The Empathy Edge

How often do you challenge your assumptions about others and get curious - especially about those in your workplace or your family who have different views than you, political or otherwise? In our increasingly polarized society, my guest today, Mónica Guzmán, believes that we can't count on institutions to bridge those divides for us - we have to do it one conversation, one person, at a time.  

Today, we discussed how she got involved in the work of helping people understand each other better and what role her journalism career played in that mission. We dived into how to bring emotion back into conversations rather than trying to win arguments with data, and a magic question you can ask people who disagree with you to better understand them. We talked about how to have more curious conversations and how to navigate roadblocks. Some great tips for those of you going into election season or tense family dinners over the holidays!

Key Takeaways:

• You can’t have a negotiation if there is no talking. We are judging more while talking less and that only leads further to divide, and not to empathy and understanding.
• The level we think change doesn’t matter, one-on-one conversations, is where change happens the most.
• You often believe that the people that you love and care about who disagree with you are not the majority but an exception to the rule. However, if you talk with others who disagree with you, you will find out that they are not the exception, but the rule

"If we don't engage across disagreement, we risk not seeing variables that are really important to other people, and make for a far more honest accounting of everything that's at play when people make decisions." —  Mónica Guzmán

About Mónica Guzmán, Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels:

Mónica Guzmán is a bridge builder, journalist, and entrepreneur who lives for great conversations sparked by curious questions. She’s the director of digital and storytelling at Braver Angels, the nation’s largest cross-partisan grassroots organization working to depolarize America; host of live interview series at Crosscut; and cofounder of the award-winning Seattle newsletter The Evergrey. Monica's new book, I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times has been praised by the media, readers and influencers alike. 

She was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, where she studied social and political division, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, where she researched how journalists can rethink their roles to better meet the needs of a participatory public. She was named one of the 50 most influential women in Seattle, served twice as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes, and plays a barbarian named Shadrack in her besties’ Dungeons & Dragons campaign. A Mexican immigrant, Latina, and dual US/Mexico citizen, she lives in Seattle with her husband and two kids and is the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents.

Resources  Mentioned:

The Empathy Edge: Interview with Edwin Rutsch, How Empathy Circles Can Change the World

Center for Building a Culture of Empathy

http://cultureofempathy.com

Empathy Circle Website

http://www.empathycircle.com

Check out Edwin and an Empathy Circle in action in the documentary Trumphobia: What Both Sides Fear: trumphobiamovie.com/watch

Connect with Mónica Guzmán:

Braver Angels Website: https://braverangels.org/

Monica's Website and info about her book, I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times: https://reclaimcuriosity.com

Website: https://moniguzman.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/moniguzman

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

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

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

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: 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

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

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 we ever bridge our political divides here in the US? Every day, things seem to get worse. We argue over guns, abortion, civil rights, and whether removing state secrets from the White House and locking them in your safe at home constitutes a crime. But what would happen if people on both sides could engage in meaningful dialogue? What if we all took personal responsibility to spot the lies by getting curious and doing our homework? 

Today, I got to talk to a Twitter influencer I've been following for some time now, David Weissman. David and I discuss his story and how he grew up only consuming Conservative information and assumed it was all true. How we believed Democrats were trying to hurt this country and the shared values that attracted him to Trump's campaign in 2016. David talks about how one Twitter conversation with actress and comedian Sarah Silverman sparked his curiosity to dig deeper into the Constitution and pundit claims, where he realized how many fear-based lies he had been told. Having stood in both camps, I ask him what we should know about why the Conservative message resonates with people, and how he thinks we can find common ground one empathetic conversation at a time. 

Key Takeaways:

• Kindness and civil conversation will go further than name-calling or mudslinging ever will, regardless of which side of the conversational divide you are on. 
• The magic of empathy is that if we can really deeply listen and understand that we can deeply listen without agreeing with each other, initially, we can at least have a conversation. 
• People will not always change what they believe even when faced with facts. They have to be willing to change, do their own research, and see things from a different perspective. 

"No one tried to convert me, and that made me more curious and made me want to ask questions." —  David Weissman

About David Weissman: Army Vet, Former Trump Supporter Turned Jewish Liberal Democrat, and Political Opinion Writer

David Weisman is an Army Veteran, having served throughout the US and overseas for 13 years in Germany and Afghanistan as a Chaplain's Assistant. He has politically gone from Republican Conservative to Tea Party to MAGA to Independent and now Jewish liberal progressive. By sharing his journey of curiosity about the differences between the Democrat and Republican agendas, he's gained a huge following on Twitter, more than 300k followers. He uses that platform to share information, engage in dialogue, and ask questions.  David is currently getting his college degree in social work at the University of Central Florida.

Connect with David

Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmweissman

References Mentioned:

"I Thought Trump Was for Me. Now I'm Organizing Against Him", by David Weissman, Forward

Where the Jan 6 Insurrection Investigation Stands: One Year Later, NPR. FBI tapes of Danny Rodriquez.

Bag Man, podcast series by Rachel Maddow, MSNBC. 2018.

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: 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

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

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, Maria is not messing around! Learn why change is hard, even when it's a good thing, and what you can do to break free of past habits. When infusing more empathy into your leadership, culture, or brand, you may face internal or external resistance - but that has nothing to do with whether you are going in the right direction or not. It's a sign of transformation.

Hear how our brains work and why it is so painful to learn new skills and habits even when they benefit us. She shares what her brain injury recovery taught her about building new skills and strategies to get to success, how adapting to change is like learning to drive, and why the status quo is just easier on our brains. You'll leave this episode fired up to evolve your leadership style and bring your organizations along with you to adapt and thrive in the modern business era.

Key Takeaways:

• You have to appeal to both emotions and logic. Logic and data are never going to be enough to get people to take action. 
• Change requires us to use the more conscious parts of our brains and does not allow us to operate on autopilot. 
• The friction you feel during change is not because you’re going down the wrong path, it is that your brain is trying to take you down familiar, habitual paths. 

"If logic were enough, we would all embrace positive change with open arms." —  Maria Ross

References Mentioned:

The Empathy Edge Podcast, Episode 117 with Melina Palmer, What Your Employees Need But Can't Tell You

The Empathy Edge Podcast Episode 77 with Melina Palmer, Why Your Customers Can't Tell You What They Want

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: 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

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

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/

Change is hard, even when it's a change that makes our lives easier. Today, I speak with Melina Palmer, CEO of The Brainy Business, expert in behavioral economics for organizations around the world, and the author of What Your Employees Need and Can’t Tell You. We give you a refresher on behavioral economics and how our human brains work - especially the conscious and unconscious parts of our brains.  We discuss why change is hard, even when it's a good change, and how leaders get change massively wrong. Melina will share her framework called "It's Not About the Cookie" and how it applies to any employee initiative. She also shares her top tip for those who want to have more influence at work.

Key Takeaways:

• Change doesn’t need to be hard, you just need to understand what motivates the people you are trying to change - education alone will never be enough. 
• Create a culture of feedback and input, solicit that feedback, then actually implement those ideas. 
• Be transparent about your change management. The more transparent you are along the way, the more people can trust the process. 

"Every conversation and initiative is a change conversation or initiative - you are either in the midst of change, in the wake of change that has already happened, or building up to the next change." —  Melina Palmer

About Melina Palmer, CEO and author of What Your Employees Need and Can't Tell You

Melina Palmer is the founder and CEO of The Brainy Business, which provides behavioral economics consulting to businesses of all sizes from around the world. Her podcast, The Brainy Business: Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy, has downloads in over 170 countries and is used as a resource for teaching applied behavioral economics for many universities and businesses. Melina obtained her master’s in behavioral economics from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. A proud member of the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists, Melina has contributed research to the Association for Consumer Research, Filene Research Institute, and writes the Behavioral Economics & Business column for Inc Magazine. She teaches applied behavioral economics through the Texas A&M Human Behavior Lab. Her first book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You, was published in May 2021 and was a finalist in two categories of the International Book Awards. Her second book, What Your Employees Need and Can’t Tell You, is out as of October 2022.

Connect with Melina Palmer

The Brainy Business Website: https://www.thebrainybusiness.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thebrainybiz

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

Facebook: https://facebook.com/thebrainybiz

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebrainybiz

References Mentioned

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

Special link to get your free chapter of both of Melina's books: www.thebrainybusiness.com/empathyedge

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria’s 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

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

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/

We, as marketers, all understand how important it is to get to know our customers. But what discipline are we bringing to that process? Do we understand the many levels of empathy we need to have for them, and how to translate those insights into the customer experience and product or service?

Today, Emily Vernon, shares so much wisdom about how to look at our customers' experience. We talk about the cumulative experience and how brands can shift from being reactive to cultural moments to being more proactive. Emily shares the three altitudes of empathy - the layers at which we need to understand our customers in order to create an engaging experience. We discuss how brand experience is shifting from user-centricity to human centricity, and requires leaders to address more complex, emotional needs (yes, even in B2B!). We chat about how empathy should be viewed as a skill, not a trait.  She also shares 5 empathy exercise types so you avoid seeing customer insight gathering as one-dimensional and discover which ones your brand is doing well, versus what you may be missing to get a fuller picture.  Today's episode may change the way you gather customer insights from now on!

Key Takeaways:

• You have to understand your customers as people, not as a broad, generic demographic. In order to connect with the right people, some people won’t like you. 
• B2B has evolved over the last 20 years, but it is important to remember that you’re selling to humans, who justify emotions with logic, but are still buying with emotion. 
• There is more than one way to look at empathy exercises. It is important to look at empathy from all angles, gather and analyze that information, and then implement with your team and see what sticks.

"We bring meaning in terms of how we live, we bring meaning in terms of how we do our job. There's much more of a movement in B2B to start to look at things emotionally." —  Emily Vernon

About Emily Vernon, Customer Experience Consultant an, B2B Experience Lead:

Emily consults Reckitt around the end-to-end experience for B2B hygiene solutions. For more than ten years, both agency- and client-side, she has enabled brands to better engage their audiences through experience, ranging from products to service rituals, physical environments to digital platforms. 

She’s been honored to have worked with some of the top brands within work, travel, luxury and wellbeing including Lego, IHG, Clinique, Shimano and Converse. Collaborations with these brands and others have been featured in Highsnobiety, Hypebeast, Wallpaper*, Transform and Frame Magazine.

Emily's experiences with stand-up comedy, offshore sailing and living abroad have cultivated her belief that we should always question the default.

Resources Mentioned

Decisive: how to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip and Dan Heath

The Empathy Edge podcast with Michelle Wucker: How Risk Empathy Impacts Team Performance

Connect with Emily Vernon

Website: https://emilyvernon.com

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

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

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: 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

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

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/

Leadership has changed in the last few years, and it can be disorienting for leaders who've subscribed to and succeeded with the old narratives about good leadership. Companies and their leaders need to reframe their cultures to meet the new world of work in the 21st century. It's more than just being nice or being a "cool" boss or giving everyone free lunch. It requires deep and honest self-assessment and a growth mindset to shore up those necessary skills. My guest today, Lisen Stromberg, tells us what skills are required for modern leaders to be successful and how cultures can transform for maximum success. 

We discuss where existing leadership and culture paradigms came from and how they have changed, what skills modern leaders require for success, outlined in Prismwork's HEARTI model, and Lisen also shares her research project on men and male leaders in the workplace that they are doing in partnership with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.  Men and male-identifying leaders, you're invited to take the survey linked in the show notes to share your experience.

Key Takeaways:

• The army originally established the tenants of leadership back in the 1940s. That is not what is still needed in the modern business world. Influence has changed, leadership has changed, and it will continue to evolve as well. 
• A failure of leadership that we see all the time is when a leader comes in, they do a great job creating a culture, leave, and then that just all falls away.
• Many leaders may not have the language, but are already doing the right things to promote equity and allyship in their company, even if they don’t know that they are doing so.
• Culture is a competitive advantage that is hard to replicate. 

"Culture is the competitive advantage. If you don't know how your culture is operating, and don't have a North Star of where you want to go, you're not going to win. You're going to lose in the war for talent, profits, investors…in the war for all." —  Lisen Stromberg

About Lisen Stromberg, CEO and Co-founder, Prismwork 

Lisen Stromberg is CEO and Co-Founder of PrismWork, a culture transformation and leadership development consultancy. She is a highly sought-after speaker and thought leader on the future of work. Her book, Work Pause Thrive: How to Pause for Parenthood Without Killing Your Career, covers how highly achieving women have navigated the work/life integration issue by crafting nonlinear careers.

Connect with Lisen Stromberg

PrismWork: https://prismwork.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisenStromberg

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

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

References Mentioned

Men and male-identifying knowledge workers, any level: Please take Prismwork's and W. K. Kellogg Foundation's research survey on men in the workplace. Your input is invaluable to the research: www.menatworkresearch.com

Primswork's HEARTI Quotient inclusive leadership assessment for the 21st Century: HEARTI stands for Humility, EMPATHY, Accountability, Resiliency, Transparency, and Inclusivity. It is built on assessments with hundreds of leaders across numerous industries as well as extensive research on modern leadership competencies. 

Re:Work, Understand Team Effectiveness. Info on Google's Project Aristotle. 

What is Psychological Safety? Google's checklist to ensure psychological safety 

Josh Lev: The Top Global Expert for Modern Dads at Work

Rebecca Friese The Empathy Edge interview: How to Build a Good Culture

Josh Levine The Empathy Edge interview: Building an Empathetic Culture

Susan Hunt Stevens, The Empathy Edge interview: The ROI of Psychological Safety

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: 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

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

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 is a badass leader? According to my guest today, they're badasses who go 80MPH in a 45MPH zone but don’t always check to see if their team is strapped in or interested in going for the ride. These leaders are high value to a company but their "prickly" edges may start to diminish their value. But what if we could help those leaders embrace more empathy and channel that energy and drive into success and innovation? What is the opportunity cost of dismissing or sidelining such prickly leaders? 

Executive coach and advisor Parissa Behnia coaches C Suite and Senior leaders who are high will - high skill and have a growth mindset. Today, we talk about the hierarchy of prickly leadership, why many 3D leaders actually do care about the negative impact they have but are not sure how to change the dynamic; why they protect themselves so much, and how they can use her EMPATHY framework to create stronger relationships, set aside ego, and have much more influence and success. 

Key Takeaways:

• You don’t have to like a leader personally to understand the radical impact that they've had on us and on society.
• Once we start learning to have acceptance for our vulnerability, it becomes easier to have a conversation about leadership ultimately being about humanity, and not about the "doing" of whatever it is that they do.
• A manager worries about doing things right, a leader worries about doing the right things. 
• In terms of empathy, when it comes to leadership, it's really about content and context.

"The number one problem with badasses is that they're called " too much" whereas I think they're exactly what we need." —  Parissa Behnia

About Parissa Behnia,  Executive Coach and Advisor

Parissa Behnia coaches C Suite and Senior leaders who are high will - high skill and have a growth mindset. In other words, they're badasses like you who go 80MPH in a 45MPH zone but don’t always check to see if their team is strapped in or interested in going for the ride. These leaders are high value to a company but their edges may start to diminish their value.

These days, leadership is full of complexities whether you’re navigating from an audacious goal or trying to avoid that iceberg up ahead. In either case, Parissa's clients choose her because she's either sat in those seats or next to those seats often enough to know how it can feel to be alone in a crowded leadership room. She's unafraid to speak truth to power to help propel you forward.

With over 20 years of corporate, consulting, coaching, Parissa’s key strategic difference is Empathy as a strategic imperative. She’s so passionate about employing empathy in business that she’s developed the Sixense Empathy Model™. 

Parissa has taught entrepreneurship seminars and is a frequent speaker on strategy, leadership and entrepreneurship. She is a Certified Professional Coach, holds a BA from Northwestern University and MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

References Mentioned:

Empathy Edge Podcast Episode with Paul Marobella, Leading Through Crisis: https://theempathyedge.com/paul-marobella-leading-through-crisis/

Connect with Parissa Behnia

Sixense Coaching: www.sixensestrategy.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/behnia

Inconceivable Influence Coaching Program: https://bit.ly/InconceivableInfluence. A group program for leaders and aspiring leaders who want to convert their raw power into influence.

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: 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

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

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/

Oh the price we've paid - as both black and white people - because of racism. If we truly want to achieve racial solidarity, we have to start by talking about race, not racism. My guest today Daniel Jahn, DJ for short, has been involved with racial justice and solidarity work for 25 years. 

Today, DJ offers us a history lesson about where the concept of race comes from and the real motive behind why it was created. We discuss the evolution of the psychology of racism, and the inner work both black and white people need to do to find unity. DJ's approach is all about unity and what we can create together, rather than what we fight against. DJ shares his epiphany that we are all healing from racism: what it did to our society, the boxes it put us in, the division it caused, the narratives it created - and how we can do deep inner work to explore how racism has harmed us and how we can heal  from it. We also explored the question: What does the world look and feel like if racism no longer exists? And why it's better for us to have conversations about race, rather than racism. I was so moved by today's talk and can't wait to do more work on this journey to create a more equitable and inclusive world - hope you are excited as well!

Key Takeaways:

• The purpose of creating race, about 315 years ago, was to create “whiteness” and an us-them dynamic. 
• We don't learn about race. We learn about racism, but we do not understand, grow or learn about race. Most of America, not just white folks, don't understand our racial history, or our racial disconnect.
• Nobody is trying to usurp anyone else, we are just trying to create unity, equity, and harmony among people. 
• We all have work to do to end racism. That work will vary based on our racial perspectives. 

"For me, ending racism is eradicating the value that is tied to race. We still have racial differences, we still value our uniqueness and our differences, but we all see each other as Americans." —  Daniel Jahn

About Daniel Jahn, Racial Solidarity Trainer:

Daniel Jahn has served on several nonprofit Boards focused on the development of black youth and school-based racial equity teams. He was a member of the National Strength and Conditioning’s Diversity Taskforce, the National High School Strength Coaches Unity Team and a founding participant in the Groundbreakers program focused on mentorship of black and brown boys. He’s presented nationally several times on issues of race in the performance training field, as well as consulted with schools and companies on their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work. Together, with his family, he helped found the David Jahn Memorial Sailing Scholarship Fund to provide opportunities for youth of color to sail. He is deeply committed to the mission and vision of the Soul Focused Group and believes its model to be the true path to racial unity and equity now and in the years to come.

Connect with Daniel Jahn:

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

Soul Focused Group: https://soulfocusedgroup.com/

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: 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

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

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/

If you are an ambitious, hard-driving leader who never stops to take a breath - you need to listen to today's episode. Pausing as a leader is vital to making better decisions, regulating your emotions, and creating stronger relationships with your team. You may think that rapid pace is the way to find success, but it will just burn you and your team out. Today my guest is Dr. Chris L. Johnson,  author of The Leadership Pause: Navigating the Future with Clarity, Focus & Empathy.  Today we talk about why she chose pausing as the topic of her leadership book, why pausing is both mental and physical - and why it's simple but not easy! We discuss the benefits of pausing, both for you as a leader and for your team's performance. We also dive deep into the connection between triggers and mindful pausing - and why being unable to stop long enough to recognize your triggers can lead to disastrous results - personally and professionally.

Key Takeaways:

• There is no fully separating your work self and your personal self. What is going on at home will impact your work, and what is going on at work will impact your personal life. 
• Beginning to pause is about a full body practice. It is about dropping from our monkey mind, and dropping into the body and the sensations to allow us to start to shift gears. 
• Triggers are normal. We shouldn’t squash them, but we should learn from them about ourselves, our old strategies, and new strategies for moving forward in our leadership. 
• People are trying to juggle too much, they feel too overwhelmed and too busy. In fact, that's a result of not pausing. 

"Every time we do a reset, it isn't just mental, it resets our biology. And when it does that, we have more access to the resources that all of us bring to the table in the first place." —  Dr. Chris L. Johnson

About Chris L. Johnson, Consultant and Author, The Leadership Pause

Chris Johnson, PsyD. has devoted her life to the deep listening that underpins ‘what matters most’ in people’s lives.  She’s the founder of Q4 Consulting, Inc. a Chicago based consulting firm committed to cultivating exemplary leaders, collaborative teams, healthy workplaces and engaged, thriving communities. An experienced psychologist, mindfulness teacher and executive leadership coach, she's known for creating trust with those who value her honesty, deep listening and commitment to their success.

Chris is the Chair of Conscious Capitalism Chicago and on the leadership team of Ellevate Chicago. She just released her book, The Leadership Pause: Navigating the Future with Clarity, Focus & Empathy. When she’s not working, Chris is likely either gardening, reading a great book, making art, or at the aikido dojo where she practices and teaches the art of peace.

Connect with Chris L. Johnson

Q4-Consulting, Inc.: https://www.q4-consulting.com

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drchrisljohnson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Q4ConsultingInc

Book: The Leadership Pause: Navigating the Future with Clarity, Focus & Empathy.  https://q4-consulting.com/the-leadership-pause-sharpen-your-attention/

Her upcoming course, Calm the Chaos for Busy Professionals, starts in mid-September 2022 and cohorts run ongoing. See her website for more details.

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: 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

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

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 August Hot Takes! To celebrate the podcast's 2nd anniversary, we're shaking things up with some solo episodes from yours truly. I'm answering common questions attendees ask during my keynotes and trainings.

How can I run my business with empathy?

Whether you are part of a billion dollar organization or you are a solopreneur, there are valid business reasons to embrace empathy as part of your business model. And it warms my heart to get this question, as it means that people are finally putting a spotlight on empathy as a way to run a more sustainable, successful business.  We want to embrace empathy in how we lead our teams and run our businesses. But we're not always sure how. Let's talk about the ways in which you can infuse empathy into your business and reap the rewards.

Thanks for being here and enjoying the podcast. Would love to know what you think of this Hot Takes format.

Key Takeaways:

• Easy ways you can practice empathy at work start with asking questions and being an active listener. 
• State your common goals out loud - it reminds everyone involved that you’re actually on the same team and want the same things. 
• Your community is made of real people with needs, desires, goals and aspirations, not numbers, subscribers, or dollar signs. 

"It's very easy to show empathy at work. It's not as complicated as people think. It just requires self awareness and emotional intelligence." —  Maria Ross

Resources Mentioned:

Client Love: Maria's digital course on how to nurture the customers you already have so you can attract even more.

3 Ways to Show More Empathy to Your Customers

5 Ways Empathy Benefits Your Business

Let's Redefine "Kind" in Business

3 Ways to Practice Empathy at Work

5 Ways to Use Your Business to Make the World 

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: 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

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

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/