When I hear the word compassion, I think about the people who embodied it most – I think of iconic historical figures like Mother Teresa, who served the poor and the sick, and Mahatma Ghandi, who urged us to seek a peaceful way. I think, too, about the tireless folks who work the frontlines during this global pandemic who, out of an abundance of compassion or duty (or financial need), continue to support our communities.
Mural by Jeremy Miklas (Vivid Buffalo). Photo from Buffalo Rising.
We recognize that the pandemic hits society’s lowest social classes the most. They continue to be the ones most impacted by loss of work, social isolation, changes to availability of stores and services like public transit, and the list goes on. That’s why we acknowledge our privilege and position and make the most of our opportunities.
My work with large charities like the United Way made me realize that a lot of the time, compassion looks like duty ー a sense of social responsibility to support those in need. While we do have this responsibility, I think the key is to couple compassion with curiosity. That’s what empathy looks like ー concern for the suffering of others, taken one step further to embody a sensitivity to the situations of others as a whole, allowing us to better understand what they are going through. It’s a trait that can be practiced and cultivated to great effect within business - but empathy in business has been discussed plenty of times, especially in the entrepreneurship space (see Entrepreneur, Forbes, HBR, Gary Vaynerchuk’s blog, and others).
Quote and image by Gary Vaynerchuk. He’s an absolute quote machine!
They say the customer is always right. Growing up, that used to mean that whoever I was serving always had their way in the end, above myself. I learned pretty quickly that people did not always have my best interests in mind. Some had malicious intentions or were just trying to get ahead by taking advantage of me. It turns out there is always a right way to deliver service and news that protects my dignity while also recognizing the needs of the customer, providing compassion to both me and the other. Imagine a world where people love themselves and don’t get burnt out - this is the flavour of customer-centricity that helps me live up to that vision.
We are a small team, which has its own challenges. In particular, self judging behaviours put new and exciting ideas at risk when sometimes a third of ideas (or more) never get to the table. To be effective, it was key for us to welcome and accept each other and our contributions wholeheartedly, including our own ideas. I have grown so much during my journey, but this team has been accepting to a degree I have never experienced. They enable me to cultivate a level of self compassion that allows me to be my most effective.
You never know who might share the novel idea that multiplies your efficiency or creates a new product line or convinces an investor. When you work in an environment that enables you to do your best work, awesome things happen. This is a huge part of the inspiration behind the Maker Program (coming soon - get in touch with us!) - a system of processes, products, and insights that enable designers and makers to participate in digital creative. We help turn forward-thinking companies into more organizations that are more inclusive of all ideas in the pursuit of innovation.