Most high achievers never look back and see how far they've come. They tend to focus on perfection and not wanting to let anyone down. Because of their outward focus on others - colleagues, customers, or employees - They often don't know how to be empathetic and tender with themselves.

Empathy starts with self-awareness and self-care so leaders who want to achieve their goals would be wise to practice tenderness and empathy for themselves first. This kind of self-reflection and tenderness for self will help them be an effective and inspiring leader for others.

Today, author and leadership coach Lauree Ostrofsky joins us to talk about self-empathy and owning your leadership style. Lauree shares how challenging and yet worthwhile self-empathy can be. We discuss the downside of empathy and how to balance focusing on others with caring for yourself. She talks about how to develop our sense of self so we don’t fear reinvention, we can take better risks, and avoid unnecessary worry or anxiousness that doesn't serve us. 

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• Dig into your fears and discomforts. It may just be an opportunity that is outside your comfort zone and making you feel vulnerable. Fear is an opportunity. 
• Make a list of compliments you receive as you receive them - we need the physical evidence of what we have accomplished and where we have been to see how we’ve gained the confidence we have now.
• Sometimes you have to give yourself space before you can give space to the other person to hear and empathize with what they’re saying and needing. 
• Own who you are without apology. You can invite people in and invite them to also own who they are.

"There's a way to value people and value yourself at the same time, and it really takes understanding of yourself." —  Lauree Ostrofsky

From Our Partner:

SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatest asset: their people. Through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level, SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future.

Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.

About Lauree Ostrofsky, Founder, Simply Leap

Lauree Ostrofsky, PCC, CPC helps women leap: clarify what they want and feel more confident putting themselves out there. For more than two decades, she has been an author, coach, and hugger with a client roster that includes executives at IBM, Microsoft, Harvard, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the Girl Scouts of the USA. 

Her books are, Simply Leap, a happy how-to about facing the fear of reinvention and enjoying the crap out of your life, and I'm Scared & Doing It Anyway, a memoir about her reinvention after a devastating brain tumor diagnosis at 28. 

Connect with Lauree Ostrofsky:

Simply Leap, LLC: http://simplyleap.com 

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/laureeostrofsky/ 

Facebook: http://facebook.com/SimplyLeap 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/lauree_ostrofsky/ 

Threads: http://threads.net/@lauree_ostrofsky 

Connect with Maria:

Get Maria's books on empathy: Red-Slice.com/books

Learn more about Maria's work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

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