An Empathy Disclaimer is 📝John Zdanowski's acknowledgment that everything in a business happens to, because of, and for people, stated before putting the human issues in brackets so they can be considered separately from what is right for the business.
John coined the term in March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to threaten small businesses. It names a deliberate move in a hard conversation: the human concern is stated first and held as a given, and the business analysis then proceeds on its own terms. The bracket does not dismiss the human issues; it sets them beside the business question so that neither distorts the other.
Unlike a legal disclaimer, which limits liability, the Empathy Disclaimer is a statement of care that makes room for clear decisions. John used it in that spirit in 📝The Aftermath for Small Businesses, where, with an Empathy Disclaimer as a given, he explored a "cut into the bone" strategy for companies facing the downturn, alongside the 📝Stockdale Paradox.
I'm concerned about the suffering for those on the streets. For the purposes of surviving in a small business, I'm putting the human issues in [brackets] to be considered separately from what's right for the business.