The Empathy Edge

Alain Hunkins, CEO and author of 'Cracking The Leadership Code,' dives into the evolution of modern leadership. He highlights the vital shift from command-and-control styles to empathetic approaches. Alain discusses how prioritizing people over numbers can lead to transformative outcomes, sharing a compelling story of a leader's turnaround. He also addresses the barriers to empathy in leadership and offers a practical communication trick. The conversation emphasizes how transparency and connection are essential for fostering trust and effective teams.

In this engaging conversation, leadership coach and best-selling author Michael Bungay Stanier discusses the superpower of empathy in the workplace. He differentiates between leadership and coaching, stressing the importance of curiosity and genuine connection. Michael unveils six leadership styles and shares the dangers of rescuer behavior. He introduces the concept of Keystone Conversations, offering five questions to help improve challenging relationships. With insights from his journey, Michael emphasizes self-awareness as key to effective leadership.

Resilience might be eligible for word of the year. You hear it everywhere you go. We talked a lot about resilience during the Pandemic. How do we bounce back and adapt?One definition of resilience is “The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.”Clearly, we need to embrace resilience as human beings. In a chaotic, unpredictable world where the only constant is change, you might drive yourself mad if you cannot adapt.But more importantly, how is the skill of resilience strengthened, taught, or learned?Today I share two examples from my childhood on how I learned resilience that I hope will not only enlighten you, but entertain you. (HINT: One involves my theater geek high school days!) To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:Practice having a growth mindset - it is not about being externally praised, it is about your innate desire to practice and improve and look at what can be tweaked to change the outcome on your next attempt. Learn from those losses in your life. You can process the grief of losing but still embrace the opportunities in front of you. Try anyway! Even if you don’t have all of the boxes checked for whatever you’re aiming to do, try anyway, you may surprise yourself with what you do accomplish.  I learned from moments like that to process my grief over what I'd lost, but embrace what was in front of me - and make it my own. —  Maria Ross Episode References: Dinah Manoff from Grease: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001503/ Growth Mindset: https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means#Hypewomen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hype-women/id1704488532Greater Good, Five Science-Backed Strategies to Build Resilience: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_science_backed_strategies_to_build_resilience 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.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: @redslicemariaWe would love to get your thoughts on the show! Please click https://bit.ly/edge-feedback to take this 5-minute survey, thanks!

Can allyship be fun? Or do you envision every inclusion or diversity training as a slog? It doesn't have to be so heavy-handed!Today, Jeannie Gainsburg shares why, as a cisgender woman, she became a strong ally. We tackle how to get over the heaviness and blame of allyship and focus on having conversations with an open heart. We discuss pronouns and why sharing your pronouns (even if they seem obvious) is a great ally action. She also offers the best ways to gather pronouns from others without making it awkward. We talked about what being out and authentic at work looks like. Finally, Jeannie shares a few concrete tips and policies for creating a more LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace.Her encouraging, passionate, and warm-hearted approach will surely jumpstart even the most tentative ally.To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:There are many causes to fight for - just pick one and start going. Fighting for rights for one, is fighting for rights for all.People want to learn, so encouragement, not judgment, is critical.We all use pronouns all day, every day. It doesn’t only affect those who are transgender.  "Being an ally is an ongoing journey of messing up. We need to get comfortable with and understand that. Don’t let the fear of messing up or not knowing the right word stop you from having conversations, and know how to apologize. Just have the conversations with an open heart." —  Jeannie Gainsburg Episode References: Daniel Jahn, The Empathy Edge Podcast: Racial Solidarity and the Psychology of RacismLeo Caldwell, The Empathy Edge Podcast: Why Anti-Trans Laws and Homophobia are Anti-BusinessWe Can Do Hard Things podcast with Glennon DoyleBrand Story Breakthrough course to help you craft a clear, compelling brand story - includes weekly office hours with Maria!About Jeannie Gainsburg, Founder, Savvy Ally ActionJeannie Gainsburg is an educational trainer and consultant in the field of LGBTQ+ inclusion and effective allyship. She is the founder of Savvy Ally Action, a small business that offers fun, accessible, and encouraging workshops and videos on how to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. Before forming the company, she spent 15 years working for the Out Alliance, the LGBTQ+ center in Rochester, NY.Her book, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2020, with the revised 2nd edition published in March 2023.Jeannie has a BA in psychology from Brown University and an MA in social work and social research from Bryn Mawr College. She is the recipient of the Empire State Pride Agenda’s Community Champion Award and the Rochester LGBTQ Community Appreciation Award. In 2019, Jeannie also received a citation from the New York State Assembly for Distinguished Educational & Human Rights Services for her work in promoting LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion.Connect with Jeannie Gainsburg:  Savvy Ally Action: savvyallyaction.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeannie-gainsburg Facebook: facebook.com/savvyally Instagram: instagram.com/jeanniegainsburgauthor Book: The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate (2nd Edition)Bonus: 100% of royalties from 1st-year sales of the 2nd edition are donated to LGBTQ+ nonprofits working to create a more inclusive world!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.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: @redslicemariaWe would love to get your thoughts on the show! Please click https://bit.ly/edge-feedback to take this 5-minute survey, thanks!

Leaders, listen up: Have you ever heard the improv maxim, "Yes, and….?"In my work researching, writing, and speaking to audiences about the power of empathy, a magnet has pulled me to one notion that gets in the way in almost every dysfunctional workplace or societal conversation.Let me explain… To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:Our brains both defend us and hold us back due to cognitive dissonance. We want only one thing to be true because it is more simple, but simplicity is not always the answer. Either/or thinking is broken and got us, as a society, into our current mess. Dialectics is understanding we can hold two, seemingly contradictory things, to be true at the same time. It is a concept that will strengthen our businesses and our lives outside of work.  "In our world and workplaces today, it no longer serves us to focus on either/or thinking. We must embrace BOTH/AND." —  Maria Ross Episode References: Improv's famous "Yes, and…"Discover more about the power of empathy and how to apply it to make a difference in your work and life at your organization or event!Psychology Today, Cognitive Dissonance: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/cognitive-dissonance Seeing things differently: Red Slice blog, Representation Matters: https://www.red-slice.com/representation-matters/ Red Slice blog, What Leadership Success Requires in Today's World: https://www.red-slice.com/what-leadership-success-requires-in-todays-world/ Behavioral Psych Studio, What the heck is a dialectic? https://behavioralpsychstudio.com/what-the-heck-is-a-dialectic/ 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.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: @redslicemariaWe would love to get your thoughts on the show! Please click https://bit.ly/edge-feedback to take this 5-minute survey, thanks!

Mara Glatzel, an author dedicated to advocating for personal needs and sovereignty, dives into the importance of acknowledging our needs as humans. She discusses how high-performers can combat burnout by embracing their 'needy' side. Mara shares practical insights on self-awareness and self-partnership, emphasizing that taking care of ourselves allows for more empathetic leadership. The conversation also tackles the balance between meeting personal needs and avoiding selfishness, offering a kinder perspective on self-care in today’s demanding world.

How will AI transform leadership and work? Can we "delegate empathy" to it? Can we have empathic AI that fills a need we all have as humans? Today, I discuss all of this and the role of empathy in AI with my special return guest Minter Dial author of Heartificial Empathy, Putting Heart into Business and Artificial Intelligence, the 2nd edition, just released in 2023 to include all the latest AI shenanigans and progress.Minter shares his emotional leadership story about how 9/11 opened his eyes to his own priorities and how he wanted to show up as a leader. We discuss how to put heart into AI and three key questions leaders need to answer before investing in it. Minter shares use cases where AI can help us at a very human level, can help us create engaging customer experiences, and helps solve both the loneliness epidemic and the shortage of mental health professionals. We also muse on how AI is transforming leadership and work - and why we can’t expect perfection from a system if we can't be perfect ourselves!  To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:Not everything needs to be told to everybody. You can still have secrets and still be authentic, vulnerable, and full of integrity. As humans, we are not perfect. We cannot create something and expect perfection from that without holding ourselves to the same level.The AI will only be as good as what you put into it. It is about intentionality and working with the AI, not just expecting the AI to do everything perfectly on its own.  "People tend to hold AI up to a higher standard than we hold ourselves up to. I find this to be a problem. [If we are expecting perfection] we are never going to get it!" —  Minter Dial References Mentioned:The Empathy Edge Podcast: Minter Dial: How Being Yourself Makes You a Better LeaderThe Empathy Edge Podcast: Paul Marobella: Leading Through CrisisBrand Story Breakthrough course to help you craft a clear, compelling brand story  - includes weekly office hours with Maria!About Minter Dial, Professional Speaker, Author & Filmmaker​Minter Dial is an international professional speaker, elevator and a multiple award-winning author. Minter's core career stint of 16 years was spent as a top executive at L’Oréal, where he was a member of the Worldwide Executive Committee for the Professional Products Division (PPD). Previously, he was MD of L'Oréal PPD Canada and CEO Worldwide for Redken. He's the author of the WWII biography and documentary film, The Last Ring Home (2016) and three business books, Futureproof (FT Press ​2017), You Lead (Kogan Page 2021), both of which won heralded Business Book Awards, and Heartificial Empathy, 2nd edition. He also runs three podcasts, Minter Dialogue in English and French, and The Joy of Padel.Connect with Minter Dial:  Mydial LLP: minterdial.com X: twitter.com/mdial LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/minterdial Facebook: facebook.com/minterdial Instagram: instagram.com/mdial Threads: threads.com/mdialBook: Heartificial Empathy, Putting Heart into Business and Artificial Intelligence (2nd Edition) DigitalProof Press 2023 Substack Newsletter: Dialogos, Fostering More Meaningful Conversations Podcasts:Minter Dialogue (in English and French)The Joy of PadelJoin 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.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: @redslicemariaWe would love to get your thoughts on the show! Please click https://bit.ly/edge-feedback to take this 5-minute survey, thanks!

Trent Griffin-Braaf, an advocate for the hiring of formerly incarcerated individuals, dives into the transformative power of inclusion in the workplace. He busts myths surrounding returning citizens, sharing inspiring success stories that highlight their potential. Trent emphasizes the crucial role of transportation, education, and mental health in aiding reintegration. He discusses how businesses can support this untapped talent pool through tailored programs, mentorship, and empathy, ultimately benefiting both organizations and communities.

Benevolent cyborgs. Not a phrase you hear often these days. With all the hand-wringing and media fear-mongering about AI and new technologies, we seem to have lost the bigger vision of how technology can improve our lives. That's why today, I'm speaking with Dr. Cori Lathan, a techno-optimist who believes technology can be used to build empathy and connection. Today we discuss how Star Wars and a very creative 2nd grade teacher sparked her journey into innovation and invention, how technology is being used to build empathy and connection, why empathy makes a better design team, and the future of human-machine interaction.  To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:Technology can be a tool to help children achieve developmental milestones and build empathy. The media will give the negative side of AI and technology because it gets better views and clicks. But great things are happening with technology that is helping to create a beautiful future. Designing tech is about more than what happens behind the computer screen. It is about understanding the user experience and what it means for your end user. "We are creating the future, someone isn’t doing it for us. We can create the future we want to see. We can choose the direction it goes." —  Dr. Cori Lathan Episode References: Dr. Cori Lathan's Book: Inventing the Future, Stories from a Techno-Optimist: https://inventthefuture.tech/Dr. Cori Lathan's TEDx Talk: Innovation, Empathy, and the Future of Human-Machine Interaction:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnV6QDhwvhkThe Empathy Edge Podcast: Ron Gura: How Technology Helps People Navigate GriefBrand Story Breakthrough course to help you craft a clear, compelling brand story - includes weekly office hours with Maria!About Corinna Lathan + Founder and Former Board Chair and CEODr. Corinna Lathan is a technology entrepreneur who has developed robots for kids with disabilities, virtual reality technology for the space station, and wearable sensors for training surgeons and soldiers. She is a global thought leader in the relationship between technology and human performance and believes in a future of benevolent cyborgs! Dr. Lathan is Co-Founder of AnthroTronix, Inc., a biomedical engineering company focused on brain health, which she led for 23 years as Board Chair. and CEO. She developed one of the first FDA-cleared digital health platforms winning a prestigious Gold Edison Award.  She was named a Woman to Watch by Disruptive Women in Health Care, a Technology Pioneer, and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She also Chaired the Forum’s Councils on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, and Human Enhancement and Longevity. Dr. Lathan has been featured in Forbes, Time, and the New Yorker magazines and her work has led to such distinctions as MIT Technology Review Magazine’s “Top 100 World Innovators,” and one of Fast Company Magazines “Most Creative People in Business.” Dr. Lathan received her B.A. in Biopsychology and Mathematics from Swarthmore College, an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from M.I.T.Connect with Dr. Cori Lathan:  AnthroTronix: www.atinc.com Twitter: twitter.com/clathan LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/clathan Instagram: instagram.com/drcoril 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.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: @redslicemariaWe would love to get your thoughts on the show! Please click https://bit.ly/edge-feedback to take this 5-minute survey, thanks!

Welcome the final Hot Take of 2023! In this final Hot Take of the year, I'll share a bit about how to find joy in what can feel like a dark, bleak time in the world and what empathy calls us to be for others. And I share an anecdote from my 9-year-old son that prompted me to think about how some leaders are being a bit lazy when it comes to reaping the benefits of empathetic cultures.Have a wonderful holiday season and here's to more empathy, joy, and peace in our world in 2024!To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:Empathy needs to be woven into the way we interact with each other, it cannot be outsourced to HR as the one person for empathy. Seek out ways to find ways to bring empathy, kindness, and joy into your own home, work, and community this holiday season and beyond. 2024 promises us another chance to engage, connect, and love. Let’s use it for those purposes and make creating genuine relationships one of our goals for the new year. "The point of empathetic leadership is that your team members know that YOU, their leader, have their backs, and see, hear, and value them." —  Maria Ross 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.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: @redslicemariaWe would love to get your thoughts on the show! Please click https://bit.ly/edge-feedback to take this 5-minute survey, thanks!