“You can be the best surgeon or the best hairdresser, but if you are not warm with people, you will not have a successful and happy life”. This quote is attributed to Sir Stanley Matthews. If I could wish for just one thing in the New Year for you, it is that you show more empathy.

Empathy does not mean to pity someone. Empathy to me means;

• To show care for others.
• To go beyond the call of duty in making someone happy.
• To love others as much as you love yourself.

Let me tell you one story which illustrates this point.

On an early Monday morning, as I was heading to work, I boarded a tro-tro. A tro-tro is a mini bus that should have two partners (a driver and a mate). I have mentioned the entrepreneur value in why two partners are needed in this blog post.

It was only after I had boarded the tro-tro that saw that this particular tro-tro had something different about it. It had no mate, only a driver. The driver kept calling the mate via the mobile phone, to rise up since he was driving to rendezvous with him. It seems the mate had overslept and woken up late. On the current schedule it was not going to be possible to meet up with the mate, otherwise the passengers would have been delayed.

Since I was closest to the door, I had to open the door for the first passenger to alight. I did not like it that this duty had been thrusted upon me. So I thought, the next time I have to this, I might as well alight and find myself another vehicle.

The driver could not do all the responsibilities that were expected of the driver and mate. He was looking all miserable. That is when pity came in. Everyone pitied the driver. We were not going to assist in the situation. We were not helping him in the manner he needed the most. We showed no empathy.

That is when from the back of the tro-tro, and without any prompting someone said he would like to perform the duties of the mate. A well-dressed chap, who most likely was going for morning classes as a university student came to the mate’s seat. And immediately started behaving and performing the duties of a mate.

If you know who a tro-tro mate is in Ghana, you would know that it is not an enviable profession. However, he did it admirably. And you could see that every one immediately felt ashamed that none of us thought of helping out as a mate. That is what the driver needed. Not our pity. He needed our assistance.

For that student turned mate, he did not have pity but empathy.

• Have empathy that your job.
• Have empathy for your employees.
• Have empathy for your colleges.
• Have empathy for our loved ones.
• Have empathy for your customers.
• In the next year, have empathy for everyone.

Cheers and have a great 2018.