August 17, 2023

Heather McGowan: Leading your Workforce with Empathy

31 minutes

Heather McGowan is one of the leading voices on the Future of Work. She’s the co-author of The Empathy Advantage. McGowan is a sense maker, a dot connector, a deep thinker, and a pattern matcher who sees things that others miss. Heather gives people the courage and insight that illuminates their path forward. She’s transforming mindsets and entire organizations around the globe with her message about how the next phase of work will focus on continuous learning and how leadership must shift to guide these expeditions.

Quotes:

“Leaders cannot be unquestioned experts making decisions in certainty and calling all the shots.” [8:39] As Heather McGowan joins Marcel to discuss the book she co-authored, The Empathy Advantage, she explains the purpose behind discussing this important topic. Leaders need to rely on their people in an ever changing workforce, and the only answer is empathy to access this human potential.

“We’re looking at about a 30% churn in the labor market. If that’s your new reality, you can’t lead the way you used to lead.” [11:03] People leaving jobs due to poor leadership and burnout was only catalyzed by the pandemic. 2021 was not the end of the great resignation, in fact it only increased in 2022 and 2023, people are continuing to leave jobs because they are empowered and need to be led better.

“If you’re hearing cynicism [in your organization], they don’t believe the things you're saying…they don’t believe you. You’ve lost trust. Your culture is gone.” [19:50] Culture is an important piece of the leadership puzzle. How do you know when you have a toxic culture or something is going wrong? Heather says the number 1 warning sign is cynicism.

“Most people at every level of an organization are leading people that have skills and knowledge that they do not.” [21:39] The old way of leading was born of a different generation and way of life, that just isn’t going to work anymore. Organizations are built differently and for good reason. To get through this and lead the way of today Heather explains 4 fundamental shifts: mindset, culture, approach, and behavior.

“Empathy is good for business because if you apply empathy to your customers that's the foundation of innovation…Empathy towards your employees means your focused on activating their human potential.” [25:59] As Heather and Marcel wind down the episode, she explains her ultimate hope for the readers of her book: Empathy is not something that diminishes performance.

Mentioned in this episode:

Heather McGowan

Heather E. McGowan 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ | LinkedIn

Marcel Schwantes

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By Marcel Schwantes

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