In this essential episode of "Courage to Advance," host Kim Bohr and global inclusion strategist Mason Donovan tackle a critical challenge facing today's leaders: maintaining organizational cohesion in an increasingly polarized world. Their timely conversation cuts through the noise to deliver practical wisdom on fostering productive workplaces where differences drive innovation rather than division.Through real-world examples, Mason and Kim explore how thoughtful leadership can transform potential friction points into opportunities for organizational growth. Drawing from personal experience and extensive client work, they examine why some corporate inclusion initiatives soar while others stumble, offering senior leaders a strategic framework for making decisions that align with mission and market realities. To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.comKey Takeaways:Inclusion is for the entire organization, no matter if you are in the majority or the minority group. It is more than just policy, it is operating with a lens of inclusion in every aspect of the organization.Everybody has to own inclusion. While leaders may have a greater impact, they cannot be the only ones carrying the inclusion bucket.Politics in the US have put almost everything, every cultural decision, in either the red or the blue. Think about those connections, think about what may be said to others by those decisions, then make a decision. Hard, uncomfortable conversations will come up. Get ahead of them before they begin with policies and training. "When you're a head of organization, everything that you do in public is a representative of that organization." —  Mason Donovan From Our Partner:SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatestasset: their people. SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level.Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.About Mason Donovan:Founder/Consultant of The Dagoba Group Mason was Managing Director of Client Solutions for Personified, a human capital consulting firm, before becoming a principal for The Dagoba Group, a New England-based consultancy that specializes in leadership development in inclusion and diversity. He has over 20 years consulting clients in the areas of talent acquisition, performance management, and leading inclusive teams. Mason holds a long list of sales achievement awards for direct sales and sales management. He believes diversity and inclusion is a marketplace differentiator. Co-author of The Inclusion Dividend and SET for Inclusion. Author of the Golden Apple.Connect with Mason:  Website: thedagobagroup.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/masondonovan  Connect with Kim Bohr and SparkEffectSparkEffect: sparkeffect.comCourage to Advance recording and resources:CourageToAdvancePodcast.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sparkeffectLinkedIn for Kim Bohr: linkedin.com/in/kimbohrConnect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemariaAchieve radical success putting empathy into action with Businessolver. Techlology with heart, powered by people. https://www.businessolver.com/edge

Recently, we've heard a lot about resiliency, the ability to bounce back from challenge, and grit, that ability to grind away and never give up. But we've heard less about hardiness. It turns out hardiness enhances resilience, promotes personal and professional growth, and creates a more adaptive organizational culture.Today, Dr. Steven Stein and I talk about hardiness and how it differs from both resilience and grit. He breaks down five key components of emotional intelligence and discusses how emotions impact our ability to make (or not make) good decisions. Dr. Stein offers the three C's of Hardiness and how to improve hardiness to create a more resilient, healthy, and adaptive culture that impacts your bottom line. To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.comKey Takeaways:The concept of hardiness breaks down into the 3 Cs: commitment, challenge, and control.If your goal is overly ridged or too narrow, it can become detrimental and paralyzing. Resilience and hardiness definitely overlap. Where the overlap is, we see continuous improvement and forward motion.When you balance emotionality with rationality, you can make better decisions, We call that wisdom."Hardiness means I can withstand the difficult situation and I can still deal with you (as a person), I can bring you along and make you stronger, and make the organization stronger." —  Dr. Steven SteinFrom Our Partner:SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatestasset: their people. Through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level, SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future.Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.About Dr Steven Stein: Clinical psychologist, speaker, best-selling author of Emotional Intelligence for Dummies and Hardiness: Making Stress Work for You to Achieve Your Life GoalsDr. Steven Stein is a world-renowned clinical psychologist, international best-selling author and sought-after speaker, and founder and Executive Chair of Multi-Health Systems (MHS), a publisher of scientifically validated assessments for over 40 years, which has been named a three-time winner of Profit 100 (fastest growing companies in Canada), one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies since 2013, and Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures (2016, Waterstone).A leading expert on psychological assessment and emotional intelligence, he has consulted with military and government agencies, including the Canadian Forces, U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, special units of the Pentagon, FBI Academy, as well as corporate organizations, including American Express, Air Canada, Canyon Ranch, Coca-Cola (Mexico), and professional sports teams.Dr. Stein consults with numerous reality TV shows, including Big Brother Canada, The Amazing Race Canada, MasterChef Canada, Bachelor Canada, Real Housewives of Toronto, Bachelor in Paradise, Blown Away, and many others, providing psychological expertise and candidate selection assessments.Connect with Dr. Steven Stein Multi-Health Systems (MHS): mhs.com Personal Website: stevenstein.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drstevensteinBook: Emotional Intelligence for DummiesBook: Hardiness: Making Stress Work for You to Achieve Your Life Goals Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemaria

Today, I want to talk about something that’s been heavy on my heart: the importance of holding onto Real History as it’s unfolding, not just to understand today but to avoid repeating mistakes tomorrow. Lately, I have felt anxious about the world we’re building and the future we’re leaving for our kids. When I look at what’s happening, I can’t help but think about the role models I want my son to emulate. It’s not just about those leaders at the highest levels. We can be leaders even if we don't have the title. It’s about us, each of us, stepping up, being those role models, and showing that we can lead with both empathy and strength.Let’s keep leading with empathy. To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.comKey Takeaways:The best leaders have the humility to recognize their flaws and understand that the best, most effective decisions come from inviting expert voices that aren’t their own so they can get a clearer picture of both risks and opportunities.Use the upcoming leadership of the US to teach your children what kind of leader not to be.Kindness, inclusion, and integrity are qualities worth pursuing—not just in others, but in ourselves. "We can be leaders if we don't have the title but some people, even if promoted to the title, even if elected to the title, will never be true leaders.." —  Maria RossFrom Our Partner:SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatestasset: their people. SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level.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.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemariaAchieve radical success putting empathy into action with Businessolver. Techlology with heart, powered by people. https://www.businessolver.com/edge

We prep ourselves for so many challenging conversations, whether asking for a raise, delivering a tough performance review, asking for more budget, or even debating a political issue as if we're going to war. We brace for the confrontation. That puts us in a really unhelpful place to have true connection and conversation - and that just intensifies the misunderstanding and animosity with no helpful outcome. But there's a way out of this cycle. And woo boy! I clicked instantly with today's guest and I know you will, too. Today, Justin shares a very personal story about his trip back to Ghana to confront his absent father and how he changed the conversation following his own 5 pillars to bridge the divide. We also discuss how to practice conversational receptiveness, and how to avoid the dotted line dilemma and the illusion of asymmetric insights which both hinder meaningful engagements with those we don't see eye-to-eye with. Justin also unpacks actionable ways to have better conversations and cultivate curiosity through the Power of 3 Questioning module. To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.comKey Takeaways:Plant the seeds with your kids of how to value humanity from a young age. Take them to places and events that will help them see more of the world and humanity.Be transparent when you are working on your leadership and changing conversations. Bring your team in, make it fun and light, and have one meaningful conversation per week.Just because it feels uncomfortable to learn about others and practice The Power of 3 Questioning. It doesn’t mean it isn’t working and strengthening your listening muscles."People are talking about things that are important to them. The question is, are we really listening?" —  Justin Jones-Fosu Episode References: Justin's book: I Respectfully Disagree: How to Have Difficult Conversations in A Divided WorldThe Empathy Edge podcast: Michael Bach: What Exclusion is Costing Your CompanyBook: Dialogue: The Art of Thinking Together by William IsaacsFrom Our Partner:SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatestasset: 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 and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.About Justin Jones-Fosu, CEO, Work.Meaningful and Author, I Respectfully DisagreeJustin is a full-time dad-e who also happens to be an international speaker, a social entrepreneur, a critically acclaimed author, and a mountain climber (he recently conquered one of the famed 7 Summits). His passion for elevation extends beyond trekking, it’s mirrored in his work as the CEO of Work. Meaningful, a firm he founded in 2017 focused on workplace engagement and inclusion. He consults with, speaks to, and trains 10,000 to 20,000 people per year. He is a former radio host and former workplace contributor to NPR’s The Takeaway Justin's most recent book, I Respectfully Disagree, challenges the reader to focus on building bridges with people rather than barriers from them. He also wrote The Inclusive Mindset and Your Why Matters Now.Connect with Justin Jones-Fosu:  Work.Meaningful: workmeaningful.com X: x.com/iworkmeaningful LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/iworkmeaningful Instagram: instagram.com/iworkmeaningful  Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemariaAchieve radical success putting empathy into action with Businessolver. Techlology with heart, powered by people. https://www.businessolver.com/edge

One of the hardest jobs in business belongs to anyone with a C in their title. Today you’ll hear from Tina Kuhn and Neal Frick, co-authors and successful executives of global companies who have gone on this journey and had tremendous success.We talk about the ROI of empathy from their own experience and what they have learned about embracing empathy as a strategic advantage. We discuss how fear and bias show up for executives and impact their decision-making. They share the rewards of being an empathetic leader, the best way to bring a leader on board to an empathy mindset, how to practice empathy when your large team is remote, and why simply being a "nice boss" without accountability can be super toxic. To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.comKey Takeaways:Reactive leaders harm their organizations. Empathetic leaders advance organizations and the lives of those in the organizations.There’s a difference between being a nice boss and being an empathetic leader. Being “the nice boss” is actually one of the most toxic things in an organization, and that is not empathetic.Build in time for team building in remote environments. If you choose the right activities, you can create those connections. "The way that I have found the most effective has been leading by example because pushing someone into a vulnerable space is the quickest way to be met with resistance." —  Neal Frick References:The Empathy Edge podcast: Teri Schmidt: Empathy-Infused Team Building for Lasting ImpactFrom Our Partner:SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatestasset: their people. Through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level, SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future.Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.About Tina & Neal:Tina Kuhn is an accomplished CEO spanning cybersecurity, commercial, and US government. She has extensive experience in organizational transformations, growth strategies and implementation, M&A due diligence and integration, financial improvements, process and risk management, operations management, business development, and proposal development.Ms. Kuhn has served in a variety of executive leadership roles, including the President of Proximas Group, focused on integrating 6 companies and developing a growth strategy to take advantage of each company’s strengths. Neal Frick is the CEO of Avandra Consulting and most recently served as CEO of CyberCore Technologies, which was sold to HP. He's an author with more than twenty years of experience in organizational growth and leadership and has led successful initiatives around transformational change, strategic planning, and revenue, working with companies such as Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Lockheed Martin. His experiences have fueled his commitment to cultivating inclusive work cultures, where diversity and empathy are not just buzzwords but integral components of business ethos.Connect with Tina & Neal:The Lanzar Group: thelanzargroup.comTina's LinkedIn: Tina KuhnNeal's LinkedIn: Neal FrickMedium Profile: medium.com/@TinaKuhnBook: The E Suite: Empathetic Leadership for the Next Generation of Executivestinakuhncommunication.com - The Manager's Communication ToolKit - Dealing with Difficult PersonalitiesConnect with Maria:Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemaria

Chloé Valdary, founder of Theory of Enchantment, advocates for love and compassion in combating prejudice. She outlines how gratitude for our strengths and weaknesses can transform workplace relationships. Explore how agape love fosters inclusivity and enhances conflict resolution, leading to better customer interactions. Chloé emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and self-awareness in leadership, debunking the myth of the all-knowing expert. Embracing curiosity, she believes, opens the door to deeper learning and connection.

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 www.CourageToAdvancePodcast.com.In this episode, we dive deep into the often oversimplified process of CEO evaluations. We explore why boards need to look beyond traditional metrics and uncover common blindspots in CEO assessments. We'll discuss the limitations of relying solely on KPIs and how to integrate both quantitative and qualitative measures to evaluate not just what a CEO achieves but how they lead. We'll examine how robust CEO evaluations impact critical board responsibilities like compensation and succession planning. The conversation will also touch on incorporating empathy and emotional intelligence into assessments. Finally, we'll reveal how well-designed evaluations can drive alignment between the board and CEO, fostering a culture of trust and continuous improvement. Join us as we uncover how to truly assess leadership effectiveness and drive organizational success through comprehensive CEO evaluations. To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.comKey Takeaways:Having a relationship and building trust with some board members can create a safe space for the CEO, which can often be lonely. Soft skills are the essential skills. It doesn’t matter what your organization does, these are vital skills in understanding the inputs and outputs to create success within any organization. Data only matters if you can translate and interpret it into something useful and actionable.While hitting the “whats” is important, the “hows” of getting to those “whats” are equally as important.  "When we talk about sustainable organizations, and the ability for organizations to grow, just hitting the numbers isn't going to guarantee success. It's important, but it isn't the whole story." —  Sandy Stelling, VP of Strategy, Analytics, and Transformation, Alaska AirlinesFrom Our Partner:SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatestasset: their people. SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level.Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.About Sandy Stelling, VP of Strategy, Analytics, and Transformation, Alaska AirlinesSandy most recently served as the Vice President of Strategy, Analytics, and Transformation at Alaska Airlines. A Pacific Northwest aviation leader for over 30 years, she drives change using her experience in engineering, technology, team dynamics, and process performance. She has been recognized for her collaborative, always curious, direct leadership style. Sandy believes deeply in building capability and creating capacity with individuals and teams. Her track record of building trust and coaching teams, leading through challenges and crises, and delivering financial results bring valuable perspectives to the boardroom. Sandy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University. She currently holds leadership roles on several non-profit boards.Connect with Sandy Stelling:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandy-stelling-1984501Connect with Kim Bohr and SparkEffectSparkEffect: sparkeffect.comCourage to Advance recording and resources:CourageToAdvancePodcast.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sparkeffectLinkedIn for Kim Bohr: linkedin.com/in/kimbohr Connect with Maria:Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceAchieve radical success putting empathy into action with Businessolver. Techlology with heart, powered by people. https://www.businessolver.com/edge

Your organization may be missing out on the talent, innovation, and productivity of your workforce because of your own actions! I'm talking about accommodating disability. When we fail to invest in mindset and policy shifts, we fail to optimize the people within our organizations.After experiencing complete memory loss due to a brain injury, my guest, Julie Harris, defied expectations as she found success in education and the corporate world. Today, we bond over our brain injury stories and discuss the definition of disability, how stigma impairs human performance, and how you may be hindering innovation and productivity. We also discuss why accommodation is not special treatment and why many fail to realize we all expect accommodations daily. Julie shares practical advice for what leaders can do to unleash the potential of disabled workers and achieve their business goals. To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at TheEmpathyEdge.comKey Takeaways:Not everybody’s disability looks the same or requires the same things, even if they are in the same category of disability.Disable and unable are not the same thing. The term disability is an accurate and correct description because it's something externally acting upon your body to make it not able.When the brain is under stress, we are only concerned with survival, which impairs your employee’s ability to do the work, impacting the bottom line."We accommodate people all the time at work and in everyday life, yet when it comes to disability, it had to be a legal right granted because those accommodations were so frequently denied. Just because one person needs a different thing doesn't mean it's preferential treatment. We're giving them exactly what they need to do their job." —  Julie HarrisReferences:The Empathy Edge podcasts:Michael Bach: What Exclusion is Costing Your CompanyMinette Norman: Psychological SafetyDisclo: disclo.comFrom Our Partner:SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatestasset: their people. Through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level, SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future.Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.About Julie Harris, CEO/Founder, Access My Ability. Author of Boldly Belong:After experiencing complete memory loss due to a brain injury, Julie quickly defied doctors’ expectations as she found success in secondary education and the corporate world. Drawing from personal study and formal education in neuroscience, process improvement, and disability inclusion, she consults with individuals and organizations around the globe. Despite having less than 16 years’ worth of memory and knowledge, Julie is now CEO and Founder of Access My Ability and author of Boldly Belong: The Power of Being You in a Disabling Society. Her expertise has been sought after by numerous Fortune 500 companies, where she has delivered compelling speeches and invaluable consultation on disability inclusion, workplace rights, and reasonable accommodation process improvement. Julie’s goal is to demonstrate that success can be achieved through unconventional paths that defy rules and expectations.Connect with Julie:Access My Ability: accessmyability.orgLinkedIn: Julie HarrisBook: Boldly Belong: The Power of Being You in a Disabling SocietyConnect with Maria:Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemaria

BONUS EPISODE! Join me for a conversation with President and COO of SparkEffect, Kim Bohr as we kick off our partnership to provide you with actionable content for the next year on their podcast subseries, Courage to Advance. We talk about Kim's journey and work in helping leaders embrace change and marry data, technology, and human-centric practices to achieve success. You will love her insights on how to build resilience in today's rapidly changing landscape, and how integrating innovative technology, data-driven insights, and the human touch is the winning recipe for success in our times.We kick off our partnership where SparkEffect will be offering you monthly insights, actionable takeaways, and inspiring stories of leadership transformation and the role empathy plays in success. 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.comKey Takeaways:AI is not going away - the more we lean in and understand, the more we can leverage it for ourselves, our clients, and our organizations.Leveraging AI in your creative endeavors is great to bounce ideas off of, especially for those who work solo.All change involves bringing people along with you. The human need for information, reassurance, connection, and upskilling never disappears. Only the challenge in front of us changes. "We believe that AI and data-driven insights are about augmenting and elevating that people-centered approach. And that's why we find the data, along with the very skill-based empathetic approach, is where the superpower is unleashed for leaders and organizations." —  Kim BohrFrom Our Partner:SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatestasset: their people. Through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level, SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future.Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.About Kim Bohr, President & COO, SparkEffectKim is a published author, speaker, and entrepreneur at heart. As the President and COO of SparkEffect, she brings over 25 years of experience as a cross-functional leader, executive and board advisor, and leadership and organization development professional. Kim has spent her career avidly studying and participating in companies with complex people and organizational dynamics. Making an impact on businesses is important to Kim. She stays inspired by the gratification that comes from unraveling challenging problems for individuals and companies. Her strong, strategic instincts, extensive experience, and the ability to create followership have shaped Kim into the leader she is today.Connect with Kim Bohr and SparkEffectSparkEffect: sparkeffect.comCourage to Advance recording and resources: sparkeffect.com/courage-to-advance-podcastLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sparkeffectLinkedIn for Kim Bohr: linkedin.com/in/kimbohr  Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemariaAchieve radical success putting empathy into action with Businessolver. Techlology with heart, powered by people. https://www.businessolver.com/edge

Halloween is just around the corner, and the ghouls, goblins, and…gladiators will be out in full force, along with spooky music, haunted houses, chills, and thrills. While humans have a weird desire to scare ourselves for our amusement, fear and horror in the workplace is far less desirable. And nothing can strike more fear into our hearts than scary bosses. But are those leaders scary...or scared? Today, I discuss how fear is detrimental for your team and how elevated perceived stress levels cause poor cognition. I also talk about why embracing empathy and building strong connections with your team while still maintaining high accountability and performance expectations will allow your team to rise to the challenge. Listen in for some scary statistics, but also the light around the dark corner that waits for those of us who are willing to take the next steps.  To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.comKey Takeaways:Studies show that perceived stress can cause lower cognitive scores and a faster rate of cognitive decline.Be vulnerable in your journey to be a more empathetic leader - while still expecting high performance and holding people accountable - people will rise to the challenge.Examine your own emotional triggers and backstory. Be willing to interrogate yourself with a curious mind. Scaring your people won’t help, so stop trying to do so and understand why you were trying to in the first place. "Most scary or ineffective leaders have no self-awareness about how poorly they come across and how much psychological torture they influence. And that's because their negative behavior is almost always a result of their own fears." —  Maria Ross Episode References: CNN: Stress May Lead to Lower Cognitive Function, Study FindsMore on Arno MichaelisBuy the book and download a free chapter sneak peek: http://www.TheEmpathyDilemma.comFrom Our Partner:SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatestasset: 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.comLearn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with EmpathyLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaX: @redsliceFacebook: Red SliceThreads: @redslicemariaAchieve radical success putting empathy into action with Businessolver. Techlology with heart, powered by people. https://www.businessolver.com/edge