On Empathy.

The most important skill to develop as a marketer is empathy, which is commonly defined as “seeing things from others’ perspective “ or “putting yourself in other people’s shoes.” Although often used interchangeably, I believe that these two statements are subtly different in a profound way. The fundamental difference in my opinion is that seeing things from other people’s perspective is an intellectual exercise, while putting ourselves in other people’s shoes creates a visceral experience.

For a company, this translates into moving away from trying to figure out what customers want, to "walking a mile" in their shoes. The question in fact should not be "What do customers want?" but rather, "What would I - as a customer - want?"

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, famously creates this visceral experience by leaving one seat open at every meeting to remind himself and his team to continually put themselves in the place of the customer.

At Apple, they do not do market research to ask customers what they want. They simply design for themselves. They try to solve problems that they, as individuals, have. Additionally, they create features that delight them. They understand that if they design for themselves first, it will likely translate into the experience of millions of people. Only then do they carefully listen to customers' feedback.

For a global company like Apple, to try to see things from others' perspectives would be impossible because their customer base is so wide and diverse. Instead, they gamble on the simple fact that as people, our fundamental needs are the same. In designing for themselves first, they have a better chance to innovate and create products and services that transcend race, gender, culture and other socio-economic factors.

So how do we develop empathy? Once again, the answer is found within. The more you will know yourself, the more empathy you will have because you will be able to see and hear yourself in others. You will come to understand that as people, so much more unites us than divides us. You will see yourself in others’ hopes, dreams, desires, fear, biases and behaviors even when they do not exactly mirror yours. The path inward requires contemplation and self-inquiry, which in my personal experience take the form of daily meditation and journaling.

Spend more time in silence, getting to know yourself, for it's your only doorway to others’ experiences. It will enhance your empathy muscle and thus enable you to communicate with others, through Your Work, at a more profound level. Your Work will resonate and transcend socio-cultural artificial barriers because it speaks to something fundamental about the human experience.