The Empathy Edge

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!

Katharine Manning, an expert on trauma's impact on individuals and organizations, dives into how trauma influences workplace dynamics. She emphasizes that trauma affects everyone differently and highlights the importance of fostering a supportive environment. Katharine shares five steps for leaders to recognize and respond to trauma in colleagues, stressing that understanding and empathy can enhance team performance and engagement. Her insights underscore the need for a trauma-informed workplace culture that values trust and emotional health.

John Southard is a military historian with over a decade of research on customer engagement strategies. In this conversation, he reveals how military principles can transform customer relations. Southard emphasizes the dangers of seeing customers as adversaries and the loss of revenue due to a lack of empathy. He discusses hiring practices that impact retention, the importance of community-building, and the need for open dialogue to understand customer needs deeply. He offers a practical empathy framework for businesses to enhance engagement and build lasting relationships.

Sarah R. Moore, a parenting coach and founder of Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting, shares innovative insights from her book 'Peaceful Discipline.' She highlights the critical connection between empathy in parenting and effective leadership. Sarah discusses the importance of emotional safety in both children and teams, advocating for compassionate approaches over punitive measures. She also emphasizes vulnerability and open communication as keys to building trust, illustrating how negotiation skills from corporate life can enhance parenting strategies.

Your customer is the lifeblood of your company. We hear this over and over again. Yet, companies don't do a great job of crafting a customer experience that actually meets our needs, values our time, and helps us achieve our goals. Customer experience is all the rage - why do so many companies get it wrong?Today, Aransas Savas and I discuss the myths of customer experience strategy: where companies go wrong in aligning the entire business around the customer's experience and why those end-of-call automated surveys just give you useless data. She shares her own experiences with brands on creating shifts in how the company views customer needs. Aransas shares the concept of "Jobs to Be Done" as a useful way to segment what customers need from you, why journey mapping and Net Promoter Scores don't give you a holistic picture of customer experience, and why it's far more useful to consider modes instead. We discuss how measuring Time Well Spent, Time Well Invested, and Time Well Saved helps both B2C and B2B brands more effectively understand what customers perceive as valuable. Finally, she shares the important highlights from Stone Mantel's recent 2023 Customer Experience Trends Report. To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:Customers are not robots - they will not likely follow the journeys you lay out in an idealized situation. You need to consider the customer every step of the way. The wrong questions are being asked during traditional data collection - as we change the questions and how they’re being asked, you will be able to gather more valuable data to move forward in understanding your customer’s experience. While AI can help to identify trends, it does still require a human touch to interpret the data for best use. Having a company purpose does not mean you understand your customer’s purpose.  "There’s a functional job to be done, and there's an emotional, social, and  aspirational job. If I can understand what all four of those are, I create a much more valuable product than if my product experience is strictly based on the functional job to be done." —  Aransas SavasAbout Aransas Savas, Coach & Experience DesignerAransas Savas is a coach, an experience designer at Stone Mantel, and the co-host of the Experience Strategy Podcast.  Drawing on over two decades of experience, Aransas combines behavioral science and coaching to partner with experience strategists at leading consumer brands, including Weight Watchers, Best Buy, Truist Bank, and Clayton Homes to create meaningful, and often, transformative, customer journeys.Based in Brooklyn, she is a 20-time marathoner, a wife to a newscaster, and a mother to a 200-year-old sourdough culture, a fluffy pup, and two spirited, creative girls.References: Stone Mantel's 2023 Experience Strategy Trends Report80-page report of the latest must-know Experience Strategy Trends for 2023, a deep analysis of cultural and customer trends based on insights collected from more than 3,200 customers and over 200 experience strategists over the course of 20 months.The Empathy Edge Podcast, Melina Palmer: Why Your Customers Can't Tell You What They WantConnect with Aransas SavasStone Mantel: https://www.stonemantel.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aransassavas/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aransasrose/Podcast: The Experience Strategy PodcastJoin 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!

The reports are in. Unless you've been living under a rock, you are hearing more and and more about how having an attitude of gratitude enhances our lives - and our performance. In this November Hot Take episode, Maria shares about how embracing gratitude will not only strengthen your empathy, but how it can help you to improve your life. To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:Despite the misinformation surrounding the Thanksgiving season, it is so valuable to step back and be thankful for what we do have. Pausing is essential to building empathy - it allows us to see, hear, and notice them in a way we can’t when we are always rushing about. Going fast makes us less productive and less effective  - by slowing down we are able to have more of an impact than we realize. "Steadying yourself to think about what you can be grateful for enables you to slow down enough to notice who and what is around you." —  Maria Ross References Mentioned: Studies on gratitude: Emotional Intelligence and Gratitude, Wharton HealthcareMindful: How to Practice GratitudeThe Empathy Edge interviews:Paul Marobella: Leading Through CrisisChris L. Johnson: When Leaders Pause, They WinBrand 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!

When we think of making big asks that will catalyze us into a new role, more funding, or higher pay, we tend to ask small for fear of hearing a dreaded NO. But today's guest, Dia Bondi, explains the role empathy plays in making big asks - and why you actually want to reframe the value of getting a YES by actively seeking out the NO so you can achieve your goals.Today, Dia shares her incredible journey of working with high-profile leaders and then making the decision to go to auctioneering school. She talks about the mental models of auctioneering and how they can help us reframe our asks in a way that gets us closer to our goals. We talk about her 6-step framework for building your ask, how to step into your zone of freaking out and see it as your zone of potential, why we need to "order off the menu" more, and how we make the mistake of conflating worth and worthiness.  Her work has personally benefited my life and business and I know it will do the same for you. To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:The ask isn’t about one person - it is something that should be mutually beneficial to both parties. The zone between the “yes” and the guaranteed “no” is a world of possibilities. If you ask for the “no” and then work down, you might get more than you ever thought possible. Find out if the person you’re speaking with is the decision maker - if they are not, offer support and tools that might help them advocate more easily on your behalf.  "We can ask for the thing we think will get us a ‘no’, and then negotiate down. Then you'll know you've not left any money or opportunity on the table. —  Dia Bondi Episode References: Elisa Camahort Page's substack This Week-ish: 2% of venture capital goes to solely women-founded start-ups. Same as in 2007About Dia Bondi, Communications Catalyst & Author, Ask Like An AuctioneerDia Bondi is a Communications Catalyst for high-impact people. In her private coaching and programs, she works with professional C-level leaders, VC-backed founders and ambitious professionals guiding, helping them find their voice and lead with it. Her workshops and talks are hosted by corporations including Quartz, Salesforce, Google’s X.team, and Dropbox. In global sport, she helped Rio de Janeiro secure the 2016 Summer Olympics. After attending auctioneering school for fun, she translated the techniques she learned into a program that prepares ambitious professionals and especially women, to ask for more and leave nothing on the table called Ask Like an Auctioneer. She’s been featured on CNBC Make It, Forbes and Fast Company. Her book, Ask Like an Auctioneer, will be published in 2023. Listen to her podcast Lead With Who You Are.Connect with Dia Bondi Dia Bondi Communications LLC: https://www.diabondi.com X: https://twitter.com/diabondia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dia-bondi/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diabondia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diabondia/ Ask Like An Auctioneer: https://www.asklikeanauctioneer.com Purchase the book:  https://www.amazon.com/Ask-Like-Auctioneer-How-More/dp/1637744129/ref=sr_1_1 Lead with Who You Are podcast: https://www.diabondi.com/podcastDia's TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFtHKTgyjyUJoin 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!

Much of the AI you hear about these days is about large language models trained to look for commonalities and best next guesses. This causes a lot of fear around how AI will be abused - Will the bots take over? Are the inputs unbiased and accurate? Will my teenager cheat on his school essay? But we can take a more thoughtful and opportunistic view of AI, specifically in areas where we can teach AI empathy. Yes, I said teach AI empathy. My guest today, Dr. Michelle Zhou, and I discuss how cognitive AI is different from large learning model AI, how these systems learn empathy, and how they empower both companies and individuals without the resources for expensive solutions. We discuss why empathy is actually even more necessary, not less, in the age of AI. And most importantly, we chat about why everyone needs to get involved in AI - why we need to "democratize it", as Dr. Zhou states, in order to be more inclusive and learn how to respond to a variety of needs and people. Dr. Zhou reveals why she believes basic customer service chatbots are one of the worst uses of AI out there!To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:AI currently looks for commonalities in people and data, as it learns to be more empathetic, we need to teach it how to recognize differences, not just those similarities. The more we all interact with AI, the more that AI is going to be smarter about understanding individual differences.There is a time and place for canned responses by a ChatBot, but often people will respond better if there is a specific response to their unique questions and needs.  "In order for AI to be inclusive, then we need more people to be there. If there are more people participating, then you have more diversity. The more involvement from a human side, the more inclusive AI can be." —  Dr. Michelle Zhou About Michelle Zhou, Co-Founder & CEO, Juji Inc.Dr. Michelle Zhou is a Co-Founder and CEO of Juji, Inc., an Artificial Intelligence (AI) company located in Silicon Valley, specializing in building cognitive conversational AI technologies and solutions that enable the creation and adoption of empathic and empathetic AI agents. Prior to starting Juji, Michelle led the User Systems and Experience Research (USER) group at IBM Research – Almaden and then the IBM Watson Group. Michelle's expertise is in the interdisciplinary area of intelligent user interaction (IUI), including conversational AI systems and personality analytics. She is an inventor of the IBM Watson Personality Insights and has led the research and development of at least a dozen products in her areas of expertise. Michelle has published over 100 peer-reviewed, refereed scientific articles and 45+ patents. Michelle is the Editor-in-Chief of ACM Transactions on Interactive Intelligent Systems (TiiS) and an Associate Editor of ACM Transactions on Intelligent Systems and Technology (TIST). She received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Columbia University and is an ACM Distinguished Scientist. Dr. Zhou has been featured in Axios, Fortune, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, and spoke at Fortune Brainstorm Tech last year.Connect with Michelle Zhou Website: https://juji.io/ X: https://twitter.com/senseofsnow2011 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mxzhou/   Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.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!

Dr. Rebecca Eldredge, a licensed psychologist dedicated to empowering socially conscious leaders, shares invaluable insights on managing burnout and compassion fatigue. She discusses the balance of empathetic leadership with high performance during challenging times. Eldredge highlights the financial consequences of neglecting mental health and the necessity of psychological safety for fostering emotional expression at work. She emphasizes that self-care for leaders is crucial and explores how personal backgrounds shape emotional dynamics in the workplace.

You may not know this, but you possess a superpower.  One that helps you connect and engage with almost anyone and become a stronger leader, create a thriving culture and build business value. And the great news is, this superpower is innate to us as humans. But sometimes, for some of us, well, the power atrophies - but it can intentionally be strengthened if you know how.It's called empathy.  Today Maria shares how she discovered this superpower not only to make our world better, but how it drives organizational success - and why we are called to embrace empathetic leadership right NOW in order to move forward and solve our world's complex problems together. To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:Binary thinking in leadership is hindering our success  - it is BOTH/AND with empathy and ambition.Empathy has been named the most crucial leadership success skill for the 21st century to solve our complex problems together. And those who don't get it, will be left behindEmpathy is not just a soft skill, it is the key to greater impact (both in the world and to your bottom line) and requires great strength to practice. We have to be able to collaborate, to understand, to hear diverse opinions and points of view - without fear or anger. We have to let everyone have a seat at the table because we cannot solve these problems with our old ways of thinkingWe all need to work on our empathy muscles - where better than at work, where we spend the bulk of our time? "We cannot park our humanity at the office door. We are complex, emotional beings – and when we’re seen, heard, and valued for who we are, we thrive. And so do our organizations." —  Maria Ross Episode References: Check out my course!  Brand Story Breakthrough Thought LeaderJoin 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!