Empathy is the Most Valuable Skill for Product and Marketing Managers
What if the technical skills you’re hiring for are actually holding you back? Sure, you need hard skills. But if your product or marketing manager doesn’t have empathy, they’re missing the key to real success. Empathy isn’t an afterthought—it’s the secret sauce that turns teams into powerhouses and customers into believers. But most hiring managers overlook it—and it’s costing them.
Empathy in Product Management: Solving Problems, Not Just Shipping Features
Product managers aren’t just there to check boxes or ship features. They’re there to solve real problems. And the best ones know it’s not just about listening to customers—it’s about feeling what they feel. It’s about understanding frustrations, pains, and desires before they’re even spoken.
Slack: Empathy in Action
Slack didn’t become a success just because it worked. It became a success because it solved a deeper human problem. Disorganized communication. Lost messages. Confusion. The Slack team didn’t just build a tool—they solved these problems by empathizing with users. And they used Slack themselves, every day, to feel what users felt. That’s why Slack grew to 12 million daily active users. It’s not just about the features—it’s about knowing your audience’s pain and building around it.
Empathy in Marketing: Data Can’t Drive Feelings
Data’s great, but without empathy, marketing is just noise. People don’t buy products—they buy how those products make them feel. The best marketers know it’s about connecting with your audience on a human level. The emotional stuff drives the data, not the other way around.
Allbirds: How Empathy Took Them to $1.7 Billion
Allbirds didn’t just sell shoes—they sold sustainability, and they made customers feel like they were part of something bigger. It wasn’t just about the product—it was about aligning with values, and that emotional connection catapulted them to a $1.7 billion valuation. Empathy built that bridge.
Why Most Companies Miss the Mark on Hiring for Empathy
Here’s the reality: Most companies are obsessed with technical skills. They assess coding, data, and tools—but they miss the mark on emotional intelligence. Empathy isn’t extra—it’s what separates good managers from great leaders. And most companies have no idea how to hire for it.
How to Hire for Empathy: Get it Right
You can’t measure empathy with a test, but you can hire for it. Here’s how:
Ask about real scenarios where candidates had to understand and act on customer emotions.
Use role-playing to see how they handle frustration—both from teams and customers.
Look for empathy in how they lead and how they communicate. Their answers should reflect understanding, not just execution.
Empathy vs. Technical Skills: Why Both Matter
Technical skills are the engine. Empathy is the steering wheel. Without empathy, even the smartest technical decisions crash and burn. Companies that ignore empathy lose out on customer loyalty, create internal friction, and release products that don’t hit the mark.
Empathy isn’t soft—it’s sharp. It’s the edge that turns managers into leaders.
Empathy is the Future of Leadership
Leaders who understand empathy build better products, create stronger teams, and foster deeper customer connections. It’s the future—full stop.
Better Products: When you know what customers need before they do, you win.
Stronger Teams: Empathy builds trust, and trust builds collaboration.
Deeper Connections: People don’t just buy from you—they believe in you.
Hire for Empathy, and Watch Your Business Transform
If you’re hiring a product or marketing manager, are you focusing too much on technical skills? Empathy is the true driver of success. It leads to better decision-making, stronger teams, and products that truly resonate with users.
At Verlanis, we specialize in product and marketing management driven by empathy. We understand that behind every product and campaign is a human story—and that’s how we create lasting impact. Ready to build a product or marketing strategy that resonates? Contact Verlanis today for a free consultation on how we can help your business harness the power of empathy to drive growth and lasting impact.