How much better does taking an empathetic approach impact not just your leadership, but your ability to bring the right products and services to market nd truly connect with your ideal customers? Turns out, it can help you avoid costly advertising campaign failures!

Today I talk with Lane Byrum, EQ coach and Director of Corporate Accounts for Five Capitals. Lane shares one of the most powerful stories I've ever heard about blending business with human connection, how empathy got real for him in that moment, and how it changed the team and consumer. He also gives a great example of how one company wasted millions of dollars on a brand-damaging ad campaign that missed the mark when it failed to dive deeper into empathy for your target audience - and how they put ego aside, took responsibility, and re-did the research to launch a breakthrough campaign instead! We discuss how empathy helps you break away from putting people into labels and boxes to form better connections. He shares three ways to get curious without sounding like you are interrogating someone. And Lane shares how to use empathy as a tool in a healthy, compassionate way with four steps to engage in a deeper connection at work - or at home!

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode at TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Listen for…

• The research project that made empathy real for Lane.
• Why empathy is first and foremost about acknowledging, not fixing or solving. 
• Key steps to engage in a deeper connection with others. 
• How to use empathy and storytelling as a tool. 

"You have to be courageous in these times, because there are a lot of reasons why you shouldn't (be) that sound right, - until you use courage and empathy, you won't understand how wrong those reasons are." —  Lane Byrum

Episode References: 

• Always Like a Girl Campaign and Super Bowl ad from Leo Burnett

About Lane Byrum: EQ Coach and Director of Corporate Accounts, Five Capitals

Lane brings 18 years of experience in qualitative research with Fortune 500 companies, and now devotes his work to developing emotionally intelligent leaders and teams. As an Enneagram Type 2, Lane’s approach blends deep self-awareness and empathy to create lasting growth—one conversation at a time. Whether through individual coaching or team training, he helps leaders tune into their inner wisdom and the people they lead to build truly human-centered organizations.

Connect with Lane:  

Five Capitals: fivecapitals.net 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lanebyrum 

Connect with Maria:

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