Empathy Works: The Key to Competitive Advantage in the New Era of Work (Paperback)
The Future of Work has arrived. And it’s powered by empathy.
We are in a period of change. We need to think and act differently. The new world of work is significantly more digitized and decentralized than before—a transformation accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis. We need to orient ourselves differently to be successful, shifting from transactional to human-centric management, mindsets, and methods to deal with the faster pace of business developments, continuing uncertainties, more complex issues, and an increase in multidimensional projects.
In Empathy Works, work futurist, international keynote speaker, popular online course instructor and workforce consultant Sophie Wade shows you why empathy is a critical corporate value, mindset, and skill for improving engagement and productivity, and achieving sustained growth as we emerge from the pandemic. Sharing data and insights from brain science, organizational psychology, as well as real situations, stories, and solutions from around the world, Wade guides you through the steps to cultivate empathy throughout both the Customer Journey and the Employee Journey—encompassing culture and leadership, managing distributed workers, fostering effective sales teams, and bridging generations.
You’ll learn how to integrate empathy habits into management practices and daily operations, nurturing customer experiences empowered by human-centric connection and understanding. You will be able to gain sustainable competitive advantage by cultivating a more supportive, meaningful, and positive workplace as you manage, motivate, and enhance team performance and business results.
An invaluable resource for both established and rising executives and managers, Empathy Works provides you with essential insights and knowledge to adapt, thrive, and grow—no matter what the future holds.
“An insightful and practical must-read for leaders focused on the future.”
-Kirkus Review
“With an engaging style, thoughtful research, and wisdom, Sophie articulates the most critical skill of great leaders and companies – how they listen to, empathize with, and react to their employees and customers. A highly recommended read for leaders and aspirational leaders of tomorrow.”
-Norman de Greve, SVP & CMO, CVS Health
“The past two years have broken all the conventions of work and Empathy Works makes a convincing case for reframing all aspects of corporate life to make it work more effectively for people and the heart of a company’s strategy”.
-Mark Read, CEO of WPP
“The assumption that individuals turn up for just a pay check is clearly outdated. Our expectations of work and the value of work have changed and it’s not just about Gen Z. Increasingly we all expect to see the diversity of our own experiences understood and reflected in our company’s culture including work practices that allow for more flexibility and celebrate inclusivity. Empathy Works is an essential guide to developing one of the most critical leadership tools in the modern workplace. Transactional conversations that focus on the job in hand may seem time efficient but as Sophie illustrates, through a series of case studies and exercises, building empathy with colleagues and customers is key to establishing trust, unlocking creativity and becomes an important source of competitive advantage.”
-Paulette Rowe, CEO of Paysafe