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Saturday, 5 April, 2008 0:05 AM
Billion Dollar
Problem Solver Reveals His Secret Weapon: Empathy
Graphic
courtesy of http://catherinemarie.wordpress.com
Cincinnati,
Ohio –
Absolut, Gatorade and Pizza Hut. These are just a few of the companies
that have come to Marco Marsan, the “Billion Dollar Problem
Solver” with Marco Polo Explorers, asking for innovative ideas
that can generate sales, stimulate growth and build profits. For
over a decade, Marsan has employed a specific methodology to create
new ways for corporations to remain productive.
“Empathy is the ultimate problem solving tool,” proclaims
Marsan, Idea Engineer and Corporate Anarchist, who has also written
three books – the latest entitled “The Lion’s
Way.” He explains, “If we want to solve problems today,
we have to be able to effectively influence others.” Marsan
points out that the most influential people the world has ever known
were empathic!
Whether it is an advertising campaign, steering teenagers away from
dangerous behaviors or keeping terrorism at bay, Marsan says, “the
‘my way or the highway’ approach doesn’t work.”
He continues, “By suspending preconceived beliefs, we can
solve problems from a blank slate.” Marsan adds that smart
people always gather data and think about the consequences of actions
before making a decision.
According to Marsan, there are five benefits of employing empathy
and he applies them to different walks of life:
1. Higher level of response: “Advice is always given to us,
whether we seek it or not. But, we’re more likely to accept
a suggestion if we feel the person relating it has actually listened
to us and considered our dilemmas.”
2. Greater loyalty: “At work, employees gravitate to bosses
who understand and sympathize with their job and home concerns and,
in turn, they work harder out of a feeling of mutual respect.”
3. Fewer Challenges: “In a marriage setting, understanding
the daily issues your spouse faces may encourage more teamwork and
lessen the amount of time spent bickering.”
4. The evoking of passion: “As seen in this political climate,
candidates who can genuinely convey their compassion to the plights
of voters often have the largest grassroots organizations run by
volunteers.”
5. Meaningful solutions: “Parents, reflecting on their child’s
point of view can positively impact their child and strengthen the
relationship, simply because the parent fully appreciates their
child’s perspective.”
All of this needs to start with the leaders of any given situation,
be it heads of family, heads of business or heads of state, continues
Marsan. In a blog entry entitled, “Reason over Force,”
on www.TheLionsWay.com,
he writes, “Only the strongest member of a group has the opportunity
to disown violence and lead its friends and adversaries with reason
and compassion. For this reason, the strongest must never initiate
force or respond to aggression with violence.” Therein lays
the premise of his latest book.
Marsan, who has written two other books about business and self-development,
purposely chose fiction – he calls it self-help fiction –
as a platform for “The Lion’s Way” themes, including
political unrest, seen today in America, “As a reader, fiction
just seems to flow over you, I wanted to let the reader absorb the
principles and theory rather than beating them over the heads with
it”. Set in an alternate version of the Roman Empire, Marsan
shows how even the best intentioned governments can become corrupt,
“As we are seeing everyday, good ideas can certainly go bad.”
But Marsan notes the strategies used to solve those problems is
what will determine whether or not there will be success. His creative
tactics, which are based on empathy, have helped Marco Polo Explorer’s
clients ship more than five billion dollars worth of products.
“Empathy will make you money, build relationships and steer
you in the right direction rather than you taking a bad first step,”
but Marsan concludes, “You have to be brave enough to apply
strength from a soft approach.”
About Marco Marsan
Marco Marsan is an idea engineer, corporate anarchist and founder
of Marco Polo Explorers. As an author, he has written two business
and self-development books, but “The Lion’s Way”
is his first work of “self-help fiction.” Marsan is
also a renowned motivational speaker who has been featured on Montel
Williams, The View and Dateline NBC. The Mazda Corporation recognized
Marsan as one of America’s top Out-of-the-Box thinkers. “The
Lion’s Way” was co-authored by Peter Lloyd and has an
online home with blogs, podcasts and other media at www.TheLionsWay.com.
Source: News and Experts
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