Leading with Empathy
“Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care." – Theodore Roosevelt
While it’s important to define an organization’s long- and short-term vision and goals, companies are not built on policy and mandates alone. Companies are founded upon human connection where actions speak far louder than words. So, when you communicate with empathy, you are in a stronger position to motivate teams into believing that they are creating something meaningful. Not just for the company, but also for themselves.
It’s impossible to deliver on objectives without understanding the inner workings of your teams, people, and by extension, your customers.
By creating an environment of open communication and useful feedback, companies that care commit to putting themselves in another person's shoes. Devoting time and energy to exploring problems, they find innovative solutions that take into account how the ‘personal’ drives the ‘professional’ in every organization.
Adaptive policies
As part Al Masaood Automobiles, part of the Al Masaood Grop, we believe that strong and committed corporations guide their teams not just from the front, but also within. Our employees hail from many different cultures and backgrounds. Being a multi-cultural company is what keeps us united. We are focused on how we can recognize and understand a common humanity in each other.
Each one of us approaches everything we do with a people-driven approach. We consciously try to understand a different point of view. Every company decision has a broader community-oriented goal and purpose.
Because of this we are QUICK – we can quickly reflect and pivot to the ever-evolving markets and its shifting requirements. In a disruptive year, a year that has demanded constant readjustments to SOPs, we have been swift to meet personnel and customer needs with solutions that solve problems and make life easier for everyone, such as by launching the region’s first car buying e-commerce platform and setting up omni-channels so that you can buy a car from your couch (if you wanted to). We are in an era where people want “convenience” after all.
Wellbeing for all
Empathy requires insight into both a state of being and a state of mind. As a company, we are driven to anticipate the needs of our customers before they manifest themselves. The COVID-19 pandemic has reiterated our belief in the importance of empathy as a core organizational doctrine.
The Wiqaya Project established by Al Masaood Group, a fantastic initiative led by Mr Meiraj Hussain, Head of Corporate Support and Group HR, by delivering on this very principle:
The best way to communicate understanding is through action.
Focusing on providing a helping hand through innovative solutions that ensure business continuity, the project builds on Al Masaood's preparedness to address challenging situations.
It focuses on four main principles:
· The wellbeing of all Al Masaood’s employees and customers
· Launching new and effective virtual ways of working to reduce unnecessary interactions
· Accelerating the adoption of new work mechanisms, technologies and apps to facilitate business
· Anticipating global economic scenarios while taking proactive measures to minimize the long-term effects of COVID-19 within the company and at home.
Through job loss insurance schemes and business continuity plans, we have put the needs of all employees first to help them weather this period of uncertainty with maximum support. Additionally, with sanitation after car servicing, 24-hour key drop off service at AMA centres, tire delivery options, car drop-off and pick-up facilities, and test drives at a customer’s choice of location, we anticipate and meet customer needs, and deliver on safety for everyone.
Messages with resonance
The best thing to come out of a difficult situation? We learn empathy. We are all in this together. When we persevere through the difficult times, we develop deeper bonds of trust and understanding.
I encourage you – go beyond a standard-issue value statement. Allow for compassionate reflection. Organizations that build an enduring legacy apply empathy to solving problems, managing disruptions (even global scale ones) and conflicts to drive innovation.
As a corporate competency, empathy gives you greater awareness of the needs of others.
With trust, respect and professionalism at the core of your business ethos, the only way is up – better connected, stronger and more resilient than ever.
About the author
Irfan Tansel: Global Citizen and CEO of Al Masaood Automobiles
With over 40 years of experience spanning across three continents, Irfan Tansel is recognized as ‘100 inspiring leaders in the Middle East’ by Arabian Business magazine and ‘CEO of the Year’ by CEO Magazine, and he is driven to disrupt the automotive industry and to create a legacy.
Irfan’s passion for automobiles began at the age of 15 when he apprenticed as an auto mechanic. Now an entrepreneurial and visionary leader, Irfan is credited for his unique approach to innovation, employee engagement, and more recently, succeeding in a challenging market. In 2019 and 2020, Al Masaood Automobiles gained global recognition for re-strategizing; creating an omnichannel experience to prepare for Industry 4.0. Al Masaood Automobiles launched the region’s first e-commerce car buying website with Nissan, and a virtual, live & interactive sales platform. 2019 was a record-breaking year with Al Masaood Automobiles selling more cars than ever before.
Under Irfan’s leadership, Al Masaood Automobiles have been awarded numerous accolades. In both 2013 and 2019, Al Masaood Automobiles won the coveted Nissan Global Award, recognizing their outstanding performance and contribution to Nissan’s business.
Renault’s prestigious Global Partners Award (P.A.R.I.S. Challenge), received in 2020, is the highest accolade for car dealerships granted for exceptional performance in customer satisfaction, and in Sales and Aftersales – tapping into new market segments, strengthening the brand, and expanding their portfolio. They reported a staggering double digit sales growth, outperforming other Renault dealers around the globe.
With an unrelenting desire to best serve his customers, Irfan believes that “the road to recognition is built upon a commitment to leave behind the ordinary to achieve the extraordinary”. His competitive nature drives his vision to revolutionise the industry and lead the transition into a future where disruption capitalizes innovation. After achieving his goals and reaching the peak of his career, he is determined to motivate tomorrow’s leaders by sharing his extensive knowledge in leadership.
When Irfan isn’t preparing for a future of disruption, as electric cars, connectivity, autonomous vehicles and ride-sharing come into play, you can find him spending time with his family and playing golf.
For media and keynote inquiries, please email his brand manager Jen at Jen@prestidgegroup.com or call +971 55 719 3601. DOWNLOAD IRFAN’S MEDIA KIT.
Irfan Tansel’s Latest Press
