Courageous empathy. Yep - it takes courage and strength to break existing leadership paradigms and embrace empathy in our world today.  We don't acknowledge that often enough. Embracing empathy as a leader is as much a self-development exercise as it is a leadership style! Today I speak with Sanela Lukanovic about courageous empathy, how the identity of empathy gets in the way of embracing it at the top, how it can be used against you, and how to practice empathy while avoiding burnout by starting with self-compassion.  

Sanela shares how her knack for coaching difficult people without blocking change can enable you to deal with the person rather than the problem. And why we sometimes swing too far between polar opposite paradigms of cold dictatorship and submissive chaos before we can land on what works right for us.

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

Key Takeaways:

• Be brave enough to be the type of leader that is required in our workplaces and our world.
• You must set boundaries around empathy. If you don’t, you are risking burnout, people-pleasing, and submission in your leadership. You don’t want to wall yourself off, but you don’t want to be walked all over either.
• Boundaries allow you to see and allow a back and forth (like over a fence). Barriers impede progress. 

"It takes a lot of courage to sit across from somebody and be open and willing to hear their perspective." —  Sanela Lukanovic

Episode References: 

• The Daring Greatly Programme, based on research by Dr. Brené Brown: selfdom.life/daring-greatly

The Empathy Edge podcast episodes: 

• Daina Middleton: How to Do Layoffs with Humanity, Inclusion, and Compassion
• M.E. Hart: How to Have Honest Conversations at Work

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 Sanela Lukanovic: Transformational Coach and Daring Way™ Facilitator

Sanela Lukanovic is a Transformational Coach and founder of Selfdom. With over two decades of experience, Sanela empowers individuals to lead with authenticity, purpose, and courage. She is a public speaker, thought leader, and expert in coaching women leaders to overcome unique challenges and create value-aligned change.

Using somatic and neuroscience tools, Sanela helps clients achieve holistic personal growth. Her impactful talks and group programs focus on building courage, empathy as a shame resilience tool, perfectionism, boundaries, and self-compassion. 

Her background in management consulting and cross-sector experience in leadership development enrich her coaching approach.

Connect with Sanela:

Selfdom: selfdom.life 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sanela-lukanovic-682927 

Instagram: instagram.com/selfdom_life 

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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