International Business Administration students share their adventures and experiences at La Salle Campus Barcelona. Not to be missed!

03 December 2013 | Posted by Students of Business and Technology

Empathy: The Skill of the 21st Century!

Empathy is said to be the skill of the 21st Century. It enables us to build bonds and develop leadership skills, and it allows us to gain self awareness and bring purpose and meaning to our lives. But why is it so important? Guest speaker series part 1. Interviewee: Federico Lozano (Former student of La Salle BES & co-founder of Puentes Global) Subject: Empathy. Empathy 4 LukeCan you tell me a bit more about your time at La Salle and what you have achieved since graduation? Federico: I came to La Salle in 2004 and graduated in 2008 with a bachelor in business and international relations. One of my greatest achievements at La Salle was founding the UN project which has now become an annual event and an elective for the international relations program. It was a very hard but rewarding experience, and although it required a great deal of work, I became very passionate about the project and I gained a lot from the experience. After graduation from La Salle, I went on to study social innovations at Stanford University, and while at Stanford I was able to found a company called Puentes Global (which literally translates to global bridges). The idea of the company was to help integrate Latin American immigrants into Spain, train them, and help them find work. During the recession we also helped people move in the opposite direction. Eventually the company disbanded, but the experience was hugely rewarding and part of a dramatic learning curve. Since then I have moved to Norway to teach, and one of the subjects I now teach and lecture is Empathy. LukeHow did you come about being so passionate about the subject of empathy? Federico: Well my father was a Mexican Christian who converted to Buddhism, and two of the main components in Buddhism are empathy and compassion. So, much of my inspiration came from my father and the Buddhism faith, and an interest for empathy already existed within me from an early age. Later when I then graduated from La Salle with a bachelor in Business and International relations, I was able to merge my business knowledge with my interests in empathy, and that is how I came to choose a career in social innovations. LukeHow important do you believe empathy to be in everyday life, and more importantly in innovation processes, and why? Federico: Empathy plays a huge role in both everyday life and the business world. It is actually rather underestimated, and empathy is both simple and extremely impressionable. It can be easily implemented In business innovations, and it should be applied much more. I feel that empathy is something that is not really appreciated enough on a business level or a personal level, and it is definitely a very important component in everyday life.

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