Living in the midst of an accelerated shift requires a constant agility in human response. Many more of us have shopped online during 2020, even the laggards. Customer-firm interactions and touchpoints are rapidly evolving, as if on steroids. Customer needs, emotions, expectations and behaviours are changing, and a number of factors are at play. We are sensing and responding to the world around us. Simultaneously, we are making sense of the yearnings, desires, murmurs and emotions that are arising within us. Empathy has become central, dare we say ‘essential’, in our lived experience. Absence of empathy can leave a void so big, leaders will be called out for how and when they chose to show up and respond.
We are fast advancing into a new age powered by modern technology requiring a deeper human connection. The global crisis of 2020, as devastating as its impact is on lives and livelihoods, offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for people, processes and organisations to radically transform themselves. It would be reckless to waste a crisis to make change happen, because that’s when humanity needs it most. Won’t you agree?