The Empathy Edge

Work can be one of the biggest drivers of positivity in your life, but no one ever really explains how to be successful without sacrificing everything outside of the office. When you enjoy your work, you’re more successful and any joy you feel on the job spills over into the rest of your life as well. Kind of like practicing empathy at work and bringing that skill home with you!

My guest today is Jason Silver, author of Your Grass is Greener: Use What You Have, Get What You Want. At Work and in Life. We discuss why leaning into values matters, what he learned about people-centric leadership at AirBnB, and how he carried that into his other successful endeavors. He shares 9 of the most common workplace challenges, why the term "best practice” is dangerous, and the difference between intention and purpose.   He shares powerful habits to find more enjoyment at work - which he says is not the fluff but the fuel  - and he tells you exactly how to ask your boss to allow you to do your work in ways you enjoy more! Finally, we discuss why it’s easy for leaders to attribute cost but less easy to attribute exponential benefits when you focus on enjoyment and people first.

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

Key Takeaways:

• Take care of your people first and they will take care of any problem your business runs into. 
• The earlier you start, the more you can bake the values of the organization into the company and team members, which makes it easier to make every decision based on those values. 
• It is not a waste of time to reflect and learn from our weeks. If we don’t know where we were unintentionally pulled sideways or intentionally set other things aside, we won’t know what we need to focus on going forward. 
• You are not going to find every aspect of your job fun or enjoyable, but it doesn’t have to be constant fun for you to find overall enjoyment in your career.

"Enjoyment isn't the fluff. Enjoyment is the fuel. The more you're enjoying your work, the more likely it is that you accomplish bigger and bigger things." —  Jason Silver

About Jason Silver, Founder and author of Your Grass is Greener

Jason Silver is a multi-time founder of kids and a multi-time founder of companies.He gets his biggest thrill helping modern employees and their teams unlock a better way to work—surfing is a close second. He was an early employee at Airbnb and helped build an AI company from the ground up back before AI was the cool thing to do. Today, he as a self-professed "Startup Personal Trainer", advises a startup portfolio valued in the billions on how to build great, lasting companies that people actually enjoy working for. He’s a sought-after public speaker, instructor, and advisor on how to transform work into one of the biggest drivers of positivity in your life. When he’s not busy helping people solve their hardest workplace challenges, Jason’s kids are busy reminding him just how much of a work in progress he still is too.

Connect with Jason Silver:

Website: thejasonsilver.com

Book: Your Grass is Greener: Use What You Have. Get What You Want. At Work and In Life

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/silverjay

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

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Welcome to Courage to Advance, hosted by Kim Bohr and brought to you by SparkEffect, in partnership with The Empathy Edge.

Tune in to our subseries every 3rd Thursday, right here on The Empathy Edge! Or check us out at CourageToAdvancePodcast.com.

The AI skills gap is widening between high-performing organizations and those falling behind. With only 27% of HR leaders feeling ready to advance their AI strategy, what separates the leaders from the laggards? Join Kim Bohr and i4cp CEO Kevin Oakes as they dive into groundbreaking research on workforce readiness in the era of AI, revealing shocking statistics about executive training and organizational success.

Drawing from extensive research comparing high and low-performing organizations, Kevin shares how leading companies are leveraging AI to achieve up to 30% higher productivity through comprehensive training programs. Discover why companies like Moderna and Mastercard are succeeding with AI adoption rates of 80%, while others struggle to start.

Learn why waiting to embrace AI might be the biggest risk of all, and how to position your organization for success in this rapidly evolving landscape.

Tune in every 3rd Thursday, right here on The Empathy Edge!

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

Key Takeaways:

• High-performing organizations are 17 times more likely to train their executive leaders on Gen AI, creating a significant competitive advantage
• Only 11% of organizations are fully embracing AI across their enterprise, with top performers focusing on both efficiency and effectiveness
• Organizations successfully scaling AI achieve up to 30% higher productivity through comprehensive training programs
• The role of HR in AI strategy has dramatically improved, with non-involvement dropping from 41% to 22% in recent years
• Creating a "change-ready" culture is crucial for successful AI implementation, emphasizing learning over knowing

"You want to create a workforce and a leadership team that are agile and that not only can roll with the punches but can embrace them and figure out how to use this change to our advantage."  - Kevin Oakes

About Kevin Oakes, CEO at i4cp

Kevin is CEO and co-founder of the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), the world's leading human capital research firm focusing on people practices that drive high performance. He is the author of Culture Renovation®, an Amazon bestseller which details how high-performance organizations successfully change organizational culture. Kevin has an extensive background in HR technology and corporate development, previously founding SumTotal Systems and serving as Chairman & CEO of Click2learn. He currently serves on several boards and is dedicated to advancing human capital practices that create lasting organizational success.

Connect with Kevin Oakes

I4cp: i4cp.com

Book: Culture Renovation: 18 Leadership Actions to Build an Unshakeable Company

Connect with Kim Bohr and SparkEffect

SparkEffect: sparkeffect.com

Courage to Advance recording and resources:

sparkeffect.com/courage-to-advance-podcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sparkeffect

LinkedIn for Kim Bohr: linkedin.com/in/kimbohr

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

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Today I speak with Jen Stark and Jarrid Green, Co-Directors, of the Center for Business and Social Justice. We candidly discuss how DEI and other topics became flashpoints and ideological hostages rather than sustained corporate efforts, and how companies can break this cycle.  We explore the questions executives and boards are asking, how companies can respond to activist shareholders and continue to promote fairness and equity while also fulfilling their responsibility to ensure strong financial performance - and why we're “beyond the business case” so we can adapt our narrative. Jen and Jarrid offer valuable advice on how everyone from the C-suite to DEIB and CSR professionals in the trenches can stay motivated and respond. 

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

Key Takeaways:

• You cannot be neutral anymore. Consumers want to know what their money will support and want to be value aligned.
• Be authentic with yourself - you need to understand why you are doing what you are doing.
• Lean into your smaller, individual communities. Mass media and social media information sharing is not enough.

"We’ve left the era of case-making. There are enough data points, surveys, and white papers that if it is was just rational thought governing business decisions, you’d be in a different place." —  Jen Stark

Episode References: 

• Kerner Report: pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/bombshell-political-report
• The Center's Social Justice Guidebook: bsr.org/en/focus/equity-inclusion-and-justice
• How to Survive a Plague by David France: penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209900/how-to-survive-a-plague-by-david-france
• Suffs: The Musical: suffsmusical.com

About Jen Stark and Jarrid Green, Co-Directors, Center or Business and Social Justice

Jen Stark is a strategy development and implementation expert at complex health and humanitarian organizations with 20+ years of experience. She launched BSR’s Center for Business and Social Justice in 2022 alongside Jarrid Green to illuminate a path for companies to shift from performative to transformational actions with a focus on public policy engagement and influence. She is frequently cited in business press on flashpoint topics and is an advisor to Gauge.ai and GoFundMe’s Compassion Leadership Network. 

Jarrid Green co-designs and implements programmatic efforts alongside Jen Stark for the Center for Business and Social Justice, an initiative of BSR that seeks to mobilize companies to take systemic and intersectional approaches to their social impact efforts. Jarrid’s role includes developing research, thought leadership, frameworks, and capacity-building opportunities related to corporate social impact strategies.  He also provides collaborative oversight and direction for the Center’s organizational and administrative functions, and acilitates the execution of the Center’s ongoing corporate, civil society stakeholder, and donor activities.

Connect with Jen and Jarrid:

Business for Social Responsibility: bsr.org/en/collaboration/groups/center-for-business-and-social-justice

Jen Stark LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jenstark

Jarrid Green LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jarridgreenmba

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

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

This month's Hot Take is a bit of a hodgepodge. You're going to get the chance the tell me more about you and what you want to see on the show this year (and maybe share what you wish were different) - and I warn you: I'm gonna go on a bit of a rant about how we need to desperately stop moving backwards and band together to keep achieving progress - for ourself, our organizations, and our world. You may think I'm being political and ranty, but I am truly sharing facts - albeit yes, with my personal and professional opinion layered in for context.  I mean, that's why you love me, right?! My goal is to inspire you to think differently about what you are hearing and seeing and stay focused on moving forward.

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

Key Takeaways:

• Ambition, competitiveness, bravery, and strength are all key human traits. They do not need to be labeled as masculine or feminine. They belong to everyone.
• Sharing opportunity does not remove anyone else's opportunity. It opens the doors for more people and greater success for all.
• All this backlash to DEI,  empathy, and emotional intelligence is a mere distraction to the last dying gasp of an old-world leadership paradigm.

"That is what inclusion means: a place where you don't have to pretend to be something you're not. A place where everyone has the opportunity and access to grow and contribute - and yes, feel safe doing so." —  Maria Ross

Episode References: 

• Listener Feedback! Please fill out the short survey here at https://bit.ly/edge-feedback
• HuffPost: Mark Zuckerberg Praises 'Masculine' Corporate Energy Amid Meta's DEI Policy Reversal
• Edie Falco Reads a Letter to White Supremacists
• Inc: The U.S. Economy May Be Too Strong for Its Own Good
• The Center for Public Integrity: New data shows why the U.S. needs more immigrants
• Advocate: Apple, Costco stand behind DEI programs
• HR Grapevine: 'Doubling down' | Costco ties its colours to the mast as attacks on DEI continue

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

X: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

When we have information to give, the communication doesn't start and end with just one email, announcement, or conversation. Effective communication is more than just the info you deliver, or the words you say. It requires empathy. This is a note for anyone needing to communicate strategic shifts, return-to-work policies, performance expectations, or even layoffs.

Tamsen Webster and I discuss why her work is driven by her desire to only do things once! How the risk of change belongs with the person or organization asking for it, how to understand the why behind how people approach change, and the first step in building buy-in that most people skip. She shares why leveraging pain is almost always guaranteed to fail long-term and how it’s almost always possible to find common ground (and if it’s not, to have a way to identify those differences clearly and without judgment).

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

Key Takeaways:

• Every decision has a story. Every action or change we decide on has won the argument even if it is only internal.
• It is important to understand the story, the heart of the message, surrounding the conversations about change.
• Pain is the ally of quick action, but a brain in pain is not a rational brain. Once rationality is resumed, those decisions are often reconsidered.
• If people don’t understand what you’re saying it doesn’t matter how powerful or important what you are saying is.

"Anchor the outcome of the change in something that you fully acknowledge and you share with the person that you're talking to." —  Tamsen Webster

Episode References:

• Tamsen Website: Why Great Stories Are Empathy Machines
• Dia Bondi: How to Ask Like An Auctioneer
• Sarah R. Moore: It’s Possible to Parent AND Lead without Punishment- the Brain Science Behind It

About Tamsen Webster, Message Designer and Author, Say What They Can't Unhear

Part message designer, part English-to-English translator, part magpie, Tamsen Webster helps leaders craft their case for large-scale change. In addition to her work in and for major organizations such as Harvard Medical School, Fidelity Investments, and Klaviyo, she’s a judge and mentor for the Harvard Innovation Labs, a professional advisor at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, and has spent over 10 years as the Idea Strategist for one of only nine legacy-level TEDx events in the world. She was named to the Thinkers50 Radar in 2022 and is the author of two books, Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible and Say What They Can't Unhear: The 9 Principles of Lasting Change. She lives in Boston with her husband, two sons, and two brindle Greyhounds, Hazel and Walnut.

Connect with Tamsen:  

Website: messagedesigninstitute.com

Book: Say What They Can't Unhear

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tamsenwebster

FREE RESOURCE: The Compact Case, designed to help people apply the principles of Say What They Can't Unhear to their own case for change. thecompactcase.com.

Connect with Maria:

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

X: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

What do you do when striving to be a more human-centered leader or colleague, trying to advance your career, build your skills, and make a difference, and you're stuck with an imperfect leader, dysfunctional culture, or too much work? You start by leading yourself!

Today, Elizabeth Lotardo and I discuss making the most of a job that’s not your dream job. Elizabeth shares why management is harder than it was 10-20 years ago, and how to work best with imperfect bosses of all kinds. We touch on how to advocate for yourself with empathy. She shares talk tracks and mindset shifts to help you navigate how you can influence controlling the controllable and put yourself back in the driver's seat. She also shares a 10-second Jedi mind trick to shift complaining employees into accountable problem solvers!

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

Key Takeaways:

• It’s not your job to make someone else more empathetic. It is your job to control your reactions and the behavior that you’re modeling.
• It’s about leading yourself - not just in your career, but also through your career which includes new jobs as you choose.
• Even with all our faults, we, as humans, need one another. As you lead yourself, don’t forget those around you.

"If you are working for a human being, you’re working for an imperfect boss." —  Elizabeth Lotardo

Episode References:

• Rhonda George-Denniston: Why Betting on Your People Leads to Market Domination

Elizabeth's HBR Articles:

• How to Work for a Boss Who Always Changes Their Mind
• How to Be a Purpose-Driven Leader Without Burning Out

About Elizabeth Lotardo: VP, McLeod and More and Author, Leading Yourself

Elizabeth Lotardo is a consultant, writer, and online instructor who helps organizations drive emotional engagement. Her new book, Leading Yourself: Find More Joy, Meaning, and Opportunities in the Job You Already Have has been called a refreshingly candid playbook that helps you create a work experience worth loving, right now.

With an undergraduate degree in advertising from Boston University and a Master’s in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Elizabeth works with senior leaders, frontline managers, and entry-level teammates to create more purpose-driven work experiences. Her clients include Salesforce, DraftKings, Hilton, and numerous Berkshire Hathaway organizations.

She is also a popular LinkedIn Learning instructor. Elizabeth writes for Harvard Business Review and her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and NPR.

Connect with Elizabeth: 

McLeod & More: mcleodandmore.com 

Personal Website: elizabethlotardo.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elizabethlotardo

Book: Leading Yourself: Find More Joy, Meaning, and Opportunities in the Job You Already Have (Despite Imperfect Bosses, Weird Economies, Lethargic Coworkers, Annoying Systems, and Too Many Deliverables)

Connect with Maria:

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

X: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

You've heard me talk about Both/And leadership and about Both/And business models. The ability to balance mission-driven, social impact work with sustainable profit and growth AT THE SAME TIME. It is possible, and it's not just a theory. Today, we talk with Jonathan Beck, someone who knows this firsthand. 

Today, Jonathan and I discuss the tension between purpose and profit and how to recognize if you are in a growth vs. survival mindset. He chats about how to integrate compassionate and impact-driven business practices while building a business and making a profit, how nonprofits can scale personalization to drive more impact, and how to leverage innovation to make a difference. Jonathan peels back the curtain on the surprising con being run by many leading CRM players on nonprofits and how we can create a marketplace of meaning. Finally, he shares how WeGive successfully models values such as transparency, honesty, and accountability to gain trust and build relationships that benefit the company and the customer at the same time.

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

Key Takeaways:

• In a non-profit organization, your donors are your customers. You should have an ideal donor in the same way that for-profit organizations have ideal clients. It’s not enough to just say “We need your help.”
• Non-profits are often so busy taking care of their mission and purpose that they forget to take care of their internal team. You must steward your own culture while trying to save the world.
• No matter the size of your organization, as a leader, you must model accountability and vulnerability with your team. This allows others to take responsibility for what they bring to the table.
• How to increase engagement is not a mystery. It all comes back to creating an environment where people know their contribution and perspective matters.

"Giving is going digital. Consumer expectations are that they have an incredible digital experience. It’s about trust and communication. It’s about a purchase of identity, ultimately." —  Jonathan Beck

About Jonathan Beck, Founder/CEO, WeGive

Jonathan Beck is a seasoned software and financial technology entrepreneur with a strong foundation in faith-based initiatives. After successful ventures in Silicon Valley, including as a founding team member for the global digital payments solution PayStand, Jonathan returned to his roots to make a meaningful impact in the nonprofit sector. He founded WeGive, a SaaS platform that empowers nonprofits and faith-based organizations with cutting-edge fundraising and donor engagement tools. With a passion for supporting mission-driven causes, Jonathan leverages his expertise to help organizations grow, engage supporters, and maximize their impact.

Connect with Jonathan:  

WeGive: wegive.com 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathanbeck1 

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

X: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Welcome to Courage to Advance, hosted by Kim Bohr and brought to you by SparkEffect, in partnership with The Empathy Edge. Tune in here every 3rd Thursday, or visit CourageToAdvancePodcast.com.

Kim Bohr and anthropologist Aaron Delgaty, PhD dive deep into the "arrival fallacy" - the pervasive belief that happiness and fulfillment lie just beyond the next project deadline, quarter, or milestone. Drawing from extensive research on workplace dynamics, they explore how four essential elements - continuity, reciprocity, purpose, and hope - shape our working relationships and overall job satisfaction. Through the lens of anthropology and organizational behavior, they examine why we fall into patterns of perpetually postponing contentment and how this impacts everything from team dynamics to bottom-line business outcomes.

The conversation weaves together insights from Gallup's research on employee engagement, real-world examples of boundary setting, and practical strategies for breaking free from the "things will get better" cycle. You will be challenged to have honest conversations about work relationships and learn why misalignment isn't always about bad management.

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

Key Takeaways:

• Having honest conversations with yourself and others is crucial for maintaining healthy working relationships
• The four essential elements of working relationships are: continuity, reciprocity, purpose, and hope
• Setting clear boundaries is vital for sustainable work practices and personal wellbeing
• Misalignment in work relationships isn't always about bad management - sometimes it's about fit
• Even introverts need to talk about workplace challenges to create positive change

"The arrival fallacy is like balancing on a one-legged stool of hope. You might maintain it temporarily, but you're operating on an unsustainable promise of 'someday.'" - Aaron Delgaty, PhD

About Aaron Delgaty, PhD

Aaron Delgaty, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist and ethnographer. He received his doctorate in cultural anthropology from the Univeristy of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020. His research explores what shapes worker and workplace resilience and how resilience resists, crumbles, or reforms in the aftermath of personal and collective disaster. In addition to teaching research methods and anthropological theory, Aaron leads research for brand strategy agency TSC.

Connect with Aaron Delgaty, PhD

The anthropology of work: aarondelgaty.com

TSC:  tsc.chat

Aaron’s Book: Working Relationships: Crisis and resilience at the heart of employee experience

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adelgaty

Connect with Kim Bohr and SparkEffect

SparkEffect: sparkeffect.com

Courage to Advance recording and resources:

sparkeffect.com/courage-to-advance-podcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sparkeffect

LinkedIn for Kim Bohr: linkedin.com/in/kimbohr

Connect with Maria:

Get Maria's new book: TheEmpathyDilemma.com

Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

Can genius and empathy coexist or are we doomed to put up with tortured, erratic leaders to find breakthroughs? People cite examples of temperamental, even bullying, genius leaders who create toxic workplaces and use their ability to unlock innovation as an excuse for their damaging behavior. My guest today, Taryn Voget, debunks this myth, shows us what genius is all about, and how empathy serves as a catalyst for genius.

Today we discuss what genius is and why it's not simply about being born with it. Taryn shares the link between genius, spirituality, and empathy - and some unique ways leaders have leveraged empathy to achieve innovative insights. She shares how genius actually works and offers you tips on how to enhance your and your team's genius in the workplace. You will leave today's episode inspired to embrace and cultivate your own genius.

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

Key Takeaways:

• Genius is a verb, it is not something you can measure on a test.
• Effective engagement and genius happen when you try to see things from the other person's point of view and address those goals, fears, needs, expectations, and aspirations.
• Are you excited as a leader? The energy you bring will be the energy that the team feels. If you’re not operating from excitement, how can you expect your team to be?

"Genius is activated through excitement, because that is the driving engine that creates continuous improvement, getting better over time." —  Taryn Voget

Episode References:

• Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Empathy Edge podcast: Denise Roberson: Mistakes Leaders and Boards Make When Thinking About Purpose

About Taryn Voget: Founder, EveryDay Genius

Taryn Voget is a leading expert on genius and the founder of Everyday Genius, a media and education company that unpacks the strategies of genius from the world’s top minds. Through her engaging and relatable videos and podcast, Taryn shares these strategies with actionable insights that help people fast-track their growth and unleash their genius.

Known for her dynamic talks on genius, innovation, passion, purpose, and business, Taryn inspires audiences to think bigger and aim higher. She’s the author of six books on the strategies of genius (plus a memoir!) and works with individuals and organizations to uncover and amplify their unique genius.

Taryn's clients include industry giants such as SpaceX, Disney, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gap Inc., Genentech, and many more.

Connect with Taryn:

Everyday Genius: everydaygenius.tv

Taryn Voget Consulting: tarynvoget.com

X: x.com/tarynvoget

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tarynvoget

Facebook: facebook.com/tarynvoget

Instagram: instagram.com/tarynvoget

YouTube: youtube.com/@tarynvoget

Connect with Maria:

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

X: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

Check out this offer from our sponsor, Better Benefits USA: Are You Overpaying for Employee Benefits Without Knowing It? Take the free 10-minute benefits audit at https://findbetterbenefits.org/

Download "The Human Middle" Your free guide to resolving workplace conflict from JLG Lawyers- https://thehumanmiddle.ai/

When did soft skills like empathy become deprioritized in the tech industry? My guest today shares a little history lesson on how that happened and why initially those soft, human skills were always a vital part of successful innovation and technology before they got separated. Only now are they finding their way back to each other in software development and programming to solve the 21st century's most complex challenges. 

Today, I talk with Andrea Goulet. We talk about how soft skills like empathy lost favor in technology curricula,  and how she built her business centered around empathy before it successfully merged with another company. She talks about the research she uncovered on programming models that parallel human communication. And we discussed why the current AI landscape is moving so fast but that her models can be used to ensure we intentionally apply empathy to deal with long-term consequences while still gaining short-term benefits.

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

Key Takeaways:

• Investing in empathetic communication will positively impact any team you’re on. Having a good understanding of empathy drives any industry.
• 80 to 90% of our miscommunications happen at the concept level because you can say something and someone can understand the word but might think of it as a different thing.
• The four dimensions of human communication and our ability to pivot and understand one another are: catch, collect, connect, and communicate.

"Whether we're talking about software,  building pyramids, or finding new ways to hunt and take down the mammoth, empathy is the mechanism that enables us to communicate, collaborate, and solve complex problems together." —  Andrea Goulet

Episode References:

• Ilana Ben-Ari: How The Empathy Toy is Changing the World

About Andrea Goulet: Co-Founder, CorgiBytes, Founder, Empathy in Tech

Andrea Goulet is on a mission to integrate empathy into the software industry. She is a sought-after international keynote speaker, experienced software executive, and award-winning industry leader. Her expertise centers on using empathy and effective communication to modernize legacy and mission-critical software systems.

Through her online courses, Andrea has taught over 50,000 students how to level up their empathy and communication skills to create better software. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Empathy-Driven Software Development, and the founder of Empathy in Tech, an online community where code and compassion connect.

Connect with Andrea:

Website: andreagoulet.com

Empathy in Tech: empathyintech.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andreamgoulet

Her coming book: Empathy-Driven Software Development

Connect with Maria:

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

X: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

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