As I have explained before in Mapping Empathy, empathy maps are the perfect way to understand a consumer. I wanted to give you a real-life example of an empathy map by using a boss and an employee from the TV show, Undercover Boss. The TV show, Undercover Boss, allows CEO’s to take part in an exercise to see what is going on in their company. In many cases, these CEOs begin to empathize with the employee they shadow for the day. In return, the experience and data that the boss collects are taken into account and any issues that were present before are resolved.
In season seven episode ten, of Undercover Boss, viewers follow Dan Duffy, CEO of United Real Estate Group, one of the largest real estate companies in the United States. United Real Estate Group spans across multiple categories of real estate; residential/urban, land apprising, country, and auction. In this particular episode, Dan Duffy goes undercover as Simon and visits four different job sites.
- An agent walkthrough in Texas
- On-site with a land appraisal specialist in Gainesville, Florida
- An auction house in Huston, Texas
- Home staging in Austin, Texas
Background on Dan Duffy
In 2006, Dan Duffy acquired United Real Estate Group and continued to grow the company to have over 500 franchise locations around the world and more than 3,000 real estate agents. Dan Duffy is not a licensed Real estate agent, nor does he want to become one. He wants his real estate agents and employees to focus on what they do best, allowing him to focus on how to make United Real Estate Group better.
Empathy Map: Dan Duffy
In the beginning, Dan was hard to read. He comes off as an arrogant CEO that does not see anything wrong with his company. However, as the episode continues he begins to open up to his real estate agents and employees, and the viewer starts to see a new side of Dan Duffy.
As I started to create Dan’s empathy map, I notice a trend. He was serious about two things: family, and making sure his employees and agents are being used to the best of their ability. Dan started his journey of Undercover Boss with one idea in mind of FINDING out how the programs he purchased works for his company, instead, he found that the programs are not what the people care about. They care about the ability to have a balance of work and family, a FEELING Dan knows all too well. It became clear when Dan HEARD the difficulties the people he shadowed were experiencing.
From those four different jobs, I chose one to showcase how an empathy map works.
During Dan’s fourth and final job as Simon, he went to Austin, Texas, to work with a licensed real estate agent, Brenda to learn how to stage a home. Dan was extremely excited as well as Brenda to be working together on the house. He believes that staging a home is critical to the marketing process because it allows people to see what their potential home will look like when they live there.
After completing the staging Dan and Brenda had the most noticeable empathetic moment. Brenda was wearing a pink ribbon as a necklace, which represents Breast cancer. Two years before filming she was diagnosed and opted out of chemotherapy for the holistic route of treatment. This type can only be done outside of the states and is the main reason she moved from California to Texas.
Empathy Map: Brenda
While Dan’s empathy map was based around the whole episode, Brenda’s is based on about 10 minutes of viewing time. A challenge, however, Brenda did not hold back her feelings and emotions as she worked with Dan. From the moment Brenda and Dan met, Brenda spoke her mind about her surroundings. She shared her struggle of being sick and how it has caused her to be states away from her son. By Brenda’s interaction with Dan, it is clear that she is an upbeat woman who does not let her pain get in her way of completing a days work.
As the episode of Undercover Boss came to a close, it becomes clear that Dan Duffy learned a lot about his real estate agents and employees as well as himself. He was able to show a different side of himself when he revealed who he was to the different workers.
Even though Dan, an owner of a billion-dollar company, and Brenda, a hard working real-estate agent battling cancer, lived two very different lives, they had two things in common.
They love their job and family is the most important thing.
Looking into United Real Estates Group, now called United Country Real Estate Group background now, four years later, the company has continued to grow. To my surprise, Dan Duffy even kept his word to those who were featured on the episode.
Check out the full PDF version of Undercover Boss: United Real Estate Group’s Empathy Map
thinking out loud 