The Empathy Edge

When you think of workplace wellness, you may picture gym memberships and yoga mats. But joy, empathy, and inclusion also create a healthy and high-performing workplace culture! We need to reimagine what wellness means! Today, Misha Safran, shares how empathy intersects with inclusion to foster innovation and equity. We also discuss how to reframe the misconceptions about empathy that exist in hig...

There's a powerful psychological state that can paralyze us, interfere with effective relationships, block our empathy, and cause us to inflict harm. It's called shame. Today, David Bedrick shares what shame is, how it’s created, and its connection to trauma. Some say shame keeps us humble, but David shares why we don’t need shame because it's not the same as embarrassment or regret. We unpack why...

Truthbomb: A collection of people working in the same department, function, or even office are not necessarily a team. And if you want high performance, you need to know the difference. Today, Pam Fox Rollin shares the important difference between groups and teams - if you don't understand this, you may be consistently beating your head against a wall! - and the factors that help you turn your col...

Traditional Management Models Are Failing (And What Actually Works) What if Gen Z's approach to work isn't just different, but better? Join Kim Bohr and Dr. Meisha Rouser as they challenge "kids these days" stereotypes and explore why traditional management is failing this generation. Discover why questions about pay transparency and work-life boundaries signal evolution, not entitlement. Learn ho...

Courageous empathy. Yep - it takes courage and strength to break existing leadership paradigms and embrace empathy in our world today.  We don't acknowledge that often enough. Embracing empathy as a leader is as much a self-development exercise as it is a leadership style! Today I speak with Sanela Lukanovic about courageous empathy, how the identity of empathy gets in the way of embracing it...

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have become polarizing terms in our world and that is likely because they are greatly misunderstood. Part of that misunderstanding comes from our unconscious filters - how we see the world, how we take in information, and how we assume we are “the norm" but others are different when the reality is we are ALL different. Today, Sara Taylor illuminates us by sharing w...

Work can be one of the biggest drivers of positivity in your life, but no one ever really explains how to be successful without sacrificing everything outside of the office. When you enjoy your work, you’re more successful and any joy you feel on the job spills over into the rest of your life as well. Kind of like practicing empathy at work and bringing that skill home with you! My guest today is...

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 CourageToAdvancePodcast.com. The AI skills gap is widening between high-performing organizations and those falling behind. With only 27% of HR leaders feeling ready to advance thei...

Today I speak with Jen Stark and Jarrid Green, Co-Directors, of the Center for Business and Social Justice. We candidly discuss how DEI and other topics became flashpoints and ideological hostages rather than sustained corporate efforts, and how companies can break this cycle.  We explore the questions executives and boards are asking, how companies can respond to activist shareholders and co...

This month's Hot Take is a bit of a hodgepodge. You're going to get the chance the tell me more about you and what you want to see on the show this year (and maybe share what you wish were different) - and I warn you: I'm gonna go on a bit of a rant about how we need to desperately stop moving backwards and band together to keep achieving progress - for ourself, our organizations, and our world. Y...

When we have information to give, the communication doesn't start and end with just one email, announcement, or conversation. Effective communication is more than just the info you deliver, or the words you say. It requires empathy. This is a note for anyone needing to communicate strategic shifts, return-to-work policies, performance expectations, or even layoffs. Tamsen Webster and I discuss why...

What do you do when striving to be a more human-centered leader or colleague, trying to advance your career, build your skills, and make a difference, and you're stuck with an imperfect leader, dysfunctional culture, or too much work? You start by leading yourself! Today, Elizabeth Lotardo and I discuss making the most of a job that’s not your dream job. Elizabeth shares why management is harder t...

You've heard me talk about Both/And leadership and about Both/And business models. The ability to balance mission-driven, social impact work with sustainable profit and growth AT THE SAME TIME. It is possible, and it's not just a theory. Today, we talk with Jonathan Beck, someone who knows this firsthand.  Today, Jonathan and I discuss the tension between purpose and profit and how to recogni...

Welcome to Courage to Advance, hosted by Kim Bohr and brought to you by SparkEffect, in partnership with The Empathy Edge. Tune in here every 3rd Thursday, or visit CourageToAdvancePodcast.com . Kim Bohr and anthropologist Aaron Delgaty, PhD dive deep into the "arrival fallacy" - the pervasive belief that happiness and fulfillment lie just beyond the next project deadline, quarter, or milestone. D...

Can genius and empathy coexist or are we doomed to put up with tortured, erratic leaders to find breakthroughs? People cite examples of temperamental, even bullying, genius leaders who create toxic workplaces and use their ability to unlock innovation as an excuse for their damaging behavior. My guest today, Taryn Voget, debunks this myth, shows us what genius is all about, and how empathy serves...

When did soft skills like empathy become deprioritized in the tech industry? My guest today shares a little history lesson on how that happened and why initially those soft, human skills were always a vital part of successful innovation and technology before they got separated. Only now are they finding their way back to each other in software development and programming to solve the 21st century'...

Your culture is shaped by models, expectations, and accountability. It's not enough to have pretty values statements up on the wall if they are not a part of everyday interactions internally and externally. But simply telling your people to "be nice" can be its own risk. What does nice actually mean? How is it different from the skill of empathy or the impact of kindness? You may be surprised to l...

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 sho...

In today's episode of Courage to Advance , brought to you by SparkEffect, Kim Bohr and Tracy Wik, VP of Business Strategy at Harrison Assessments, challenge traditional approaches to workplace stress. Drawing from decades of behavioral data and leadership experience, they expose how burnout often stems from unconscious behavioral patterns rather than workload alone. With 83% of U.S. workers suffer...

Today, sports fans and high achievers, you're in for a treat! Empathy is not soft. It's not weak. Nothing thrills me more than when I can share examples of empathetic leadership that help win national championships or create winning sports dynasties. You may recall my example of Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, in my book, The Empathy Dilemma. Emmy award-winning producer and sports broadca...

No matter what side of the aisle you fall on - employee or leader - you may have uttered these words, "Why can't I just fix them ?!" Building strong relationships either way is both an employee AND a leader responsibility because empathy must flow both ways.  Today, I talk with Molly McGrath. She reveals some biases that leaders can break free from to be more effective, how to merge the persp...

Transparency is a cornerstone of empathetic culture. And when it comes to the labor market, pay scales, and required skills, the more information you can get, the more confident you feel in making decisions- whether you're a hiring manager or a job seeker. What do workers today want? What kind of benefits are the most appealing in competitive markets? How are others at this level getting compensat...

What makes a perfect candidate or even company? You know the one where when you meet them or visit their offices, where you just know they're something special? Is there a blueprint for how to be such a unicorn? Today, William Vanderbloemen shares the 12 teachable traits you can master to be a unicorn candidate or company leader and we deep dive into four specific ones: Authenticity, Self-Awarenes...

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 divisi...

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 bot...