Turns out your organization's inability to adapt and align in this era of great change may have little to do with structure, sales, or cutting costs and more to do with how you are investing in building your team's people skills: you know, old-fashioned communication, empathy, collaboration, and conflict resolution. Sorry to break it to you, but research is showing those skills are going to be MORE, not LESS important in the age of AI. Today’s guest, Dan Tocchini, has been helping leaders bring more magic to their teams for over 35 years. 

We talk about what leadership really means, the biggest enemy of a high-performing culture, and how to spot when your team is misaligned. Dan also shares why it can feel lonely at the top, how empathy helps leaders have difficult conversations that make a real difference, and the best time to address issues before they derail performance. If you want practical, hard-earned wisdom on how to lead with both courage and compassion—while still driving results—this is the conversation for you.

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode at TheEmpathyEdge.com.

Key Takeaways:

• The biggest enemy is fear, and what you don’t face will defeat you. Courage is being in touch with prices and rewards.
• You have to live your values. If you’re not living them, you won’t understand the nuances and where things could fall apart.
• Leadership doesn’t have to be lonely; it only is because you’re not willing to solve that problem. Often, the unwillingness to hear feedback is the biggest breakdown.
• Business, now more than ever, influences culture. With AI becoming increasingly relevant, it is up to leaders to become more relational and more empathetic.

“Most executives work around the hard conversations. They end up reacting to them. The hard conversations become your culture, and the conversation you're not willing to have becomes your culture. What you don't face now will eventually defeat you.” - Dan Tocchini

Episode References:

• The Empathy Edge Podcast: Kara Goldin: On Undaunted Leadership

About Dan Tocchini, Change Agent, Catalyst, Consultant, Coach

Dan Tocchini has been helping leaders bring some more magic onto their teams for over 35 years. He has worked with executive teams from Interstate Batteries and ESPN, to Smarty Pants Vitamins and Impulse Space, as well as on-profits like Homeboy Industries and Defy Ventures. Dan gives a no-fluff approach by helping transform leadership teams without any pixie dust - just courageous leadership, creative conflict resolution, and relevant restructuring. No conversation is too difficult, no situation too conflicted, because a leader with a vision cannot be held hostage by circumstance or history.

Connect with Dan:

Take New Ground: takenewground.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dantocchini

Instagram: instagram.com/dan_tocchini

The Change Imperative (FREE e-book) change.takenewground.com

Revenant: takenewground.com/revenant

Connect with Maria:

Get Maria's books on empathy: Red-Slice.com/books

Learn more about Maria's work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria