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Empathetic Leadership: 47 Practical Tips for Leading with Kindness, Courage, and Confidence in an Age of Disruption
Are you looking to raise your leadership game and have a deeper and more sustainable impact on your team, your organization, and your career? Are you interested in learning time-tested principles that help you engage more fully with team members, improve individual and team performance, and are aligned with your values? If so, leading with empathy may be the perfect leadership style for you. Empathetic Leadership is written "from the heart" for business, government, academic, and non-profit leaders who wish to enhance performance, productivity, and employee engagement in their organizations and lead with kindness, courage, and confidence while promoting the greatest collective benefit. Offering 47 practical tips from the author's career as a Human Resources leader, adviser, confidante, and coach, it provides clear ideas in an easy-to-digest format and a down-to-earth, relatable style. Topics cover key areas of leadership, Tips include practical examples of how And many more thoughtful, proven techniques to help take your leadership effectiveness (and personal peace of mind) to higher and higher levels. Let Empathetic Leadership help you bring out the best in your team and see your impact as a leader grow!
- GenresLeadership
215 pages, Paperback
Published January 21, 2019
About the author
Michael Brisciana
6 books4 followersNew to the world of children’s literature, Michael Brisciana is returning to his first love — writing -- in creating his "second act" in life. As he eases into his sixth decade, he is eager to share the joys of peaceful reflection, personal warmth, and kindness with others through his writing.
During his prior life in Human Resources, Michael was focused on aligning the hearts, minds, and passions of people and organizations for the greater good. Along the way, he authored dozens of pieces on leadership and communications, culminating in publication of Empathetic Leadership, his “from the heart” tome on “leading with kindness, courage, and confidence” in 2019.
He now joyfully tunes his empathetic ear to children’s inner voices with publication of Is it OK to Be Quiet? This debut picture book is first of a series focused on the special natures of introverted children, aka "quiet kids", a club in which he remains a proud member. He is deeply grateful for discovering (with a heartfelt tip of the cap to the work of author Susan Cain) that introversion was a "gift" that could bestow "superpowers" of kindness, support, and contentment to those it touches. Michael dedicates his first work in this genre to "quiet kids of all ages."
Michael holds business degrees from Loyola University Chicago and Bucknell University, including an unforgettable semester abroad in the Eternal City of Rome, where he dabbled in painting, literature, and all-things gelato. He is very fortunate to have personally visited many of the beautiful places here and abroad that he will be writing about in future works, with special feelings for the "big three" of London, Paris, and Rome, which feel like welcoming second homes and places of comfort.
Michael is always eager to share ideas about empathy, kindness, travel, and culture and can be reached through the Quiet Kid Books website at www.quietkidbooks.com.
During his prior life in Human Resources, Michael was focused on aligning the hearts, minds, and passions of people and organizations for the greater good. Along the way, he authored dozens of pieces on leadership and communications, culminating in publication of Empathetic Leadership, his “from the heart” tome on “leading with kindness, courage, and confidence” in 2019.
He now joyfully tunes his empathetic ear to children’s inner voices with publication of Is it OK to Be Quiet? This debut picture book is first of a series focused on the special natures of introverted children, aka "quiet kids", a club in which he remains a proud member. He is deeply grateful for discovering (with a heartfelt tip of the cap to the work of author Susan Cain) that introversion was a "gift" that could bestow "superpowers" of kindness, support, and contentment to those it touches. Michael dedicates his first work in this genre to "quiet kids of all ages."
Michael holds business degrees from Loyola University Chicago and Bucknell University, including an unforgettable semester abroad in the Eternal City of Rome, where he dabbled in painting, literature, and all-things gelato. He is very fortunate to have personally visited many of the beautiful places here and abroad that he will be writing about in future works, with special feelings for the "big three" of London, Paris, and Rome, which feel like welcoming second homes and places of comfort.
Michael is always eager to share ideas about empathy, kindness, travel, and culture and can be reached through the Quiet Kid Books website at www.quietkidbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 28, 2019
This book is even better than I had hoped it would be.
Because it’s only 191 pages long, I assumed it would be a quick read. I was only half right. It is indeed formatted for quick and convenient reading, but I found myself slowing down so I could savor the message.
Leading with empathy is not a new idea. It’s common sense. But as Will Rogers famously said, “common sense ain’t all that common.”
Michael Brisciana breathes fresh life into this timeless (and proven) approach to effective leadership. He’s produced a fine book that’s chock full of helpful insights into how leaders can “connect” with people in an authentic way that’s uplifting, encouraging, and that produces great results.
The book is organized into six sections:
1. Building Your Team
2. Managing Your Team
3. Developing Culture
4. Leading by Example
5. Coaching and Mentoring
6. Managing Your Career
The chapters are presented in the form of 47 “tips.” Each tip includes a compelling anecdote or two (Brisciana is a great storyteller) and/or a mini case study. These are real-life examples of how well intended leaders often stub their toes in dealing with people in the workplace. Then, after providing context for the main principle in the “tip,” Brisciana offers “an empathetic approach”—a concise description of a best practice.
The 47 tips cover a wide range of behaviors that contribute to effective leadership. The titles offer a clue on what’s to follow. For example:
• Remember That You’re Recruiting (and Retaining) the Whole Family
• Have the Courage to “Counsel Out”
• Give Voice to Truth-Sayers
• Identify and Reverse Downward Spirals
• Set the Tone with Symbolic Acts
• Manage Up: Tell Your Boss Gentle Truths
• Take Time for a Professional Pilgrimage
If I were running an organization, I’d buy a copy of this book for every manager at every level. I’d ask them to read and digest it carefully. Then I’d meet with them periodically and use the book’s content as a springboard to discussion of best practices on building a highly-engaged, high-performing team. What could be more empathetic?
Because it’s only 191 pages long, I assumed it would be a quick read. I was only half right. It is indeed formatted for quick and convenient reading, but I found myself slowing down so I could savor the message.
Leading with empathy is not a new idea. It’s common sense. But as Will Rogers famously said, “common sense ain’t all that common.”
Michael Brisciana breathes fresh life into this timeless (and proven) approach to effective leadership. He’s produced a fine book that’s chock full of helpful insights into how leaders can “connect” with people in an authentic way that’s uplifting, encouraging, and that produces great results.
The book is organized into six sections:
1. Building Your Team
2. Managing Your Team
3. Developing Culture
4. Leading by Example
5. Coaching and Mentoring
6. Managing Your Career
The chapters are presented in the form of 47 “tips.” Each tip includes a compelling anecdote or two (Brisciana is a great storyteller) and/or a mini case study. These are real-life examples of how well intended leaders often stub their toes in dealing with people in the workplace. Then, after providing context for the main principle in the “tip,” Brisciana offers “an empathetic approach”—a concise description of a best practice.
The 47 tips cover a wide range of behaviors that contribute to effective leadership. The titles offer a clue on what’s to follow. For example:
• Remember That You’re Recruiting (and Retaining) the Whole Family
• Have the Courage to “Counsel Out”
• Give Voice to Truth-Sayers
• Identify and Reverse Downward Spirals
• Set the Tone with Symbolic Acts
• Manage Up: Tell Your Boss Gentle Truths
• Take Time for a Professional Pilgrimage
If I were running an organization, I’d buy a copy of this book for every manager at every level. I’d ask them to read and digest it carefully. Then I’d meet with them periodically and use the book’s content as a springboard to discussion of best practices on building a highly-engaged, high-performing team. What could be more empathetic?
April 2, 2019
Leadership is hard. That’s why there are countless books on leadership. There is simply no single definition of leadership. What works in one field, would not work in another. This is the nature of leadership. That’s why you can come across books offerimg 10 insider secrets, 25 steps, or 47 practical tips. This is how we end up with Michael Brisciana’s Empathic Leadership.
Written from the human resource framework – which is highly overlooked perspective – Brisciana gives the reader 47 tried and true tips for leading others. Forty-seven may seem like a lot but the book is rather short and succinct. The tips are direct and useful.
The book is a bit choppy. It does feel more like a series of blog posts than a book but that shouldn’t be too big of a problem. Though Brisciana shares a lot of stories, I wish he could have given more details. For example, he explains that a fellow colleague failed to win over his supervisors, but very few details are shared. The anecdotes don’t land when there is no story arc. I don’t want a novel, I prefer non-fiction but I think there are better ways to sell your points.
All in all, this is a good, informative guide for leaders especially in the HR world.
Written from the human resource framework – which is highly overlooked perspective – Brisciana gives the reader 47 tried and true tips for leading others. Forty-seven may seem like a lot but the book is rather short and succinct. The tips are direct and useful.
The book is a bit choppy. It does feel more like a series of blog posts than a book but that shouldn’t be too big of a problem. Though Brisciana shares a lot of stories, I wish he could have given more details. For example, he explains that a fellow colleague failed to win over his supervisors, but very few details are shared. The anecdotes don’t land when there is no story arc. I don’t want a novel, I prefer non-fiction but I think there are better ways to sell your points.
All in all, this is a good, informative guide for leaders especially in the HR world.
August 27, 2023
I feel that because I've been reading so much about this subject, I'm starting to run out of new things, but for someone picking up this book as the first point of contact, there's a lot of information here and it can be eye opening. I think this book covers breath over depth by design.
I think Radical Candor is a bit mischaracterized in this book. Or rather, it's presented in a way in which a lot of people act when they first hear about it without properly absorbing the empathy that comes with it.
There was one tip on this book that really stayed in my mind: the company not only has a relationship with the employee, but also with their family, and when times are hard, it's the support of their family that may be what keeps the employee around and not turning in their notice. This is why it's important to, to use a financial term, make deposits in the good will of employee's family, by including them in retreats, parties, presents, etc. I never thought about it that way before and I'm definitely going to adopt it in my managing as much as I can.
I think Radical Candor is a bit mischaracterized in this book. Or rather, it's presented in a way in which a lot of people act when they first hear about it without properly absorbing the empathy that comes with it.
There was one tip on this book that really stayed in my mind: the company not only has a relationship with the employee, but also with their family, and when times are hard, it's the support of their family that may be what keeps the employee around and not turning in their notice. This is why it's important to, to use a financial term, make deposits in the good will of employee's family, by including them in retreats, parties, presents, etc. I never thought about it that way before and I'm definitely going to adopt it in my managing as much as I can.
July 9, 2019
There is a lot to like in this book of leadership and management advice. Brisciana writes well, and engages the reader in his topic - how leaders and managers can best keep the perspectives of employees at all levels in mind when acting on their behalf or, occasionally, on one's own behalf. One of the challenges of the book is that it conflates management and leadership in ways that aren't always helpful (I've learned to think of them as distinct approaches, which most senior staff have in an inverse relationship to each other). So sometimes he's giving advice to leaders and sometimes to managers, without seeming to acknowledge the difference. But we can't have enough business books that diverge from the "be all that you can be, no matter what impact it has on others" mindset that is so popular today. This is a beneficial volume for anyone who leads and anyone one who manages, especially if they can separate the two disciplines.
February 10, 2019
Nothing new.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews