5 Steps to Develop DEEP EMPATHY and Fuel Leadership, Trust, and Innovation with Rob Volpe
In this episode of the Influence Anyone podcast (previously Legend Effect), host Howie Chan interviews Rob Volpe, the empathy activist. He is the Founder and Chairman of Ignite 360, an award-winning, best-selling author, and he empowers people to build empathy and be better at the work they do and the people they are.
They delve deep into empathy, what it is and isn't, why it's so critical in our personal and work life, and how to develop it so it too can be your superpower. The discussion emphasizes that empathy is not just a "nice to have," in fact, its absence is actually the reason companies lose millions and millions of dollars every year.
Rob walks us through the 5 Steps to Empathy that can help you dissolve any conflict and come out on the other side more connected, more powerful, and more effective. He also shares a simple but profound technique called the Curious Breath, which is a quick reset that takes you from reactive to thoughtful, from spiraling to strategic.
Episode Breakdown:
03:33 A miracle of life, Judy Garland, and a lot of empathy
08:08 Listen to your intuition to connect with others
10:32 The development of empathy and a real-life example
15:05 Why empathy is so critical in all facets of life
18:31 Fusing the head and the heart to connect and build empathy
21:45 The current empathy crisis in a polarized, angry society
24:31 Empaths: when empathy can quickly become too much
28:18 Go from reacting to responding with a curious breath
32:52 The 5 Steps to Empathy
35:06 How to dismantle judgment so it stops getting in your way
43:56 Choosing to ask questions differently and ditching "Why?"
48:59 What active listening looks like and some exercises to help
55:40 Play the ice cream game and integrate different points of view
1:02:45 Put yourself in the other person's shoes to imagine solutions
1:04:07 How people rallied around Rob after a recent injury
1:07:01 What to do today to start your empathy journey
1:07:42 A letter to Rob Volpe’s younger self
From Our Guest:
Get the book, Tell Me More About That.
You can find more content about Rob's cats – Domino, Barnabas, and Solitaire – here.
Check out the Empathy Circle.
Quotes:
“ We all have the ability to have empathy with each other, and if we only had the courage to practice that and display it, it would make the world a better place.” – Rob Volpe
“ Empathy is so incredibly powerful. Studies have found that large brands are missing out on about 10% of incremental sales – so about $500 million for a really big brand – when they don't put empathy just in their customer experience. If it's missing, they're losing millions and millions of dollars.” – Rob Volpe
“ The first answer to a question is typically the surface. It's when you ask the follow-up. When you say, 'Oh, tell me more about that.' That's when you start to get at the real truth.” – Rob Volpe
The Influence Anyone Podcast
The #1 podcast on applied influence psychology. Each episode, Howie Chan, a veteran brand and behavior strategist sits down with world experts and practitioners to uncover the hidden psychology that helps you influence yourself (mastering your mindset, habits, and decisions) and get buy-in from others (your team, clients, and audiences.) Together, we turn science into playbooks you can apply to lead, persuade, and create extraordinary success.
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