Vodcast # 31 - Empathy in a Diverse Culture is Good for Business by Shiela Cancino

Shiela shared her recent experiences on how she felt with new groups of people she interacted with. The lesson may help you in leading your teams and managing your business.

She ordered pasta and milk tea. The server said, "Would you like this drink instead?"

In her mind, "What is this lady trying to do? I want milk tea!"

The server said, "You'll get more, and I'll give you milk on the side."

Lo and behold, she got her tea in a ceramic kettle and a cup of milk on the side. And, it's nicely done!

Another instance is when she joined a group in Hong Kong. All the community can speak Cantonese, and because she’s a new joiner, they immediately changed the language of the meeting and conversation to English.

Same with another team where they can speak Cantonese, but because they are sensitive that Shiela can't speak the language, they used English to communicate.

Shiela thinks if there are new joiners in the department, being sensitive to what they feel will bring a long way. When they feel that they are valued, surely they will be comfortable to be at their best.

And remember that our clients are not only those who buy our products and services. Our clients are also our employees. When you practice being sensitive to your team members' needs, it will be easy to be sensitive to the needs of your clients that will give you profits.

In summary, being sensitive to your clients' needs, which bring you profits, starts with being sensitive to the needs of your team members.

#Empathy #Sensitivity #BusinessDevelopment #Leadership #TeamBuilding #Engagement #ShielaCancino

About Shiela

Shiela Cancino is the author of “Pawn to Queen, Life’s Chess and Quest”, and founder of The Treasures Finder. She is a Certified ICF coach, a member of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council, and the Hong Kong International Coaching Community. She is a global citizen, originally from the Philippines, and lived in other cities including Bermuda, Cincinnati, Ohio, Bangalore, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Other than playing chess, reading, and book writing, she also loves public speaking. With her "Chess Pawn" speech, she was awarded as the Champion of the JCI World Public Speaking Championship (Hong Kong Selection) 2018 and 1st Runner Up in Toastmasters Division K International Speech Contest in April 2018. She has completed professional speaking programs and a member of Toastmasters and Asia Professional Speaking Singapore.