Jarrod Joplin is a VP of design for a fortune 100 company. In his leadership role he has learned a lot about building empathy for his employees and for his work. It’s not easy to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and really understand what is going on in their lives.

In this interview you’ll learn about how to be a better leader and how you can build your empathy toward others. It’s this skill that isn’t easy, but one that is sought after because it’s such a powerful way of connecting with employees, colleagues and our families.

Highlights:

• Enjoyed creating as a kid.
• Was made fun of for this creativity streak as a kid.
• Empathy is an underrated skill.
• Why empathy is so important to the design process.
• The importance of understanding people to help you build relationships.
• How we can acknowledge our humanity.
• Things can go south quickly.
• How to embrace failure as a leader.
• Seeking truth requires putting in the time.
• Learning to listen.
• Empowering others so they feel supported.
• We all have choices as leaders and we have to be careful of what we choose.
• We have to accept people for who they are, not who we want them to be.
• The worst thing a leader can do.
• We need to practice letting our guard down.
• We must understand that not every day is awesome and how this affects people.
• How to inspire others to be their best.
• Understanding that the people he leads can be grumpy and critical and these are positive traits.
• Getting in my own way as a leader.
• How cultivating open relationships to build trust.
• Feedback is the cornerstone of leadership.
• Clarity is so much harder to actually do as a leader.
• Book - Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

You can learn more about Jarrod Joplin on LinkedIn and Twitter.

And as always if you have any questions or want to submit a guest for the podcast that you think would be amazing just reach out on Dig to Fly and I’ll do my best to get them on.