161. Navigating the Empathy Dilemma with Maria Ross

Strong Leaders Serve with Teri Schmidt

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Do you sometimes feel like the empathy at work pendulum has swung too far in one direction?

Like people are starting to take advantage of caring leaders?

Today's guest, Maria Ross, addresses that feeling head on in her upcoming book, The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance Performance, People, and Personal Boundaries.

In our conversation, she'll unpack the five foundational pillars of empathetic leadership that she identified through extensive research and interviews. We'll discuss how empathy goes beyond being nice—how it's a powerful tool that can enhance performance, boost innovation, and improve overall employee engagement and customer experiences.

Maria will share insights on how empathy, when misused, can become weaponized in the workplace, and how leaders can establish clear communication and professional boundaries to address such challenges.

This is an episode packed with wisdom, practical advice, and as always, actionable insights to help you serve and lead effectively.
Resources:

• The Empathy Dilemma Website
• Maria's website: Red Slice
• The Empathy Edge podcast
• Teri on The Empathy Edge: Empathy-Infused Team Building for Lasting Impact
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teri-m-schmidt/
Get 1-on-1 leadership support from Teri here: https://www.strongertoserve.com/coaching
Set up an intro call with Teri: https://calendly.com/terischmidt/discoverycall