The Secret to Leading Organizational Change Is Empathy
Patti Sanchez write an article published by Harvard Business Review. The piece has much to say on the power of empathy in the workplace. Here is the opening statement and link to the full post. I’m working with a CEO who’s in the midst of rethinking her company’s strategy so it can better meet customer demands and thrive financially. These are major changes that will affect every aspect of how…
Key Reading: SHRM’s 2019 Culture Report
SHRM’s 2019 Culture Report finds that 1 out of 4 workers dread going to work, don’t feel safe voicing their opinions about work-related issues and don’t feel respected and valued at work. The rest of the findings are equally eye-opening. Get the Full Report
Empathy: The Key to Millennial Marketing
We have found this article on quad.com right on the mark. Empathy IS the key to marketing to millennials. “Previous generations have been lobbing insults about self-absorption and immaturity at younger generations since Socrates famously quipped, “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.” Over and over, this sentiment winds its way through millennia,…
Connect Authentically During Workplace Investigations
I first learned how to investigate workplace misconduct when I worked for Target. I remember after I completed my first investigation, I conducted the interview, got to the truth, they wrote a statement, management terminated them, and police made the arrest. As they were leaving with police, the person turned to me and thanked me. I was confused. I didn’t know what to say. So I went with what my…
Empathy? In Denmark they are learning it in school
Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world. This is according to the UN’s World Happiness Report, an important survey that since 2012 classifies the happiness of 155 countries in the world, and that for seven years has placed Denmark among the top three happiest countries on a global level. The fact that teaching empathy has been mandatory since 1993 in schools in Denmark is a factor that contributes to the…
Empathy Is Tough to Teach, But Is One Of the Most Important Life Lessons
KQED provides a well crafted summary of Brene Brown’s teachings and links to related content. In particular we appreciate the statement: “Dr. Brown says empathy consists of four qualities: the ability to take the perspective of another person, staying away from judgment, recognizing emotion in others, and communicating it. She defines empathy as “feeling with people,” and notes that it’s a “vulnerable choice” because it requires a person to tap…
How an empathic culture gets built
Workplace Culture is built in everyday moments and tested during the difficult moments. Difficult moments test us at work too and can be determining factors on how we are perceived at doing our jobs. If your job is a field goal kicker and you miss a game winning field goal during playoffs, people are going to judge. Difficult moments also challenge our workplace culture. Culture is tested when someone messes…
Pushed off the entrepreneurial cliff
Angela Nino found her dream job in the midst of a toxic work environment, was pushed off the entrepreneurial cliff, and with the help of Improv built her own company. Click below to watch the video.
Optimizing Empathy: Being empathic doesn’t require giving someone advice to solve their problem.
I was sitting on my therapist’s couch, gazing through the partially opened blinds of his office’s floor to ceiling window, while he talked me through a simple gym couple scenario. “Have you ever seen that couple at the gym, where the guy is ridiculing his girlfriend about how her stomach isn’t flat enough or her butt is too small, and she works that much harder during their workout trying to…
True Life: Addicted to Novelty
“Hello, everyone. My name is Jim, and I’m a novelty addict.” [Everyone: “Hi, Jim.”] “It’s been 12 hours since I last ‘liked’ and ‘retweeted’ multiple articles on Twitter and LinkedIn without reading them or doing anything with the knowledge I gained. But it’s time I admit I need help in order to make a change and break this toxic cycle. These constant hits of novelty are only holding me back.”…
“Where you from” as a micro aggression in the workplace
As huge corporations like General Motors manage the backlash regarding certain leadership that did little to combat a culture of overt racism against employees of color, we’re reminded that while most people today don’t condone racist or other discriminatory behavior, it does exist. It’s easy to point fingers and proclaim that your company isn’t like that, but it’s the more subtle forms of discrimination today that often do the most to divide an office. As leaders within…
5 Ways to Increase Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
Over the last decade, more companies are giving attention to the emotional intelligence of their employees. Backed by thousands of studies, high emotional intelligence has been shown to improve job performance, leadership skills, employee interactions, relationships, mental and physical health, and happiness in employees. Most companies have employees that fall all over the emotional intelligence spectrum. How can a company work to bring everyone to a place of higher emotional…
Using the Science of Empathy and Storytelling to Connect in the Workplace
I first learned how to investigate workplace misconduct when I worked for Target. I remember after I completed my first investigation, I conducted the interview, got to the truth, they wrote a statement, management terminated them, and police made the arrest. As they were leaving with police, the person turned to me and thanked me. I was confused. I didn’t know what to say. So I went with what my…