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Empathy Isn't Soft Skills: How Women Leaders Build Psychological Safety That Drives Real Results
Published 3 weeks, 6 days ago
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This is your The Women's Leadership Podcast podcast.
Welcome back to The Women's Leadership Podcast, where we empower you to step into your power and lead with unapologetic strength. Today, we're diving deep into leading with empathy—specifically, how you, as a woman leader, can cultivate psychological safety in your workplace, sparking innovation, trust, and unstoppable team growth.
Imagine this: You're in a high-stakes meeting at Google, where Project Aristotle revealed a game-changing truth. The number one factor for top-performing teams wasn't expertise or resources—it was psychological safety. Team members felt safe to take risks, voice ideas, and admit mistakes without fear of humiliation. Amy Edmondson, the Harvard researcher who coined the term, showed that this environment boosts creativity and retention by up to 50 percent. As women leaders, we have a natural edge here. Our empathy isn't a soft skill—it's a superpower that builds bridges where others build walls.
Picture Laura Johnson, founder of Striving and author of Women in Leadership: 100 Stories. In her Career Confidence Podcast interview, she shared how empathy helped her overcome imposter syndrome and create flexible spaces for working mothers. She listened deeply to her team's needs, fostering openness that turned challenges into triumphs. You can do the same. Start by modeling vulnerability. Share a time you failed—like when I led my first team and botched a deadline. Admitting it invited my colleagues to open up, transforming our dynamic.
Next, practice active listening. Liz Sklar, Director of Stand and Deliver, told Julie Castro Abrams on How Women Inspire that authentic connection comes from truly hearing others, not just waiting to speak. In your next one-on-one, put away distractions, reflect back what you hear—"It sounds like you're feeling overwhelmed by this deadline"—and watch trust flourish. Encourage questions without judgment. At SoulCycle, CEO Melanie Whelan, featured on Boss Files with Poppy Harlow, built her empire by crediting her team publicly, making bold ideas the norm.
To embed this daily, set clear norms: No interruptions, celebrate "smart risks," and debrief failures as learning. McKinsey reports women leaders with sponsors see 14 percent higher promotions, but empathy multiplies that by creating sponsors within your team. In diverse settings like Somerford Associates' Stories of Success podcast, resilient women leaders like those interviewed by John emphasize empathy's role in diversity—only 31 percent of women have sponsors versus 45 percent of men, yet empathetic cultures close that gap.
Listeners, harness this. Lead meetings with empathy check-ins: "What's one thing holding you back?" Your teams will innovate fearlessly, loyalty will soar, and you'll rise together. You're not just managing—you're revolutionizing workplaces.
Thank you for tuning in to The Women's Leadership Podcast. Subscribe now for more empowerment on your leadership journey. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.
For more http://www.quietplease.ai
Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Welcome back to The Women's Leadership Podcast, where we empower you to step into your power and lead with unapologetic strength. Today, we're diving deep into leading with empathy—specifically, how you, as a woman leader, can cultivate psychological safety in your workplace, sparking innovation, trust, and unstoppable team growth.
Imagine this: You're in a high-stakes meeting at Google, where Project Aristotle revealed a game-changing truth. The number one factor for top-performing teams wasn't expertise or resources—it was psychological safety. Team members felt safe to take risks, voice ideas, and admit mistakes without fear of humiliation. Amy Edmondson, the Harvard researcher who coined the term, showed that this environment boosts creativity and retention by up to 50 percent. As women leaders, we have a natural edge here. Our empathy isn't a soft skill—it's a superpower that builds bridges where others build walls.
Picture Laura Johnson, founder of Striving and author of Women in Leadership: 100 Stories. In her Career Confidence Podcast interview, she shared how empathy helped her overcome imposter syndrome and create flexible spaces for working mothers. She listened deeply to her team's needs, fostering openness that turned challenges into triumphs. You can do the same. Start by modeling vulnerability. Share a time you failed—like when I led my first team and botched a deadline. Admitting it invited my colleagues to open up, transforming our dynamic.
Next, practice active listening. Liz Sklar, Director of Stand and Deliver, told Julie Castro Abrams on How Women Inspire that authentic connection comes from truly hearing others, not just waiting to speak. In your next one-on-one, put away distractions, reflect back what you hear—"It sounds like you're feeling overwhelmed by this deadline"—and watch trust flourish. Encourage questions without judgment. At SoulCycle, CEO Melanie Whelan, featured on Boss Files with Poppy Harlow, built her empire by crediting her team publicly, making bold ideas the norm.
To embed this daily, set clear norms: No interruptions, celebrate "smart risks," and debrief failures as learning. McKinsey reports women leaders with sponsors see 14 percent higher promotions, but empathy multiplies that by creating sponsors within your team. In diverse settings like Somerford Associates' Stories of Success podcast, resilient women leaders like those interviewed by John emphasize empathy's role in diversity—only 31 percent of women have sponsors versus 45 percent of men, yet empathetic cultures close that gap.
Listeners, harness this. Lead meetings with empathy check-ins: "What's one thing holding you back?" Your teams will innovate fearlessly, loyalty will soar, and you'll rise together. You're not just managing—you're revolutionizing workplaces.
Thank you for tuning in to The Women's Leadership Podcast. Subscribe now for more empowerment on your leadership journey. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.
For more http://www.quietplease.ai
Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.