Mimi Nicklin takes a look at the global “empathy deficit”, its impact on the world of business

Mimi Nicklin is host of the popular Empathy for Breakfast show. Softening the Edge unpacks the science and demonstrates the value of empathy in the business world.

Mimi Nicklin takes a look at the global “empathy deficit”

Mimi Nicklin takes a look at the global empathy deficit, its impact on the world of business and unpacks the value of the world’s oldest leadership trait.

Mimi Nicklin is host of the popular Empathy for Breakfast show. Softening the Edge unpacks the science and demonstrates the value of empathy in the business world. As well as exploring the role of empathy as a driver of improved emotional wellbeing, the book makes a compelling commercial case for leaders and brands to use more empathy when it comes to both customer and employee engagement.

The worsening empathy deficit is something that has been highlighted a lot in the media recently, most recently in the US presidential election. In fact, according to a study by the University of Michigan, empathy levels have fallen by a staggering 40% in the last 10 years, so it’s no wonder that the world feels more polarised and less kind.

The author was inspired to write the book by her own experience in turning around the fortunes of a failing business. She combines this experience with insights from some of the world’s most powerful opinion leaders, including President Barack Obama, Jacinda Ardern and Oprah Winfrey. She explains how empathy helped her transform her new workplace from a place of fear, to one where happiness reigned and, as a result, creativity and business thrived.

This book was written before the COVID-19 pandemic, but many of the issues raised are perhaps even more prevalent now. The arguments the author makes for the need for empathetic influence and regenerative leadership are clearly critical now that the pandemic has introduced so much uncertainty and heaped added pressure on to the world of work. 

Softening the Edge is part business tool, part corporate culture guide and part social eye opener. It shows how by harnessing and exercising empathy for employees, customers and each other we can reverse the trend, build happier, more productive businesses and create a kinder, healthier world. 

In a world where ambiguity is the new normal and standards of leadership are questionable, the world’s oldest leadership trait and an empathy intervention could just be the answer we are all searching for.

Softening the Edge by Mimi Nicklin is out now, published by Dreamwork Collective, priced £10.95

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sally Anne Butters
Sally Anne Butters
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