Empathy is one key difference between remarkable services and mediocre ones. Many factors determine our empathy capacity and results.
Some people are naturally born empathic and resonate with their audiences when they hone their skills and improve their crafts.
Some people are naturally born with a disadvantage in empathy and need to learn and practice so they can relate to others, for example, people who are born with Asperger syndrome.
But most of us are somewhere in between. We learn and practice with intention. At the fork of the road in creation, we constantly face choices and need to decide if we ground our work in building up ourselves or serving others on their journey.
Our choice leads us to a very different path, and it often shows in every aspect of our work: the tone of voice, the words we use, the people we connect with, the angle we approach, and the places we show up.
When it's challenging to extend empathy, it might be because we are unsure who we truly serve.