Zurich treats empathy as a developable skill, not a fixed personality trait. By training staff with audits and actor-led scenarios, they systematically improve customer interactions, proving that a "soft skill" can be a core business competency with measurable financial impact.
Lego's near-bankruptcy, while terrifying, created the urgency needed to abandon gut-feel decision-making. This "burning platform" forced the adoption of data-driven processes and a focus on profitability, which was critical for its long-term survival and success.
Instead of vague goals like "be seamless," Zurich created 33 specific standards, like "every conversation starts where the last one ended." This provides clear, actionable direction for the entire organization, turning an abstract vision into a shared, measurable language for execution.
Conny Kalcher was not looking to join an insurance company after 33 years at Lego. However, the Zurich CEO's inspiring vision for a customer-centric transformation presented a challenge so compelling that it overcame her initial hesitation about the industry's reputation.
Instead of dictating change from headquarters, Zurich's leadership co-created its new brand framework and customer standards with business units. This involvement transformed potential resistors into advocates, creating an internal network to champion and drive the transformation locally.
A key part of Zurich's empathy training is teaching staff how to handle difficult situations, like denying a claim. This equips them to stand their ground while preserving the customer relationship, proving empathy is a tool for effective communication, not just customer appeasement.
During its turnaround, Lego moved planning meetings from closed offices to the factory floor. This "visual factory" made production data, challenges, and decisions transparent to everyone, creating a powerful, shared sense of urgency and alignment across the entire workforce.
Through ethnographic studies, Lego discovered it competed for a shrinking "20-minute play window." This insight shifted their focus from selling bricks to embedding Lego in stories and characters, effectively expanding their addressable market across a child's entire day.