The Empathy Edge

How does trauma impact the workplace and organizational performance? If you're a human being, then yes, trauma impacts you and your team. Trauma doesn't care whether you're at work or not. Everyone experiences trauma differently in their brain and body. The solution is to create a safe and trusting environment for leaders to get curious about their people and for someone in distress to be able to get support. The important thing to remember is that this isn't a competition - no one's trauma is more or less "worthy" than another's.

Today, my guest Katharine Manning and I discuss what is trauma, how it affects the workplace, how we can recognize trauma in others, and 5 steps to respond to a colleague, team member - or frankly anyone - dealing with trauma. She shares great examples of how we might brush things off or inadvertently let go of a great employee when we're not cognizant of trauma, what it means to be a trauma-informed organization, and three steps to creating one. This was a robust conversation and I know whether you are a leader or a colleague will get so much out of it to boost performance and engagement - while also supporting someone in need.

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Any trauma will change us - we need to acknowledge that change, we can then embrace that new version of us.
• Trauma can manifest itself in different ways in different people. It can also be triggered by situations that, for some, may not be triggering and for others it’s life-shattering. 
• You can make tough decisions and be a strong leader with empathy. Those are the best leaders with the most successful companies. 

"Trauma isn't a jacket that you can just take off when it's time to go to work. We carry it with us and it affects how we show up…I want to get people away from trying to decide whether what you have gone through counts as trauma. Just focus on the person in front of you and what they need." —  Katharine Manning

 About Katharine Manning, President, Blackbird DC and author, The Empathetic Workplace 

Katharine Manning is the President of Blackbird DC, which provides training and consultation on empathy at work. She is the author of The Empathetic Workplace: Five Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job, and teaches at American University and in the Master’s in Trauma-Informed Leadership Program at Dominican University. She has worked on issues of trauma and victimization for more than 25 years.

References Mentioned

The Empathy Edge podcast, Sarah R. Browne, It's Possible to Parent AND Lead without Punishment- the Brain Science Behind It

LinkedIn Article by Maria Ross: What Does Psychological Abuse at Work Look Like?

Connect with Katharine Manning

Blackbird DC: http://www.blackbird-dc.com

Book: The Empathetic Workplace: 5 Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job 

X: https://twitter.com/kl_manning 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharine-manning/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpatheticWorkplace 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empatheticworkplace/

Join to get weekly texts on empathy, leadership, and resilience: Text "blackbird" to 833-975-1945

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

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/

A military historian walks into a company and transforms their customer engagement strategy to increase revenue and retention. While this might sound like the start of a very strange joke, it's a true story. When searching for frameworks on how to better engage your customers with empathy, look no further than my guest today, John Southard.  

Backed by more than 10 years of research built into his book, Defend and Befriend: The US Marine Corps and Combined Action Platoons in Vietnam, John has transformed the lessons from his historical research into a simple and proven empathy framework that companies can leverage to better understand customer needs - and we discuss that framework today, as well as examples each stage in action. We discuss why some leaders view the customer as the enemy and how that's hurting their growth, why simply responding to customer surveys is not the way to build engagement, and how your hiring decisions impact customer retention and engagement in ways you may not realize.

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Exposure to groups other than yourself is the gateway to empathy. Getting into conversation is the first step to breaking false assumptions and realizing that both sides are human. 
• A recent study shows that a lack of empathy from brands to consumers loses companies money, to the tune of $300M, every year.
• Cultivating communities and relationships with customers allows you to get feedback from them directly and build trust with those customers. 
• When trying to find your differentiator - start with what your customers need, both overtly and covertly. It takes time, but the ROI is worth it and sustainable in the long term.

"What unfolded is…the greatest unknown story of empathy, because these Marines show up and realize quickly, we have to live here, we have to abide by their rules, we have to understand their culture…because our personal survival literally depends on it. They lived a day in the life of these villagers to gain their respect." —  John Southard

Episode References: 

• The Empathy Edge podcast, Kara Goldin, On Undaunted Leadership
• The Empathy Edge podcast, Sandy Thompson, How to Make People Fall in Love with Your Brand

Brand Story Breakthrough course to help you craft a clear, compelling brand story  - includes weekly office hours with Maria!

About John Southard, Customer Engagement Expert, Speaker, Author

John has a Ph.D. in U.S. Military History and is an author, speaker, and expert in customer engagement and empathetic leadership. He has applied his historical research on empathy to corporate America to build empathetic leaders and cultures and optimize customer and employee experiences. Backed by more than 10 years of research, John has transformed the lessons from his historical research into a simple and proven empathy framework that companies can leverage to better understand customer needs.

Connect with John Southard

Website: Southard Speaks: https://www.johnsouthardspeaks.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsouthardhistoryphd/ 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/southardspeaks

Book: Defend and Befriend: The US Marine Corp and Combined Action Platoons in Vietnam

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

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/

Parenting has so many parallels with team leadership and after today's episode, you'll be better equipped to raise healthy, emotionally connected kids AND be a stronger leader that enables your team to collaborate and perform more effectively. Today, my guest parenting coach Sarah R. Moore shares insights from her new book Peaceful Discipline: Story Teaching, Brain Science, and Better Behavior. 

Sarah is the founder of Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting and today, she shares her story of leveraging more than 20 years in Corporate America and had no idea how well her executive negotiation skills would serve her in parenting!  We discuss what peaceful discipline means, why empathy in parenting is more important than people realize, and why brain science tells us that punishments or punitive leadership fails or backfires and doesn't help you achieve your goals. We also talk about the power of vulnerability and why it may look very different from what you may think. Throughout, we talk about the parallels between applying these principles as parents and as organizational leaders.  

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• For children and adults, it is only possible to learn when there is a sense of emotional safety in the body. 
• There are ways to set our children and employees up for success with empathy, no matter what age they are. Speaking with curiosity and neutrality rather than accusation can help to foster the feeling of safety. 
• Every human on the planet wants to be viewed positively and have a sense of belonging and community. 
• Story can give people a sense of safety, even in business. And everyone can tell those stories, even if they don’t feel creative or like they’re good at it. 

"If we lead with punishment, the learning part of the brain shuts off. So (they) might be able to go through the motions in the moment, but there's not going to be any lasting change in behavior because they're literally not in a place where they can assimilate new information." —  Sarah R. Moore

Episode Reference: 

Brand Story Breakthrough course to help you craft a clear, compelling brand story  - includes weekly office hours with Maria!

About Sarah R. Moore: Parenting Coach, Speaker, Author, Peaceful Discipline

Sarah R. Moore is best-selling author of Peaceful Discipline: Story Teaching, Brain Science, and Better Behavior, and the founder of Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting. She's a public speaker, armchair neuroscientist, and most importantly, a Mama. She's a lifelong learner with training in child development, trauma recovery, interpersonal neurobiology, and improv comedy. As a certified Master Trainer in conscious parenting, she helps bring JOY, EASE, and CONNECTION back to families around the globe. Her work has been featured in HuffPost, Scary Mommy, Motherly, Yahoo!, Her View from Home, and The Natural Parent Magazine, among others. She worked in corporate America for 20 years and had no idea how well her executive negotiation skills would serve her in parenting.

Connect with Sarah R. Moore:

Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting: https://dandelion-seeds.com/

Book: Peaceful Discipline: Story Teaching, Brain Science, and Better Behavior

X: https://twitter.com/DandelionSeeds5 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-r-moore-b0535b7/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DandelionSeedsPositiveParenting/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dandelionseedspositiveliving/ 

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

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/

Your customer is the lifeblood of your company. We hear this over and over again. Yet, companies don't do a great job of crafting a customer experience that actually meets our needs, values our time, and helps us achieve our goals. 

Customer experience is all the rage - why do so many companies get it wrong?

Today, Aransas Savas and I discuss the myths of customer experience strategy: where companies go wrong in aligning the entire business around the customer's experience and why those end-of-call automated surveys just give you useless data. She shares her own experiences with brands on creating shifts in how the company views customer needs. Aransas shares the concept of "Jobs to Be Done" as a useful way to segment what customers need from you, why journey mapping and Net Promoter Scores don't give you a holistic picture of customer experience, and why it's far more useful to consider modes instead. We discuss how measuring Time Well Spent, Time Well Invested, and Time Well Saved helps both B2C and B2B brands more effectively understand what customers perceive as valuable. Finally, she shares the important highlights from Stone Mantel's recent 2023 Customer Experience Trends Report.

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Customers are not robots - they will not likely follow the journeys you lay out in an idealized situation. You need to consider the customer every step of the way. 
• The wrong questions are being asked during traditional data collection - as we change the questions and how they’re being asked, you will be able to gather more valuable data to move forward in understanding your customer’s experience. 
• While AI can help to identify trends, it does still require a human touch to interpret the data for best use. 
• Having a company purpose does not mean you understand your customer’s purpose. 

"There’s a functional job to be done, and there's an emotional, social, and  aspirational job. If I can understand what all four of those are, I create a much more valuable product than if my product experience is strictly based on the functional job to be done." —  Aransas Savas

About Aransas Savas, Coach & Experience Designer

Aransas Savas is a coach, an experience designer at Stone Mantel, and the co-host of the Experience Strategy Podcast.  Drawing on over two decades of experience, Aransas combines behavioral science and coaching to partner with experience strategists at leading consumer brands, including Weight Watchers, Best Buy, Truist Bank, and Clayton Homes to create meaningful, and often, transformative, customer journeys.

Based in Brooklyn, she is a 20-time marathoner, a wife to a newscaster, and a mother to a 200-year-old sourdough culture, a fluffy pup, and two spirited, creative girls.

References: 

Stone Mantel's 2023 Experience Strategy Trends Report

80-page report of the latest must-know Experience Strategy Trends for 2023, a deep analysis of cultural and customer trends based on insights collected from more than 3,200 customers and over 200 experience strategists over the course of 20 months.

The Empathy Edge Podcast, Melina Palmer: Why Your Customers Can't Tell You What They Want

Connect with Aransas Savas

Stone Mantel: https://www.stonemantel.co/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aransassavas/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aransasrose/

Podcast: The Experience Strategy Podcast

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

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/

The reports are in. Unless you've been living under a rock, you are hearing more and and more about how having an attitude of gratitude enhances our lives - and our performance. In this November Hot Take episode, Maria shares about how embracing gratitude will not only strengthen your empathy, but how it can help you to improve your life. 

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Despite the misinformation surrounding the Thanksgiving season, it is so valuable to step back and be thankful for what we do have. 
• Pausing is essential to building empathy - it allows us to see, hear, and notice them in a way we can’t when we are always rushing about. 
• Going fast makes us less productive and less effective  - by slowing down we are able to have more of an impact than we realize. 

"Steadying yourself to think about what you can be grateful for enables you to slow down enough to notice who and what is around you." —  Maria Ross

 References Mentioned: 

Studies on gratitude: 

• Emotional Intelligence and Gratitude, Wharton Healthcare
• Mindful: How to Practice Gratitude

The Empathy Edge interviews:

• Paul Marobella: Leading Through Crisis
• Chris L. Johnson: When Leaders Pause, They Win

Brand Story Breakthrough course to help you craft a clear, compelling brand story  - includes weekly office hours with Maria!

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

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/

When we think of making big asks that will catalyze us into a new role, more funding, or higher pay, we tend to ask small for fear of hearing a dreaded NO. But today's guest, Dia Bondi, explains the role empathy plays in making big asks - and why you actually want to reframe the value of getting a YES by actively seeking out the NO so you can achieve your goals.

Today, Dia shares her incredible journey of working with high-profile leaders and then making the decision to go to auctioneering school. She talks about the mental models of auctioneering and how they can help us reframe our asks in a way that gets us closer to our goals. We talk about her 6-step framework for building your ask, how to step into your zone of freaking out and see it as your zone of potential, why we need to "order off the menu" more, and how we make the mistake of conflating worth and worthiness.  Her work has personally benefited my life and business and I know it will do the same for you.

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• The ask isn’t about one person - it is something that should be mutually beneficial to both parties. 
• The zone between the “yes” and the guaranteed “no” is a world of possibilities. If you ask for the “no” and then work down, you might get more than you ever thought possible. 
• Find out if the person you’re speaking with is the decision maker - if they are not, offer support and tools that might help them advocate more easily on your behalf. 

"We can ask for the thing we think will get us a ‘no’, and then negotiate down. Then you'll know you've not left any money or opportunity on the table. —  Dia Bondi

Episode References: 

• Elisa Camahort Page's substack This Week-ish: 2% of venture capital goes to solely women-founded start-ups. Same as in 2007

About Dia Bondi, Communications Catalyst & Author, Ask Like An Auctioneer

Dia Bondi is a Communications Catalyst for high-impact people. In her private coaching and programs, she works with professional C-level leaders, VC-backed founders and ambitious professionals guiding, helping them find their voice and lead with it. Her workshops and talks are hosted by corporations including Quartz, Salesforce, Google’s X.team, and Dropbox. In global sport, she helped Rio de Janeiro secure the 2016 Summer Olympics. After attending auctioneering school for fun, she translated the techniques she learned into a program that prepares ambitious professionals and especially women, to ask for more and leave nothing on the table called Ask Like an Auctioneer. She’s been featured on CNBC Make It, Forbes and Fast Company. Her book, Ask Like an Auctioneer, will be published in 2023. Listen to her podcast Lead With Who You Are.

Connect with Dia Bondi 

Dia Bondi Communications LLC: https://www.diabondi.com 

X: https://twitter.com/diabondia 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dia-bondi/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diabondia 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diabondia/ 

Ask Like An Auctioneer: https://www.asklikeanauctioneer.com 

Purchase the book:  https://www.amazon.com/Ask-Like-Auctioneer-How-More/dp/1637744129/ref=sr_1_1 

Lead with Who You Are podcast: https://www.diabondi.com/podcast

Dia's TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFtHKTgyjyU

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

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/

Much of the AI you hear about these days is about large language models trained to look for commonalities and best next guesses. This causes a lot of fear around how AI will be abused - Will the bots take over? Are the inputs unbiased and accurate? Will my teenager cheat on his school essay? 

But we can take a more thoughtful and opportunistic view of AI, specifically in areas where we can teach AI empathy. Yes, I said teach AI empathy. My guest today, Dr. Michelle Zhou, and I discuss how cognitive AI is different from large learning model AI, how these systems learn empathy, and how they empower both companies and individuals without the resources for expensive solutions. We discuss why empathy is actually even more necessary, not less, in the age of AI. And most importantly, we chat about why everyone needs to get involved in AI - why we need to "democratize it", as Dr. Zhou states, in order to be more inclusive and learn how to respond to a variety of needs and people. Dr. Zhou reveals why she believes basic customer service chatbots are one of the worst uses of AI out there!

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• AI currently looks for commonalities in people and data, as it learns to be more empathetic, we need to teach it how to recognize differences, not just those similarities. 
• The more we all interact with AI, the more that AI is going to be smarter about understanding individual differences.
• There is a time and place for canned responses by a ChatBot, but often people will respond better if there is a specific response to their unique questions and needs. 

"In order for AI to be inclusive, then we need more people to be there. If there are more people participating, then you have more diversity. The more involvement from a human side, the more inclusive AI can be." —  Dr. Michelle Zhou

About Michelle Zhou, Co-Founder & CEO, Juji Inc.

Dr. Michelle Zhou is a Co-Founder and CEO of Juji, Inc., an Artificial Intelligence (AI) company located in Silicon Valley, specializing in building cognitive conversational AI technologies and solutions that enable the creation and adoption of empathic and empathetic AI agents. Prior to starting Juji, Michelle led the User Systems and Experience Research (USER) group at IBM Research – Almaden and then the IBM Watson Group. Michelle's expertise is in the interdisciplinary area of intelligent user interaction (IUI), including conversational AI systems and personality analytics. She is an inventor of the IBM Watson Personality Insights and has led the research and development of at least a dozen products in her areas of expertise. Michelle has published over 100 peer-reviewed, refereed scientific articles and 45+ patents. Michelle is the Editor-in-Chief of ACM Transactions on Interactive Intelligent Systems (TiiS) and an Associate Editor of ACM Transactions on Intelligent Systems and Technology (TIST). She received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Columbia University and is an ACM Distinguished Scientist. 

Dr. Zhou has been featured in Axios, Fortune, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, and spoke at Fortune Brainstorm Tech last year.

Connect with Michelle Zhou 

Website: https://juji.io/ 

X: https://twitter.com/senseofsnow2011 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mxzhou/   

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

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/

Leaders are crunched right now. Many are valiantly trying to adopt empathetic and Compassionate Leadership models to adapt to what employees on the market demand new models of leadership that are more human, but some still struggle to balance that with making tough business decisions, setting boundaries, and achieving high-performance standards - serendipitously, the subject of my next book. 

Today, Dr. Rebecca Eldredge, a licensed psychologist who supports socially conscious leaders, changemakers, and organizations shares how leaders can identify signs of overwhelm and burnout in their lives and respond to compassionate fatigue. We discussed the huge financial costs to your organization of ignoring mental health, or pushing through when others are counting on you. We also talked about why allowing emotions at work is key to psychological safety, and how leaders who might be reluctant can get more comfortable making space and time for emotions in the workplace to increase engagement, performance, and retention. Take a deep breath and take a listen. 

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• The more familiar you are with the state of relaxation in yourself, the easier you will recognize when burnout begins and you are not in that state of calm. 
• You don’t have to have days or weeks of calm to draw on, it can be even a moment of peace to recognize those calm, nervous system queues. 
• Being empathetic doesn’t mean you don’t do the hard things, it means you’re deliberate and thoughtful when communicating and making those hard decisions. 
• With the skyrocketing costs of healthcare (often as a direct result of stress and burnout), we cannot afford to not take care of our mental and emotional health. 

"You're much more equipped to make solid decisions when you are connected and when you are in an empathetic and compassionate role with others - and also with yourself." —  Dr. Rebecca Eldredge

About Dr. Rebecca Eldredge: For the past 20 years, Dr. Rebecca Eldredge has used her commitment to mental health, cultural competence, and social justice to support individuals and organizations to cultivate compassion for themselves as they bring compassion and justice to their organizations and communities. She has been honored to work with corporations, university departments, and refugee resettlement agencies as well as hundreds of diverse clients. Dr. Eldredge completed both her M.A. and her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and has taught adjunct in the University of Houston's and Our Lady of the Lake's graduate psychology programs. She is also a Step into Your Moxie® Certified Facilitator.

Connect with Dr. Rebecca Eldredge:  

Website: https://rebeccaephd.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-a-eldredge-phd/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.rebecca_feel_deeply 

Chrysalis: https://rebeccaephd.com/chrysalis-small-group

Speaking: https://rebeccaephd.com/speaking

Facilitations/Trainings: https://rebeccaephd.com/facilitation

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

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 may not know this, but you possess a superpower.  One that helps you connect and engage with almost anyone and become a stronger leader, create a thriving culture and build business value. 

And the great news is, this superpower is innate to us as humans. But sometimes, for some of us, well, the power atrophies - but it can intentionally be strengthened if you know how.

It's called empathy.  Today Maria shares how she discovered this superpower not only to make our world better, but how it drives organizational success - and why we are called to embrace empathetic leadership right NOW in order to move forward and solve our world's complex problems together.

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Binary thinking in leadership is hindering our success  - it is BOTH/AND with empathy and ambition.
• Empathy has been named the most crucial leadership success skill for the 21st century to solve our complex problems together. And those who don't get it, will be left behind
• Empathy is not just a soft skill, it is the key to greater impact (both in the world and to your bottom line) and requires great strength to practice. 
• We have to be able to collaborate, to understand, to hear diverse opinions and points of view - without fear or anger. We have to let everyone have a seat at the table because we cannot solve these problems with our old ways of thinking
• We all need to work on our empathy muscles - where better than at work, where we spend the bulk of our time?

"We cannot park our humanity at the office door. We are complex, emotional beings – and when we’re seen, heard, and valued for who we are, we thrive. And so do our organizations." —  Maria Ross

Episode References: 

• Check out my course!  Brand Story Breakthrough 
• Thought Leader

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

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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If you've been with me a minute, you know that leadership paradigms are changing. Yet it's causing an unspoken crisis for male leaders in particular. Being empathetic and showing vulnerability are not consistent with how men have been socialized or how many women leaders were advised to lead. But that ain't gonna fly anymore in today's market or with today's talent! Leaders disrupting this status quo need to be strong against the push back and show the great results.

Today Carol Vallone Mitchell answers the popular question of whether women leaders are "better at" empathy than men and what role gender plays in successful collaborative leadership. We discuss how empathy is a critical trait of collaborative leaders, and she shares how leadership effectiveness has traditionally been framed in stereotypical masculine terms - and why those are no longer effective for success today. 

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com 

Key Takeaways:

• Empathy is a foundation for collaborative leadership.
• Acquiescence, submission, and people pleasing are not empathy. If you are being burnt out by “empathy” then you’re probably not actually practicing empathy. 
• Gender is irrelevant in being an effective leader, employee, or human being. It is how you choose to lead that really matters. 

"Society teaches young men that to grow up and be successful, tney don't dare express their emotions- a lot of it is self control. And I think that's how empathy is perhaps a bit of a threat for men, because that message is still very much out there." —  Carol Vallone Mitchell, Ph.D

Episode References: 

• Amer Kaissi, The Empathy Edge podcast: Humbitious Leadership Equals Success
• Denise Roberson, The Empathy Edge podcast: Mistakes Leaders and Boards Make When Thinking About Purpose

About Carol Vallone Mitchell, Founding Principal, Talent Strategy Partners, Author Collaboration Code and Breaking Through "Bitch"

Carol Vallone Mitchell, PH.D. has an instinct and a passion for understanding what makes people tick. This has led her to focus her career on identifying and developing leaders who will build and nurture the right workplace culture and drive results. She cofounded Talent Strategy Partners in 2001 and has brought her expertise to numerous companies, including many in the Fortune 500. Carol is the author of two books based on her research. “Collaboration Code: How Men Lead Culture Change and Nurture Tomorrow’s Leaders” and “Breaking Through ‘Bitch’- How Women Can Shatter Stereotypes and Lead Fearlessly.” She has written numerous articles featured in publications including Fast Company, Chief Learning Officer, SHRM Executive, Workspan, Thrive Global, and Forbes; and, has been featured on various radio programs and podcasts.

She received her doctorate in Organizational Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania 

Warm weather and swimming enthusiasts, Carol and her family are "honorary residents" of Hawaii, spending much of their time-off over the last 25 years in Kona. She is an avid tennis fan and plays acoustic guitar.

Connect with Carol Vallone Mitchell, Ph.D:  

Talent Strategy Partners LLC: tsphr.com

Author Site: carolvallonemitchell.com

Collaboration Code rb.gy/tjjxel

Breaking Through "Bitch" amzn.to/2zmooDA

X: twitter.com/cv_mitchell 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carolvallonemitchell 

Facebook: facebook.com/collaborationcode 

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

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

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