The thing about being empathetic is that it’s not all smiles.
In real life, true empathy drills down into unhappiness.
You don’t just feel when the client is happy – you feel when they’re feeling anything.
Angry letters from dissatisfied customers. Negative feedback from partners.
Stuff that’s easy to downplay and push aside at the time in favor of the narrative we want to have about our work.
We tell ourselves it’s meaningful, the service is great, people love us, etc.
But being empathetic means you don’t ignore the cries of pain.
It means listening – even when what’s being said is hard to hear.
