Empathize and Define

Empathize and Define

Empathy Map

SAY

• “Family freaked – fear was the primary emotion clouding the whole arena”. Overall impetus was to “get the hell out of here and see what happens”.

• “The college didn’t really know how to help transition musicians into the real world at that time”.• …“had no real clue how to transition from studying music to a life as a professional” • “Learning math and science helped build an ability to apply logic and solve problems- to figure s_it out”. • In retrospect- “yeah I’m a self learner AND it would have been great to go to Harvard for 4 years”…

“connections made in college are a huge resource”… name brand value vs. actual education are both helpful.• “People who are going to be successful are going to be no matter what, whether they go to college or not…” • Self learning allows for “intuitive insight to lead over intellectual understanding” sometimes creating “holes”

which one must then either take the time to plug by researching and gaining knowledge, or choose to plow forward on work project and fill the hole after.

 • “Big difference between tackling a work project and tackling a hole…” “…take time and energy (off the clock)

to address an area of knowledge that is lacking, learning potentially dull and boring stuff, but helps to build a more massive foundation”.

 • “Staying plugged into the ebb and flow of business is important- acknowledging when it’s time to make a

short term shift based on shift in market, or make the choice to stick with the things you love” regardless, and hope for the best...

 • Re: doing biz on the internet: “it’s a mind field doing business with people you don’t know and may never

meet. Trust issues loom large. If you can transition them to a real relationship, then potential grows.”

THINK

• Higher education is valuable to build skills based on content learned, so long as it doesn’t fully replace intuitive impulses that often guide one to gain knowledge that sticks and has meaning.

 • College is an opportunity to gain a network of friends and potential resources in life. • In the era that this stakeholder went to college, there was not a very clear map for how to

transition from school to professional work, one was pretty much on one’s own. • Self-learners grow a solid capacity to solve problems and figure out how to plug holes in ones

understanding (either content or skills). • Taking the time to do the research and gain the knowledge of whatever skills/content is lacking

to enable projects to flow is important, but should be done off the clock, and isn’t always inspiring.

• It’s important to keep a finger on the pulse of ones business, to grow and make adjustments as needed in order to stay employed, but also to not loose ones love for what inspires them.

• Being able to trust the people one is working with/for is essential, and thus growing a relationship based on a sense of shared meaning and purpose is important for meaningful connection to be made and potential to be realized.

FEEL

• It was hard to move forward without family’s support, yet to be true to self it was essential.

 • Didn’t feel fully supported by school either, so striking out on ones own seemed the best

approach at the time. • In retrospect, it would have been good to take more complete advantage of what college

could have offered, found the right fit and stuck with it… Allowing for greater confidence and employment potential based on having learned more concrete mechanical/electronic skills, as well as having had the chance to build a wider network of support.

 • Support is essential for feeling like one has a spring-board to really soar.  • Strength is gained by having to forge forward on ones own—experiential learning provides

one with a sense of know how- being able to figure things out no matter how daunting- granting a specific kind of confidence gained by building knowledge based on intuition, insight and experience.

 • Trust, a sense of connection and community helps to ground and grow ones work in the

world. 

Stakeholder:

• This stakeholder’s bright, independent and inquisitive spirit enables him to innovate, take on challenges and take risks with a sense of confidence even though he did not end up getting a college degree.

Problem/need:

Stakeholder would be served by a more meaningful way of connecting with others in his field, and potential

clients in need of his services.

Insight:

Stakeholder would benefit from feeling more connected.

connection