People enter service roles because they want to make a difference. They listen, reassure, problem-solve and calm emotion every day and over time, that same ability to care, the thing that makes them exceptional, may start to cost them. The very empathy that powers excellent service can, if left unmanaged, lead to exhaustion, detachment or burnout. Consider this as an empathy paradox: the more people care, the more they absorb, and in high-demand service environments that emotional load can quietly accumulate, possibly affecting energy, confidence or compassion itself. 

Empathy can grow when nurtured 

Empathy can be a renewable resource when carefully managed. Every challenging call, complaint or customer crisis draws from it. Without deliberate replenishment, people may instinctively protect themselves by switching off or becoming desensitised. That’s when service tone can change. Conversations may become shorter, and the warmth can fade. In other words, what we at MGI refer to as the vital People / Technical balance (requiring competence on both people and technical skills) can shift and customers feel an ‘out of balance’ experience. They may feel processed and more of a number than a person. 

The most resilient service givers develop the ability to stay calm, compassionate and confident under pressure without losing authenticity or compromising their wellbeing. This is an essential skill organisations can focus on to support their service team members.  

What sustainable empathy looks like in practice 

Across sectors such as housing, financial services, utilities and healthcare, we’ve seen the same pattern. Organisations that successfully help their people to care safely tend to share these characteristics: 

1. They recognise levels of stress and the triggers that increase stress 

Service professionals are helped to spot their own stress signals and emotional triggers early. This awareness allows them to pause, breathe and reset, using appropriate self-management actions to maintain service quality and wellbeing. 

2. They build recovery into the day 
   Micro-breaks, reflective huddles and quick debriefs after tough interactions provide small, vital moments for emotional recovery.  

3. They develop cognitive empathy rather than emotional over-immersion 
   True empathy is about appreciating the effect a situation is having on the customer and moving quickly to a constructive response – not absorbing or feeling everything the customer feels. That crucial distinction keeps empathy clear, professional and effective. 

4. Their managers recognise emotional impact 
   When leaders say, “I’m checking in to see how you are because that sounded a challenging call,” they give permission for honesty. Noticing how a call might have felt shows that caring for colleagues is “how we do things here.” 

5. They recognise strength in knowing when to ask for help 
   Taking time out, seeking support or handing over to a colleague when necessary is seen as a positive, solution-focused step in the customer journey. 

When organisations adopt this leadership approach, they build the foundations for sustaining their service teams’ wellbeing and their ability to empathise appropriately with customers. Sustainable empathy becomes a powerful organisational capability. 

Sustaining empathy 

To strengthen these characteristics, organisations can invest in: 

Training that supports wellbeing 
Equip people with tools and techniques that build self-awareness of stress levels and emotional responses, alongside practical self-management strategies. 

Training in the skills to show appropriate empathy 
Provide specific communication strategies that demonstrate empathy without becoming overly involved in a customer’s emotions or situation. 

Manager-as-coach development 
Enable managers and team leaders to support emotional health, recognise early signs of fatigue and lead learning from experience, sharing insight and good practice from challenging service situations. 

Appropriate performance frameworks 
Reward the quality of the customer experience, including appropriate empathy, rather than over-focusing on speed or volume. Recognise when service professionals apply the tools from their training effectively. 

Keeping the heart in the job 

Customer service, at its core, is an act of humanity. People remember how they were treated: the kindness in a tone of voice, the patience in an explanation, the moment they felt seen and heard. These moments of sincerity build trust and loyalty. 

To stay strong and robust, emotional connection needs structure, renewal and leadership protection. When organisations treat empathy as a renewable capability, one that can be taught, coached and embedded, they create cultures that are both kind and high performing. 

The future of great service is built on organisations where people can care with strength, listen with confidence and connect with others while staying true to themselves. Leaders who invest in this capability reduce burnout, protect wellbeing and build emotionally resilient teams who deliver engaged, empathetic service. 

Imagine empathy as a capacity we grow, fuelling people to thrive as they care for others. 

Get in touch to find out how MGI’s Mindset, Language & Actions Toolkit equips customer service teams with the skills and confidence to demonstrate and sustain empathy and emotional intelligence in their everyday roles. 

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The ability to adapt has become a core business competence and is an essential skill to thrive through change. While strategy and resources matter in any change initiative, what separates teams that thrive from those that struggle is mindset. Of equal importance is language, which shapes and reinforces mindset. When reinforced with a positive first approach in all communication, a sharply focused mindset keeps people motivated, resourceful and solution-focused.  

Cultivating the right mindset for change enables individuals and organisations to navigate transitions with confidence. Here’s how to build that mindset and why it matters now more than ever.

The case for change: Why mindset matters

Facing facts with a positive mindset is key to moving forward with good solutions and greater potential for success. According to McKinsey & Company, 70% of change initiatives fail, largely due to employee resistance and lack of support from management¹. Understanding that these challenges are rooted in psychology is pivotal to finding the right solution to ensure successful change where everyone thrives, overcoming the statistics indicating that change often activates our innate fear of the unknown, challenging our sense of control and competence.

When people adopt an optimal mindset that is optimistic, solution focused and positive, the dynamics shift. They see change as an opportunity for learning, innovation and growth – taking ownership and responsibility, feeling optimistic about a better future, respecting the views of others while truly feeling that they make a difference to the success of the organisation.

Awareness is key: Self and others  

The foundation of any healthy change mindset begins with self-awareness. When individuals understand how they respond to uncertainty or stress, they can better regulate their reactions and remain proactive rather than reactive. For instance, noticing a defensive internal reaction oneself to a new project timeline allows us to pause, reflect and choose a more constructive response.

Equally important is awareness of others. Recognising that each team member may experience change differently encourages empathy and improves collaboration. This increased awareness allows people to flex their own style for better outcomes as they communicate with others, transforming team dynamics and helping leaders to support diverse emotional needs while encouraging shared accountability.   

Lead with positivity  

Adopting a positive first communication approach is a powerful catalyst in change scenarios. When leaders and team members consistently choose language that focuses on possibilities, strengths and solutions, it creates a culture of optimism, reduces anxiety and bolsters their mindset for change.

A recent Gallup study found that teams with high employee engagement – driven in part by positive communication – are 23% more profitable than those with low engagement². Truly effective positive communication is about acknowledging challenges realistically while reinforcing belief in the team’s ability to overcome them.   

Examples of positive first communication include:

• “Here’s what we can try next” instead of “This isn’t working.”
• “We can work together to get this back on track” instead of “We’re still behind.”
• “What support would help you most right now?” instead of “Why aren’t you on track?”

Cultivate curiosity over judgment

A mindset rooted in curiosity – asking “What can I learn?” or “What perspective am I missing?” – opens the door to creativity and collaboration. This mindset overcomes the assumptions and biases often raised by change, particularly when new ideas or processes challenge the status quo.

This also helps mitigate unhelpful conflict. When people remain curious instead of judgmental, they’re more likely to find common ground, even in the face of disagreement. In turn, this builds psychological safety – something Google’s landmark Project Aristotle identified as the top characteristic of high-performing teams³.

A mindset that recognises the importance of small wins

Confidence in the face of change takes time and effort to achieve – it’s built incrementally. By setting small, achievable goals and celebrating progress, individuals and teams reinforce the belief that they can succeed in unfamiliar territory. Each win fuels momentum and creates a positive feedback loop.

According to Harvard Business Review, recognising small wins helps people experience ‘meaning’ in their work, which boosts engagement and motivation even during complex transitions⁴. 

Final thoughts: Mindset is a choice  

It’s important to remember that mindset is within our control, while change is often not. With intention and practice, every individual can choose to bring self-awareness, empathy and positivity to the table. Teams that do so are better equipped to adapt, lead and grow in a world that is constantly evolving.

The next time your business faces a change – whether it’s a new system, strategy or structure – ask yourself: “How can I show up with a mindset that supports progress and possibility?”

The answer will be the key to your team’s success.

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1. McKinsey & Company. (2015). Why do most change management efforts fail? https://www.mckinsey.com ︎
2. Gallup. (2023). State of the Global Workplace. https://www.gallup.com ︎
3. Google re:Work. Project Aristotle. https://rework.withgoogle.com/en/guides/understanding-team-effectiveness ︎
4. Harvard Business Review. (2011). The Power of Small Wins. https://hbr.org ︎

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 Here are some key considerations for helping your team to thrive:  

Observing and engaging with purpose

In our experience, senior leaders in organisations can clearly state their purpose. A key question is, does this flow throughout the organisation? Leadership requires active observation and engagement. Effective leaders assess if their teams demonstrate a spirit of collaboration, pride, and understanding of purpose rather than facing undue stress and uncertainty and a lack of connection with the organisation’s vision or mission. By observing and assessing how our teams and people are working and behaving, leaders can spot areas where support is needed, paving the way for a healthy workplace culture rooted in mutual respect and motivation and alignment with the organisation’s purpose.  

Addressing states of ‘not coping’
  

With clear pathways for development and growth, leaders can nurture a thriving team equipped to handle challenges constructively and ensure they contribute to the organisation’s goals. When people struggle to cope at work, it impacts both their wellbeing, team morale and performance. It’s essential for leaders to recognise signs of struggle and implement supportive measures that align with each person’s needs.  

Embracing positive challenges
  

Work should offer both challenge and fulfillment, supported by a culture of encouragement and growth. While stress is natural in dynamic environments, prolonged excess stress is detrimental and can lead to a state of not coping. Leaders need to create environments that balance the benefits of challenge with robust support structures, ensuring people feel capable, valued and prepared for their roles.  

Cultivating resilience to thrive
  

Resilience is a skill that transforms setbacks into opportunities. By cultivating resilience, people can become adept at navigating change with confidence. Equipping people with tools and strategies to develop their ‘resilience muscle’ is a wise investment to enhance wellbeing at work. Structured resilience-building programmes, such as MGI’s Resilience training, provide proven benefits, enhancing both individual and team performance and enabling people to manage the challenges and demands of the modern workplace.  

Leading teams along the Thriving Pathway
  

Progressing from ‘not coping’ to ‘thriving’ is an achievable goal that can be nurtured through a supportive framework. MGI’s Thriving Pathway offers a tailored approach, guiding each team member toward consistent wellbeing and productivity. By empowering employees with resilience-building tools, leaders can foster environments where every team member thrives, an essential foundation for a successful organisation.  

Building core skills for workplace success
  

Thriving at work requires a foundational set of skills:   

 - a healthy, optimal mindset to drive motivation 

 - able to self-assess and self-manage 

 - able to collaborate to find solutions and problem-solve 

 - focused prioritisation  

 - impactful communication.   

MGI’s Learning Journeys provide these critical tools, ensuring that each person is equipped with a suite of tools to transition from simply coping to thriving. Empowered with resilience and wellbeing strategies, people become motivated, productive and aligned with organisational goals, enabling them to flourish in their roles. 

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Resilience is one part of the solution and is mostly associated with ‘bounce back’ – the ability to come back even stronger after adversity.  Most definitions of resilience require adversity to have happened before you know whether you have it, or not. Moving forwards, what we really need is the ability to thrive, to handle anything that comes our way, whether we have faced difficulty already, or not. Building our “resilience muscle” requires an ability to positively manage the challenges that come our way at work, to have the stamina to keep going, to be open, adaptable and agile to change and to have a determination to rise up and succeed. This “muscle” is one we can call on whenever we need it, made ready for those challenging times and activated in those moments.

Our ability to become resilient is wrapped up in our mindset, where we advocate resourcefulness, have confidence in a positive future, learn from others to build skills and harness a belief that what we do matters.  Determination, a sense of unity and collaboration have all helped to see us through some of the obstacles in our path, largely through a belief that many of these changes are temporary.

The importance of mindset, language and actions for long-term staying power

Our customers are telling us that some of the greatest challenges are connected with helping their people adjust to new ways of working, new processes and new policies – in a workplace that will continue to change for the foreseeable future.  Some of these changes may be permanent while others will continuously evolve. How, then, do we make sure we keep our people moving forward? How do we support them to stay focused on their goals and even to strive for more stretching achievements?

The interplay between mindset and the language and actions we use to communicate it, is a good place to start.   A conscious decision to build a mindset that takes ownership and responsibility for influencing outcomes, that is resolutely optimistic, that values the learning that feedback brings and that believes in the value that we bring to the people around us can be a driving force for the actions we go on to take.  Assessing the situation and understanding what we can control or influence puts us back into the driving seat.  And for events that are completely out of our control, managing our response and letting go provides a sense of achievement and progress.

This mindset contributes to greater openness to experience, a characteristic that keeps us creative, curious and more able to accept change as we learn and thrive.  These are key aspects of resilience muscle and help to equip us to rise to other challenges that come our way, embracing today’s uncertainty as a chance for future opportunity and growth.

Keeping positive and thinking about the opportunities of our new working lives, appreciating what is good and using positive language to communicate with colleagues is the way we can demonstrate our mindset to bring others along with us, so we can collaborate and keep others motivated too.  By reframing and reordering our messages starting on the positive or constructive rather than the negative, we influence ourselves and others to keep making progress. In this way we build preparedness and the capability to cope with anything that comes our way.

How can we help?

Find out how our psychology-based employee training programmes can help your people to build their resilience muscle. Our practical tools and strategies and our validated and embedded training methods are created by a team of experts in the fields of social sciences and organisational psychology. Find out more here.

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As the UK’s workforce continues to navigate the opportunities and challenges of a re-engaging world, we know that it’s more important than ever to really observe and understand our people’s needs so that we can ensure they are empowered with skills that bolster and build their wellbeing and resilience, enabling them to move forward with confidence and optimism.

With a suite of highly effective and accessible tools at their fingertips and a true appreciation that they have what it takes to play their part and make a difference, customer teams can work well together and move towards increasingly effective service and outstanding outcomes for all. Happy, thriving people are a powerful force for increased productivity, better ability to deliver excellent service and ultimately to bolster the bottom line.

Look in and listen

As good leaders the first step is to really look, listen and understand what is happening within your organisation. It should be easy to determine whether you see what you want to see in a successful, thriving business – people who are purposeful, dynamic and collaborating happily together to get things done with great teamwork and a sense of pride and achievement – as opposed to pockets of uncertainty and potential conflict where people can feel under pressure, unsupported, under-appreciated and be slow or unable to make decisions.

Moving on from ‘not coping’

Whether it’s one member of the team or more, being in a state of ‘not coping’ is an unacceptable place to be for many reasons, not least the health and wellbeing of an individual which can also affect the wider team.  It’s everyone’s responsibility to look out for each other and for leaders to put in place robust plans and actions to ensure that everyone is supported, comfortable and working within the parameters of their skillsets and capabilities while providing opportunities for growth.

Challenge is positive

The workplace should ideally be full of satisfying, challenging and rewarding moments where support, friendship, understanding, learning and development underpin busy and dynamic daily routines. Stress is a normal response to the demands of work and can be beneficial in short bursts, helping people to stay alert and perform at their best.  However, prolonged or excessive work-related stress can be damaging and is unacceptable and could lead to employees feeling out of their depth and unable to cope.

Helping your people to build resilience and thrive

Employees with higher resilience tend to be more adaptive to challenges, setbacks and change and have the capacity to move on after they encounter unexpected scenarios. The exciting thing about resilience is that it is a skill, and with practice, can be learned, honed and embedded so that it becomes a natural and intrinsic resource. Resilience-building learning programmes are invaluable, and with the right components, are proven to dramatically enhance employee performance and wellbeing – enabling people to embrace an optimal mindset and manage anything that comes their way at work.

Leaders who strive to create a positive working environment and culture, where individuals thrive and organisations prosper, will reap the benefits of success and growth. Leaders have a duty to step in and help move any members of their team who are showing signs of ‘not coping’ onto a positive trajectory where they can progress along a foundational pathway of coping, managing well and ultimately, thriving – which is where we would expect all employees to be for most of the time for optimum wellbeing and performance.

Moving along The Thriving Pathway to success

We know that this focus on a resilient, healthy and fulfilled workforce is on the minds of many senior leaders today. There is a continuum on which every employee sits from not coping to thriving and at MGI, we have created a Thriving Pathway to help everyone in a team move closer to consistently thriving at work every day. This is a key component of the tailored learning programmes we deliver within our overall Mindset, Language & Actions Toolkit to help our clients achieve their goals and more in terms of employee engagement and excellent customer service, including the vital elements of wellbeing and resilience.

Master these six skills and power through to manage whatever comes your way at work

We know that to truly thrive at work while managing our wellbeing effectively and building our resilience on an ongoing basis requires everyone to be equipped with the following:

·      A healthy, optimal mindset to drive motivation

·      The ability to self-assess and self-manage

·      The ability to assess situations and find solutions, options and a way forward

·      The ability to collaborate, cooperate and work well in a team

·      The ability to prioritise and focus

·      All of the above underpinned by positive and influential communication skills.

Our Learning Journeys are designed to ensure every learner is enabled with a specific suite of tools to ensure they are able to move swiftly from ‘not coping’ to ‘thriving’ at work and also at home and are tailored to meet each customer’s needs following a thorough diagnostic process.  Being fully equipped with solid skills to bolster resilience and wellbeing alongside the right levels of purpose, challenge and support will give your people the opportunity to flourish in their roles.

People who are equipped with the tools to thrive whatever comes their way at work will be engaged and motivated, more able to able to perform at their best, working well with colleagues, collaborating and cooperating and ultimately delivering positive solutions and outcomes for customers, key stakeholders and the organisation.

Find out more about how our training programmes can help your people thrive in your workplace here.

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One thing we’ve all learned to appreciate is the subtle power of teamwork and community – of looking out for each other and doing our best to make life better, sometimes in the smallest yet most effective of ways.  Many have already recognised that we have a unique opportunity to grasp the tentative shoots of a kinder, more positive and ultimately more productive working environment – where huge success and the ability to thrive and make the world a better place in which to live and work can be a true and realistic goal.

Opportunities to build resilience and create a culture of trust and responsibility

So, as we emerge from the chrysalis of lockdown into a world where change is everywhere, how do we, as leaders, inspire our people to make the most of the opportunities to build resilience, take ownership of their responsibilities and create a culture of trust as we move forward together to deliver outstanding, world-class service and outcomes within the workplace?  How can we ensure that optimism, effective communication and a positive attitude to change is deeply embedded in each team member’s psyche so that we can use it to ultimately transform every aspect of our working and personal lives, and make a significant difference to our people and everyone around us? How can we consolidate and harness a truly positive mindset across the board so that everyone can step up and learn to actually be the difference?

Personal development and wellbeing programmes to bounce back, embrace change and thrive …

As leaders, choosing to invest in our people to be the very best that they can be will reap dividends for any organisation with increased productivity across an empowered and motivated workforce.  People who are equipped with a solid skillset of personal development tools and reference points will have the confidence and capability to be resilient, inspired and open to change. Creativity and optimism will be the bedrock from which they embrace new challenges and find solutions individually or in collaboration with colleagues, ensuring success at every level.

The inclusion of wellbeing and employee assistance programmes are essential to underpin a healthy and flexible mindset and enable everyone to rise up to cope with anything that comes their way at work and at home.  They ensure increased self-awareness and provide people with the ability to take a step back, calmly self-assess and ensure they are fit, well and ready to face every challenge or obstacle they encounter – to effectively take the time to “Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others”.

Personal responsibility leads to optimum performance

Highly skilled and consistently supported people know how to communicate clearly, listen to truly understand and fully value each and every team member’s contribution, whether large or small.  They have the confidence and ability to persuade, influence and negotiate in an assertive yet non-defensive way, and with the appropriate level of empathy.  With a robust support and training programme embedded right across the workplace, it soon becomes natural for people to strive to succeed and enthusiastically play their part in achieving the organisation’s over-arching values and goals, while continuing to evolve and grow in line with their confidence and achievements.

Standing firm in the knowledge of an all-embracing, positive workplace culture and an optimal mindset across the board, each and every person will have everything they need to take ownership of the responsibilities they hold as an integral part of an overall team – allowing them to step forward with the confidence and capabilities to truly be that all important difference.

A priceless toolkit for a positive mindset

We have everything you need to achieve exactly this.  The MGI Learning Toolkit is a structured and engaging process of inspired learning experiences and enables people to thrive, whatever comes their way at work and at home.  It was created by Mary Gober, renowned global expert in customer service and employee engagement, and is designed to help leaders to increase their people’s resilience by developing strategies for coping with everything that comes their way at work and at home – providing options, alternatives and strategies to keep moving forward.  The Toolkit enables people to focus on their goals, keep moving forward, manage adversity and uncertainty and take pride in what’s achieved.  Our in-depth, proven Learning Journeys are inspiring and provide interactive, meaningful experiences whether delivered in person or online – and the ultimate in resilience and wellbeing.

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And yet we all are striving to cope, somehow, and the practical tips provided by the blogs and articles are a good starting point.  What the coronavirus pandemic has shown many of us is our innate ability to flex and to manage in adversity.   Determination, a sense of unity and collaboration have all helped to see us through some of the obstacles in our path, largely through a belief that many of these changes are temporary.  

Our customers are now telling us that some of the greatest challenges are yet to come for them as we adjust to new ways of working in a workplace that will continue to change for the foreseeable future.  Some of these changes may be permanent and there are others that will continuously evolve. How, then, to make sure we keep moving forward, to stay focused on our goals and even to strive for more stretching achievements?

The interplay between our belief system and the language and actions we use to communicate it is a good place to start.   A conscious decision to build a mindset that takes ownership and responsibility for influencing outcomes, that is resolutely optimistic, that values the learning that feedback brings and that believes in the value that we bring to the people around us can be a driving force for the actions we go on to take.  Assessing the situation and understanding what we control or influence puts us back into the driving seat.  And for events that are completely out of our control, managing our response provides a sense of achievement and progress.

This mindset contributes to greater openness to experience, a characteristic that keeps us creative, curious, more able to accept change, to learn and thrive.  These are key aspects of resilience and help to equip us to rise to other challenges that come our way – today’s uncertainty can lead to future opportunity and growth. 

To guarantee that the solution will work for us it is critical that we understand the uniqueness of our individual circumstances and ensure that the strategies we use to manage our responses to them are equally personalised.  This is achievable through self-examination to find actions that we can own.  One good example of this is to be clear about what we are unable or unwilling to do because this helps to protect ourselves from overwhelm and regain control.

Keeping positive, trying to think about the opportunities of our new lives, appreciating what is good and using positive language to communicate with others is the way we can demonstrate our mindset to bring others along with us, collaborate and keep others motivated too.  By reframing and reordering our messages starting on the positive or constructive rather than the negative, we influence ourselves and others to keep making progress. In this way we build preparedness – capability to cope with anything that comes our way.

MGI Learning is a behavioural training business which uses practical tools and strategies known to develop resilience.  The validated and embedded training methods are created by a team of experts in the fields of social sciences and organisational psychology.

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