The most popular question I get, by far, is how to balance empathy and accountability. often a false impression of empathy that makes us ask this question in the first place. Today, I'm talking with Andrea Butcher, CEO of HRD, a Leadership Development Company. Andrea is a visionary—she knows how to lead organizations from big picture to execution. Today we talk about what emerging leaders are asking for in leadership development programs, which skills they want to strengthen, and what is...

When you think of emotional intelligence, there are still many leaders out there who falsely believe it has no place in business. Business is about logic, not emotions, right? Wrong. How can being aware of yourself and others not have a place in an environment where relationships are everything? My guest today is Robin Hills. He defines emotional intelligence and its core components, the role motivation and empathy play, and why AI won't take over anytime soon. He talks about resilience and...

The book is coming! September 10 is the day that The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance Performance, People, and Personal Boundaries hits shelves to help leaders dedicated to people-centered practices to get the best performance possible and balance the demands of the business with the needs of their people. I am so excited to share this with you! For the next 5 months, I'll be devoting a Hot Take episode to one of the 5 core pillars of effective empathetic leaders, outlined in...

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called out an epidemic of loneliness and highlighted how workplaces are one way to help. How can people get their needs for connection and recognition met in appropriate ways at work? And how does this impact the overall performance of the organization? I dug into these questions and more with Logan Mallory. Today, we talked about why he is so passionate about this work and how his empathy for his customers comes from being a customer himself at one time!...

Could YOU or YOUR company survive if you had to live and work with your customers and coworkers? Hearing every bit of praise, every complaint, and every...everything? That's what life is like for the cruise industry, where crew and customers live together for weeks in the middle of the ocean. And it's why my guest today, Paul Rutter,  helps land-based companies apply the lessons he's learned from the cruise ship industry to create exceptional customer experiences. Today, we talk about what...

Marketing often relies on a lot of "tricks" to reach people in this noisy world. But we have an opportunity to be more intentional and responsible in our marketing  - and when we do, that leads to increased customer engagement, loyalty, and yes, profit. Today, I talk with Kat Kennan about trauma-informed marketing and how we can rethink the way we promote our offerings. We talk about what trauma-informed marketing means, why brands need to pay attention, how to avoid cancel culture, and how...

My guest today, Charles Gellman, is the CEO & Co-founder of HiDO Health and he has leveraged empathy from his own health experiences into AI-assisted robotics that will alter the future of medicine and healthcare. Charles is an outgoing data scientist with a Masters in Clinical Informatics, an accomplished speaker, and one of the top voices on AI-assisted robotics, digital health, and the impact on care. Today, he shares his personal story and shocking statistics on the big and costly...

I've often said that many entrepreneurs get their business ideas from practicing empathy. From either experiencing a pain point themselves or wanting to solve a pain or provide a benefit to an audience who needs it. Today, we talk to one such start-up entrepreneur, Shizu Okusa, the Founder and CEO of wellness company Apothékary. Today, Shizu shares her entrepreneurial journey from Wall Street to wellness, and how many of  her leadership and product philosophies are inspired by her Japanese...

Burnout is one of our biggest workplace challenges. Turnover and lost productivity due to burnout cost businesses $322B globally. Voluntary turnover costs 15+% of a company’s payroll annually. Most employees will seek out workplaces that support mental health in the future, showing the importance of these benefits in employee retention. Today, I chat with Amy J. Wilson. We talk about how burnout is the biggest obstacle blocking us from empathy, what burnout is and its symptoms, where it comes...

We are experiencing a transformation, an evolution in how we lead and what makes a successful leader. Today, I had a great conversation with Alain Hunkins, CEO and author of Cracking The Leadership Code: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders about the common leadership assumptions that can get people into trouble, the obstacles we face in how to connect, the three secrets of strong leaders, and how we can communicate better. He shares the story of how one leader went from being ranked at...

Empathy is a superpower, yes, but what about those people you just truly believe are unbearable to work or talk with? I know someone is coming to mind for you. And how much more complicated does it get when you work for that someone, or they work for you? Today, I am delighted to share my conversation with leadership coach, speaker, and best-selling author Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael and I talked about the difference between leadership and coaching and the role empathy and curiosity play...

Resilience might be eligible for word of the year. You hear it everywhere you go. We talked a lot about resilience during the Pandemic. How do we bounce back and adapt? One definition of resilience is “The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” Clearly, we need to embrace resilience as human beings. In a chaotic, unpredictable world where the only constant is change, you might drive yourself mad if you cannot adapt. But more importantly, how is the skill...

Can allyship be fun? Or do you envision every inclusion or diversity training as a slog? It doesn't have to be so heavy-handed! Today, Jeannie Gainsburg shares why, as a cisgender woman, she became a strong ally. We tackle how to get over the heaviness and blame of allyship and focus on having conversations with an open heart. We discuss pronouns and why sharing your pronouns (even if they seem obvious) is a great ally action. She also offers the best ways to gather pronouns from others...

Leaders, listen up: Have you ever heard the improv maxim, "Yes, and….?" In my work researching, writing, and speaking to audiences about the power of empathy, a magnet has pulled me to one notion that gets in the way in almost every dysfunctional workplace or societal conversation. Let me explain…   To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com  Key Takeaways: Our brains both defend us and hold us back due to cognitive dissonance. We want...

"You're so needy" - We say that like it's an insult sometimes, but yes, yes you are needy. Because you're human! And until we can learn to identify our needs, find the words to articulate them, and adjust our schedules and interactions on any given day to accommodate them, we are doomed to burn out and be more unproductive than we ever thought possible. My guest today is Mara Glatzel, author of Needy: How to Advocate For Your Needs and Claim Your Sovereignty.  Today we discuss how...

How will AI transform leadership and work? Can we "delegate empathy" to it? Can we have empathic AI that fills a need we all have as humans? Today, I discuss all of this and the role of empathy in AI with my special return guest Minter Dial author of Heartificial Empathy, Putting Heart into Business and Artificial Intelligence, the 2nd edition, just released in 2023 to include all the latest AI shenanigans and progress. Minter shares his emotional leadership story about how 9/11 opened his...

When you think about your company's DEI efforts, are formerly incarcerated people in that equation? Probably not, right? Most companies shy away from hiring returning citizens for fear they can't be trusted, will not deliver value, or won't show up. And you would be wrong. Today, Trent Griffin-Braaf shares his story, breaks apart negative stereotypes, and tells us about the many benefits of hiring such individuals. Trent explains how he saw transportation as a way to fight poverty and create...

Benevolent cyborgs. Not a phrase you hear often these days. With all the hand-wringing and media fear-mongering about AI and new technologies, we seem to have lost the bigger vision of how technology can improve our lives. That's why today, I'm speaking with Dr. Cori Lathan, a techno-optimist who believes technology can be used to build empathy and connection.  Today we discuss how Star Wars and a very creative 2nd grade teacher sparked her journey into innovation and invention, how...

Welcome the final Hot Take of 2023! In this final Hot Take of the year, I'll share a bit about how to find joy in what can feel like a dark, bleak time in the world and what empathy calls us to be for others. And I share an anecdote from my 9-year-old son that prompted me to think about how some leaders are being a bit lazy when it comes to reaping the benefits of empathetic cultures. Have a wonderful holiday season and here's to more empathy, joy, and peace in our world in 2024! To access...

How does trauma impact the workplace and organizational performance? If you're a human being, then yes, trauma impacts you and your team. Trauma doesn't care whether you're at work or not. Everyone experiences trauma differently in their brain and body. The solution is to create a safe and trusting environment for leaders to get curious about their people and for someone in distress to be able to get support. The important thing to remember is that this isn't a competition - no one's trauma...

A military historian walks into a company and transforms their customer engagement strategy to increase revenue and retention. While this might sound like the start of a very strange joke, it's a true story. When searching for frameworks on how to better engage your customers with empathy, look no further than my guest today, John Southard.   Backed by more than 10 years of research built into his book, Defend and Befriend: The US Marine Corps and Combined Action Platoons in Vietnam, John...

Parenting has so many parallels with team leadership and after today's episode, you'll be better equipped to raise healthy, emotionally connected kids AND be a stronger leader that enables your team to collaborate and perform more effectively. Today, my guest parenting coach Sarah R. Moore shares insights from her new book Peaceful Discipline: Story Teaching, Brain Science, and Better Behavior.  Sarah is the founder of Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting and today, she shares her story of...

Your customer is the lifeblood of your company. We hear this over and over again. Yet, companies don't do a great job of crafting a customer experience that actually meets our needs, values our time, and helps us achieve our goals.  Customer experience is all the rage - why do so many companies get it wrong? Today, Aransas Savas and I discuss the myths of customer experience strategy: where companies go wrong in aligning the entire business around the customer's experience and why those...

The reports are in. Unless you've been living under a rock, you are hearing more and and more about how having an attitude of gratitude enhances our lives - and our performance. In this November Hot Take episode, Maria shares about how embracing gratitude will not only strengthen your empathy, but how it can help you to improve your life.  To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com  Key Takeaways: Despite the misinformation surrounding the...