These days, it’s more important than ever to consider the needs and wants of other people when it comes to running a business or advancing in your career field.
Mistrust of commercial entities are at an all-time low (just look at United Airline’s flops of late), so any person or company that demonstrates in a real way that they care will have an immediate edge over their competitors.
Robert Bassam has long been conscious about treating others with the care and respect they deserve. Apart from helping customers get the used cars that best fit their needs and his long standing involvement in local charities, he also was conscious of his own success when others were losing their jobs during the Great Recession.
He exhibited modesty by driving a Hyundai Accent during that time instead of using his BMW, as he didn’t feel it was right to rub his wealth in the faces of those fearful for their livelihoods.
Want to learn how to have empathy for others in the same way? This article will break down a few points that will help you consider the feelings of others more effectively.
1) Imagine yourself in the shoes of others
Even if you have never experienced poverty, or have lost your job with no realistic future prospects of attaining a job with a similar pay grade, you can perform an intellectual exercise that can immediately allow you to express empathy that is authentic.
Think about having to choose between paying the rent, buying groceries, or covering the power bill, and you’ll quickly get what we mean.
Imagine making a living with a high school diploma, only to be sent to the unemployment line at age 50, where all the jobs required to service your life require a college education that you don’t have the money or time to acquire.
Once you realize how terrible these situations are, you will begin to see their side of the debate.
2) Put yourself in ‘fish out of water’ scenarios
Sometimes, it is not enough to simply think about the plight of other people. By voluntarily putting yourself in a position where you can see or experience the problems they experience, you can develop a greater understanding of their situation.
Whether you take a vow of poverty for a week (buying groceries on a super restrictive budget), volunteer at a soup kitchen, or travel to poor countries while immersing yourself in the local culture, these steps will allow you to experience feelings you have likely never felt before.
3) Be curious about those different from yourself
When you are sitting on the bus and see someone covered in tattoos, it can be easy to make stereotypical inferences about their life story and how they have arrived at this present point in their life.
Instead of doing that, however, why not step out of your comfort zone and actually strike up a conversation with them?
By asking about the meaning of their body art, and truly listening instead paying them lip service, you’ll be opening yourself up to an evolution of your view of the world and other people.