the empathy edge: harnessing the value of compassion as an engine for success

Furious customers? Missed deadlines? Failed products? The problems your business faces may stem from a single issue: lack of empathy.

In this practical playbook for organizations of all types, Maria Ross pairs her knowledge as a branding expert with proven research and fascinating stories from executives, changemakers, and community leaders to prove that empathy is great for business--and may transform you at a personal level, too.

Ross shows why your business needs to cultivate more empathy now, and shares the habits and traits of leaders who foster more productivity and loyalty. She gives practical tips, big and small, for how to align your mission with your values and hire the right people, cultivating a more innovative workplace culture. Finally, she gives you the goods on building your brand in an authentic and proactive way, and shows how doing so results in happier customers, market-leading offerings, and increased profits.

Maria Ross is the founder of Red Slice, a consultancy that advises entrepreneurs, startups, and fast-growth businesses on how to build an irresistible brand story and authentically connect with customers. She is a keynote speaker who regularly speaks to audiences on marketing and building an engaging brand story that drives growth and impact. She is the author of Branding Basics for Small Business and the Juicy Guides ebook series for entrepreneurs.

Maria started her career as a management consultant with Accenture and went on to build marketing and brand strategies for multiple companies, including Discovery Communications, Monster.com, BusinessObjects (now SAP), and many other startups and technology leaders, before starting her own business. As a brand strategist, she has worked with brands such as Microsoft, Dropbox, Alteryx, and GSK, as well as many smaller leaders in niche industries. Maria has been featured in and written for numerous media outlets, including MSNBC, Entrepreneur magazine, Huffington Post, and Forbes.com.

Maria understands the power of empathy at both a brand and personal level: in 2008, six months after launching her business, she suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm that almost killed her. Her humorous and heartfelt memoir about surviving this health crisis, Rebooting My Brain, has received worldwide praise. Maria lives with her husband, young son, and precocious black lab mutt in the San Francisco Bay Area.