"This is the story of how companies, and indeed organizations of all kinds, prosper when they tap into a power that every one of us already has: the ability to reach outside ourselves and connect with other people. And it’s the story of how institutions can so easily lose their way when their people lose that connection."
As I read these introductory words from the book Wired to Care—Edmonton UX Book Club’s September selection—it was very apparent to me that I would really enjoy reading this book. One thing that amazes me about the book is that it presents the companies as more than just corporations, where every customer is just another number, by showing how they have tried to connect to their customers and provide for their needs for decades.
We were very lucky to have the book’s co-author, Peter Mortensen, talk to the UX Book Club members and we thank Jess McMullin for contacting Peter on our book club’s behalf. I would also like to thank Owen Brierley for hosting the event at Guru Digital Arts, and Stella Lee for writing the book review!
Pete Mortensen is a strategist for Jump Associates, a firm that helps companies create new businesses and reinvent existing ones. He has a particular talent for articulating and expressing social, design and business questions in surprising forms—and answering them, too. A journalist by training, he has written for and edited numerous monthly, weekly and daily publications, including Wired, BusinessWeek, Design Mind, Spin, Huffington Post, and the Windsor Times. He is a lead blogger for Wired’s Cult of Mac, where his insight into design, strategy, and Silicon Valley lore coalesce into a few minutes a day of outrage, news and humor in the world of Apple. Pete is the co-author of Wired to Care, a critically acclaimed book from Financial Times Press about the undeniable connection between empathy and business growth. Pete holds a dual bachelor’s degree in journalism and English literature from Northwestern University.
Book club members had a great conversation with Peter as he shared with us his journey of writing this book and we explained our interest in this topic. As the meeting finished, we couldn’t stop thinking that despite our busy lives, this book has made us stop and rethink the word empathy in a bigger manner, not only for our customers and end-users, but also for the people we work and live with.
The book ends with a positive and inspiring note that I would like to share: if you have empathy for others, it makes your work a worthwhile pursuit instead of just an everyday chore. The authors distinguished the differences between a job, a career and a calling: “A job will deplete you, a calling will energize you, and a career is somewhere in between.” Having empathy will give you a more fulfilling experience because it connects directly with what you do and how that can have an impact on others. It also empowers us to change the world for the better as long as we can tap into our “wired to care” ability.
Thank you Dev Patnaik and Peter Mortensen for writing such an amazing book!
You can listen to our conversation with Peter Moretnesen by downloading the interview recording.
Also stay up-to-date with UX book club news and events at our Facebook group or at UX bookclub dot org!
Posted in Announcements on October 19, 2009
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