Imagine a world where compassion is the norm. This is the world I'm trying to build with my work. In this final Hot Take episode of 2024, I talk about the importance of humanity, compassion, and empathy in all aspects of our lives and businesses and remembering those things that matter most as we go into 2025. With clear statistics from the 2024 Businesssolver State of Workplace Empathy report showing increased loneliness, toxic workplaces, and higher mental health challenges, it’s key that we fight against these negative trends by embracing our values, modeling them, celebrating them, and rewarding them in whatever sphere of influence we have. We fight by disproving the false belief that you can't be empathetic and successful or impactful at the same time.

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

Key Takeaways:

• Business is just another way we humans interact with one another. We should be able to be whole people wherever we are in the world. However, we move about it, and with whomever we choose to interact. 
• We cannot “go gentle into that goodnight,” as poet Dylan Thomas once wrote. Human connection, empathy, and compassion are worth fighting for. 
• Embracing empathy is how we will change the cultures of toxic workplaces and improve mental health.

"I invite you to be part of turning the tide - speak out, and model empathy and compassion whether you're with your kids, on social media, stuck in traffic, or, yes, at a budget meeting at work." —  Maria Ross

Episode References: 

• Get a volume discount on multiple copies of The Empathy Dilemma for employees, Colleagues, partners, clients, or customers: Check out both Book Passage and Porchlight Books at www.TheEmpathyDilemma.com. For brand customization or a custom landing page for fulfillment, please contact me directly and I'll take care of you with Porchlight: https://red-slice.com/contact/

• A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World  by Daniel Goleman

• 2024 Businessolver State of Workplace Empathy

• Apple TV series Severance

Related Articles:

• 3 Observations About Compassion from the Dalai Lama
• How Purpose Leads to Company Success
• Empathy for Others Starts with Empathy for Yourself 

From Our Partner:

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

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

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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