means allowing your culture to flex, evolve and move away from the original definitions. This dilemma prevents companies from going beyond marginal changes towards building diversity as they cling to the culture they were first introduced to. We must be willing to consider and embrace that diversifying will (and should) change company culture. Avoiding this simply means avoiding true change, growth and diversification. The key enabler to building and diversifying culture in a healthy way, is having empathy for people with different perspectives and approaches.
Compassion and empathy are powerful values that unlock the potential for authentic, impactful work, but incorporating these values into business takes effort. These values do not always naturally emerge in organizations, even though they are part of all humans. Thus, they require active intention and investment.
So, why do it? Why add on the extra stress and extra steps?
Because compassion and empathy are beautiful, important and uniquely human characteristics. If and when things start to crumble, these values hold us together in ways that profitability cannot.
These values provide connection to our world, and allow us to share in the joy of making it a better one.