Dev Patnaik, the CEO of Jump Associates and author ofWired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy, helped kick off the official start of HEALTHCARE DESIGN.10 as Sunday’s keynote speaker.

Dev reminded us all of an important component of delivering any kind of service, and that is the ability to empathize with those who you are serving. As the title of his book suggests, we are all “wired to care,” yet oftentimes that inherent ability to walk in another person’s shoes can be lost in the corporate environment.

Companies like Nike and Harley Davidson have mastered the skill, having the intuition to feel a vibe and know they are on the right path toward developing something their customers want, the sense to know it’s right, the passion to take a leap, the courage to stick with it, and the clarity to make sound decisions.

Having empathy is simply a necessity in the healthcare environment. Dev reminded all of the attendees inside the keynote how important it is not to lose sight of who it is walking into our hospitals and healthcare facilities each day and how each of us would feel if in the same position.

Some tips he shared to create widespread empathy in your organization include:

• Make it easy—Avoid creating more work for people.

• Make it experiential—Avoid boiling the process down into a PowerPoint presentation.

• Make it everyday—Turn ideas into habits and not special events.