DWEN - Dell Womens Entrepreneur Network Logo

Vozes dos membros
Ler

The Empathetic
CEO

com
Sherry Stewart Deutschmann
of BrainTrust

O CEO Empático

By Sherry Deutschmann, Founder & CEO of BrainTrust

Have you ever had an aggressive driver cut you off to merge into your lane, forcing you to slam on the brakes? Did you angrily honk the horn at them? Or worse? But what if you knew that the driver was rushing to the emergency room to meet the ambulance that was bringing her husband to the hospital? What if you knew that she’d just gotten back on the road after repairing a flat tire on the way to a job interview after being unemployed for six months? Would that change your reaction?

What’s going on when you consider this scenario? Empathy. Empathy caused you to soften and yield because you can visualize how YOU might be driving in that same situation. And you start caring about her, hoping and praying she gets there in time. You start pulling for her.

What is empathy anyway? The Urban Dictionary defines it as “Being tuned in to the needs and feelings of another person.” How much of that stuff do you have for your employees?

Before I started my business, I was a hardworking, dedicated employee. I gave my best to my company, only to be ignored and marginalized by my superiors. I quickly realized that the company didn’t seem to care about me or the customer. The quality of products and services we provided was steadily declining and I saw no evidence that my boss cared about the negative effects of our service on the customer and their clients. This lack of empathy is what caused me
to leave that company and to start a business in my basement, competing with them.

When I took a risk and cashed out my 401K to launch my own business, there was little to indicate I’d be successful. I had only a high school education and no formal leadership training. Heck, I’d never even READ a business plan, much less WROTE one, but what I had in spades, was empathy.

About that time, I read the book Nuts about how Southwest Airlines was launched with the idea that if the company took great care of the flight crew, they’d be happy and attentive to the passengers, and the passengers would be happy as a result. The happy passengers were then loyal to Southwest, causing them to be outrageously successful even as other airlines faltered. As Herb Kelleher, the Southwest founder stated: “A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.”

I took that lesson to heart and deliberately chose an empathic, employee-first model for my company, LetterLogic. It wasn’t about buzzwords on a mission statement. It was something we lived daily. It was a core differentiator that allowed us to emerge as an industry leader and, in the process, challenge preconceived notions about how organizations should think of their talent.

Building empathy at work requires thought and attention. Walk among your employees today and wonder to yourself: “What unique challenges did she face on the way into work this morning? What is his household like at night when he comes home from work? What dreams are they putting on hold to work in this company just to pay the bills? What policies have I put in place that make their job harder? What is one thing I could do to make her happier and more
productive in her work?” When you start putting yourself in their shoes, you’ll likely see ways in which you can be a better leader, a leader that people want to follow.

At LetterLogic, we didn’t offer assistance to first-time homebuyers because some playbook told us we should; we did it because I recall the feeling of liberation, of exhilaration when I was handed the keys to the first home I owned. It was such a turning point! It was the key to building a stable financial foundation and peace of mind that enabled me to be a better mom, a better employee, and a better citizen.

When we moved to make our minimum starting wage $16 an hour even though the State of Tennessee would allow us to pay only $7.25, it was because we reflected on what our employees would need to be able to pay their bills, have their kids live and play in a safe neighborhood, and have enough left over to be able to save for their retirement. Why? I remembered being worried sick about whether or not I had enough gas in my car to get home after work; how that paralyzed me and prevented me from being able to focus on my job. Empathy was the underlying trait that compelled me to make sure our people were truly paid a fair living wage.

My decision to create formal and informal opportunities to listen to employees was designed to ensure they had a voice in our decisions. I launched a practice we called “Lunch with Lucy,” whereby on Wednesdays I became my alter-ego, Lucy, and any employee could have lunch with me to talk about THEMSELVES. They’d pick the restaurant and who else (if anyone) would be with us at the table, and I’d listen to them. I learned so much! It was the most important time I
spent each week.

So what was the result of all this caring? These tactics enabled us to grow fast enough to make the Inc. 5000 list for 10 consecutive years, and to grow, debt-free, to a $40 million company. It enabled us to be the most expensive in the business, with a net promoter score of 97.

Yes, empathy is innate, with some scientists arguing that you either have it or you don’t and that it can’t be taught. I argue, however, that it can be contagious, that you can absolutely infect others with your caring – that by leading the way, you can model empathic behavior, creating a ripple effect in your company. I saw it happen. LetterLogic paved the way.

About Sherry Stewart Deutschmann, Founder & CEO of BrainTrust

Sherry Deutschmann is a serial entrepreneur, author, and passionate advocate for entrepreneurship. In 2019, Sherry founded BrainTrust, a company dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Prior to founding BrainTrust, Sherry was founder and CEO of LetterLogic, Inc., a company she grew to $40 Million and sold in 2016. LetterLogic was named an INC 5000 company (fastest growing privately held businesses in the US) for ten consecutive years.

Sobre as vozes dos membros da DWEN

Os membros da DWEN são convidados a compartilhar seus conhecimentos, experiências, técnicas de resolução de problemas conquistadas com dificuldade ou lições aprendidas. Agradecemos seus envios de apresentações ou artigos sofisticados e prontos para publicação para publicação em DWEN.com e boletins informativos, ou usados em um webinar ao vivo para membros. Contribuir com sua própria experiência é uma ótima maneira de inspirar outros fundadores, estabelecer conexões mais profundas e fortalecer sua própria marca. Cause seu impacto na comunidade DWEN enviando para Member Voices.

Português do Brasil