As I went for a walk last night with my daughter and dog, Strider, I ran into a woman who asked if Strider was a Border Collie puppy. Yes, he is. She told me that just the previous night she had put to sleep her Border Collie of 10 years.

If you've ever had to put down a dog or cat you know it's one of the worst experiences possible. I had to do it about 9 years ago with our Black Lab, Maggie, because she had bone cancer. I could really relate to the woman.

Empathy and sympathy are good traits to have in the business world. It means we really understand where someone is coming. It's heart knowledge, more than head knowledge. And often it is putting sympathy into actions. And yet, it's difficult to have sympathy for someone if you've never experienced what they are going through.

High on my empathy radar is people doing a job search. I had to do one a couple years ago and it was difficult. Because I'm a business owner, people send me emails on almost a daily basis inquiring about open marketing or web design. I try to steer them toward a good jobseekers group and/or I go back and forth with emails. In a way I feel like I'm paying back those people who were kind enough to meet with me when I was doing my job search a couple years ago.