Furious customers? Missed deadlines? Failed products? The problems your business faces may stem from a single issue: lack of empathy. Being empathetic at work means seeing the situation from another's perspective, and using that vantage point to shape your leadership style, workplace culture, and branding strategy. Pairing her knowledge as a branding expert with proven research and fascinating stories from executives, change-makers and community leaders, Maria Ross reveals exactly how empathy makes brands and organizations stronger and more successful. Ross shows why your business needs to cultivate more empathy now, and shares the habits and traits of empathetic leaders who foster more productivity and loyalty. She gives practical tips, big and small, for how to align your mission and values and hire the right people, cultivating a more empathetic--and innovative--workplace culture. Finally, she gives you the goods on building your empathetic brand in an authentic and proactive way, and shows how doing so results in happier customers, innovative work cultures and increased profits. In this practical playbook for businesses of all types, Maria Ross proves that empathy is not just good for society--it's great for business, and may transform you at a personal level, too.

"[This book is] an ... examination of how we can respond to suffering, live our fullest lives, and remain open to the full spectrum of our human experience"--Amazon.com.

The 10th Winner of the 2019 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, Awarded by Barbara Kingsolver “What a read this is, right from its startling opening scene. But even more than plot, it’s the richly layered details that drive home a lightning bolt of empathy. To read At the Edge of the Haight is to live inside the everyday terror and longings of a world that most of us manage not to see, even if we walk past it on sidewalks every day. At a time when more Americans than ever find themselves at the edge of homelessness, this book couldn’t be more timely.” —Barbara Kingsolver, author of Unsheltered and The Poisonwood Bible Maddy Donaldo, homeless at twenty, has made a family of sorts in the dangerous spaces of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. She knows whom to trust, where to eat, when to move locations, and how to take care of her dog. It’s the only home she has. When she unwittingly witnesses the murder of a young homeless boy and is seen by the perpetrator, her relatively stable life is upended. Suddenly, everyone from the police to the dead boys’ parents want to talk to Maddy about what she saw. As adults pressure her to give up her secrets and reunite with her own family before she meets a similar fate, Maddy must decide whether she wants to stay lost or be found. Against the backdrop of a radically changing San Francisco, a city which embraces a booming tech economy while struggling to maintain its culture of tolerance, At the Edge of the Haight follows the lives of those who depend on makeshift homes and communities. As judge Hillary Jordan says, “This book pulled me deep into a world I knew little about, bringing the struggles of its young, homeless inhabitants—the kind of people we avoid eye contact with on the street—to vivid, poignant life. The novel demands that you take a close look. If you knew, could you still ignore, fear, or condemn them? And knowing, how can you ever forget?”

This critical resource gives managers, HR, and anyone who may come into contact with someone in trauma—including workplace violence, harassment, assault, illness, addiction, fraud, bankruptcy, and more—the tools they need to be prepared for what lies ahead. This book is crucial for every manager or HR representative who shouldn’t just prepare to one day be faced with a report of a traumatic experience at work, but plan on it. This five-step method will help managers make survivors feel supported and understood. The Empathetic Workplace guides supervisors of any level through an understanding of how stories of trauma impact the brain of both the survivor and the listener, as well as the tools to handle the interaction appropriately, to help the listener, the organization, and most importantly, the survivor. The easy-to-follow LASER method outlined in these pages includes the following elements that all managers should know and understand: Listen-Controlling your own reaction, managing your body language, asking open-ended questions, hearing what is not being said, and winding down the speaker when the conversation becomes unproductive are essential elements in being a good listener. Acknowledge-Once someone shares a difficult personal story with you, it is important to acknowledge that gift. Share-You can help the speaker regain some measure of control by sharing information with him or her about what happened or what happens next, your personal or organizational values, and what you don’t yet know but hope to learn. Empower-You can help the traumatized person by providing him or her with resources that are available to them through the company or outside groups. Return-The final step is to ensure that the traumatized person has a way to come back later when he or she cannot remember all that you said, thinks of more questions, or wishes for updates. The LASER technique can benefit all who are responsible for others, from top-tier managers at Fortune 500 companies to Residence Advisors in college dormitories.

With a revised understanding of the science and philosophy behind human needs, businesses will be better equipped to provide long-term satisfaction for their customers. Mark uncovers a framework that will help businesses identify human needs and incorporate this perspective into strategy, and then focuses each chapter on a specific emotional need.

What happens when media technologies are able to interpret our feelings, emotions, moods, and intentions? In this cutting edge new book, Andrew McStay explores that very question and argues that these abilities result in a form of technological empathy. Offering a balanced and incisive overview of the issues raised by ‘Emotional AI’, this book: Provides a clear account of the social benefits and drawbacks of new media trends and technologies such as emoji, wearables and chatbots Demonstrates through empirical research how ‘empathic media’ have been developed and introduced both by start-ups and global tech corporations such as Facebook Helps readers understand the potential implications on everyday life and social relations through examples such as video-gaming, facial coding, virtual reality and cities Calls for a more critical approach to the rollout of emotional AI in public and private spheres Combining established theory with original analysis, this book will change the way students view, use and interact with new technologies. It should be required reading for students and researchers in media, communications, the social sciences and beyond.

“We are all connected on a neurobiological level far more than we have previously realized. Consciously or not, we are in constant, natural resonance with one another’s feelings. When we are engaged in shared mind awareness, the possibilities for mutual aid and collaborative problem solving abound.” —Helen Riess, MD A Revolutionary Guide for Understanding and Changing the Way We Connect Empathy is undergoing a new evolution. In a global and interconnected culture, we can no longer afford to identify only with people who seem to be a part of our “tribe.” As Dr. Helen Riess has learned, our capacity for empathy is not just an innate trait—it is also a skill that we can learn and expand. With The Empathy Effect, Dr. Riess presents a definitive resource on empathy: the science behind how it works, new research on how empathy develops from birth to adulthood, and tools for building your capacity to create authentic emotional connection with others in any situation. Dr. Riess emerged as leading researcher on empathy by creating a breakthrough training curriculum now used internationally in health care, business, and education. Drawing from this successful program and the latest science, she presents: • The E.M.P.A.T.H.Y.® method—a powerful seven-step system for understanding and increasing empathy, starting with Eye Contact and ending with Your Response • How empathy works—a comprehensive synthesis emerging from neuroscience, sociology, developmental psychology, and evolutionary theory • Tools for recognizing and promoting empathic behavior in yourself and others • Parenting and teaching empathy in kids—guidance for every stage of development • Texts, emojis, and digital empathy—the modern challenge of authentic connection in the information age • Empathy through art and literature—exploring the power of creative expression to expand our emotional experience • Leading with empathy—how political and business leaders can combine compassion with efficiency through group empathy skills and shared mind intelligence • Digging deep for empathy—how to reverse scapegoating and recognize shared humanity with those we normally keep at a distance • Self-compassion—why your ability to express love toward yourself affects every other relationship in your life “Nourishing empathy lets us help not just ourselves,” says Dr. Riess, “but also everyone we interact with, whether for a moment or a lifetime.” The Empathy Effect is a life-changing book that will revolutionize the way you understand yourself, relate to your loved ones, and connect to every person in your life.

Set in Silicon Valley, this is a beautiful love story which weaves in and out of two parallel themes--that of training the mind to practice empathy at every moment of life, and that of strong prejudices against dusky women in south Asian societies. It underscores the core theme that humans crave to be accepted, to be respected, and to be loved.

Have you ever... - Felt victimized, been swindled or lied to by your best friend; - Loaned money to loved ones who squandered the gift and never paid you back; - Had to fight unscrupulous prosecutors for your freedom; - Been forced to defend yourself from your vengeful ex or your ungrateful children; - Bumped into a beguiling, but shifty, stranger? If so, you've crossed paths with someone operating with Empathy Dysfunction (EmD). In this book, psychologist, Dr. Kathy Marshack, helps you not only understand why this is happening, but how to protect yourself from those hell-bent on destroying you. Narcissists, sociopaths, addicts, brain injured, autistics, a vengeful ex, corrupt city officials and greedy neighbors. What do these people have in common? According to Licensed Psychologist, Dr. Kathy Marshack, they all lack empathy. She ought to know. She endured a 12-year perfect storm of divorce, lawsuits, assaults, cyberstalking, false arrests, predatory prosecution, and the loss of her children to parental alienation. Throughout all these experiences she noticed there was a common theme, namely people with Empathy Dysfunction (EmD). Dr. Kathy Marshack does more than share her unbelievable true story, she shares: - Hard-learned lessons on how to stand up for yourself when dealing with people who could literally care less about you. - A way to identify those with a dysfunctional lack of empathy using the new Empathy Dysfunction Scale (EmD Scale), so you can shield yourself from the destruction they leave in their wake. - Clues you should never ignore for your own safety - like a rotten neighbor, friends who start believing the nasty gossip spread by your ex-partner, or a nagging feeling you're being watched. Pay attention, it may be because "they" really are out to get you. - Warrior training to protect yourself from dangerous people. If you've been hurt just once, or maybe too many times to count, by a person with EmD, apply the warrior training in this book, increase your own empathy to a higher level, and reclaim the beautiful life you are meant to live.

An estimated one in 20 people has a natural talent for perceptiveness. Could you be one of them? Usually they are unskilled empaths, which means they suffer from such problems as emotional instability, apparent co-dependence, low self-esteem, or hypochondria. This book explains how to improve the quality of life by turning off unwanted empathy. The how-to techniques also demonstrate how to turn empathy on. At will. Bigger than ever before. Interspersed with her teaching, Rosetree describes elusive spiritual travels that are sometimes humorous, sometimes moving, and consistently mind-boggling. Rosetree's pioneering discoveries will also revolutionise how you understand empathy. You will learn why it happens and how it goes far beyond 'Emotional Intelligence' or 'sympathy'. True empathy, you will discover, comes in many varieties, including physical, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional gifts. Although an increasing number of authors today discuss empathy, Rosetree is the one who will satisfy you if you are really an empath. The depth and scope of her work will bring you relief.