PIC No. 38:
• Title: The Empathy Advantage: Leading the Empowered Workforce
• Authors: Heather E. McGowan and Chris Shipley
• Publisher: Wiley (March 8, 2023, 240 pages)
• Management Bucket #8 of 20: The Culture Bucket
Welcome to Issue No. 38 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.
“You only need to empathize with the people you want to keep.”
The authors of The Empathy Advantage share a memorable story told by a university psychology prof and author:
“I once asked a dentist friend of mine how important flossing really is. ‘Not that important,’ he replied. ‘You only need to floss the teeth you want to keep.’
“Leaders often ask me how important empathy really is during the Great Resignation.
“‘Not that important,’ I’m going to start telling them, ‘You only need to empathize with the people you want to keep.’”
LOL! There is so much to appreciate about this new book, The Empathy Advantage: Leading the Empowered Workforce, by Heather E. McGowan and Chris Shipley. Looking at “trend lines that are shaping the complexion of the global workforce,” the authors write, “…let’s be perfectly clear: as business leaders wrestle with ‘return to office’ policies, where work happens is not their biggest problem. Even if every worker went back to the office, they would still be burned out and disengaged. The pandemic merely brought burnout and high rates of mental distress to light.”
What I appreciate about this book:
• The emphasis, of course, on why empathy matters. We can all do this better by reading, listening, caring, and—sometimes—trusting in the help of a gifted coach.
• The very detailed table of contents (five pages!). I check-marked 23 must-read topics, such as “The Rise of Bleisure” and “Creating the Conditions to Learn at Scale.”
• The tempting notes at the end of every chapter (not hidden in the back of the book—why don’t all authors do this?). You’ll find numerous discoveries (HBR articles and more) among the 200+ notes and weblinks.
• A wide array of fascinating stats, charts, graphics, and one-page articles—generously populated throughout the book. Nicely done!
I especially appreciated these insights:
• “Figure 1.1 – Managing the Multigenerational Workforce.” Boomers (born 1946-1964) value “status and achievement.” Gen Z team members want to “improve the world.”
• “Hire for culture, train for specific skills.”
• Reflecting on Tom Brady’s performance (diet, discipline, and more)—clearly a star employee, the authors ask, “…what if businesses, generally, began treating their employees with the care and concern that performance athletes receive?”
And I need to think about these ideas:
• Fire the job description! “…it’s time to end the practice of hiring people to fill jobs and begin the discipline of creating roles around outstanding people.”
• Leave meetings behind. The authors quote Allan Chochinov’s idea to cut down on meetings and, instead, call them “reviews”—not “meetings.” They add, “Imagine that rather than scheduling meetings, you hold a ‘briefing’ to start a project or a ‘review’ to assess the progress of a project.” Interesting!
• The 5 R’s. “The Great Reset” (“Figure 9.1 – The Cumulative Shifts Between Individuals and Organizations”) is worth studying. It’s the summary title for five R’s: “The Great Resignation, The Great Retirement, the Great Reshuffle, The Great Refusal, and The Great Relocation.”
• “The Gratitude Lunch” event (just two pages), I’m guessing, will be replicated in dozens—if not hundreds—of companies and organizations across the globe.
To be clear—I appreciated this book. Someone on your team should read and report on the big ideas in this book at your next staff meeting (I mean…at your next staff briefing!). However, just over the last 10 days, I read numerous articles in The Wall Street Journal that reminded me, once again, of Peter Drucker’s wisdom, “What everyone knows is usually wrong.” (Read my review of The Practical Drucker.)
The authors are pretty sure that the workplace is dramatically changing after COVID. Is it? Many business gurus and CEOs aren’t so sure.
Is there a documented connection between empathy and diversity? I’d say—not so fast. The jury is still out in my humble opinion—as are the predictions of many opinion pieces and thoughtful letters to the editor. I did appreciate Sally Helgesen's insights on diversity in her recent book, Rising Together: How We Can Bridge Divides and Create a More Inclusive Workplace.
One more. Can we still discuss gender and so-called “equity” issues? There’s still a wide diversity of views. It’s not settled like many “experts” believe.
I think what we need today is more conversation, more dialogue, and wider reading and thoughtful listening. That’s why I’m recommending you read this book—even if you might disagree with some of the authors’ conclusions.
And…I hope I will continue to have the spirit and heart of a friend of mine who would often say when his wife pushed back on something: “I could be wrong. I’ve been wrong before. Do you want to talk about it?”
Note: This book is very, very comprehensive and in your first read of The Empathy Advantage—if you’re at the front end of your career in HR or management—you may be tempted to say, “Way too much stuff.” If so, make this a team project and delegate your reading. Start small and plan to leverage the helpful sections over many quarters. You won't plumb the depths in a week or a month.
PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Culture Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.
[ ] The Burnout Challenge: Managing People’s Relationships with Their Jobs, by Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter. (Read my review.)
[ ] Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It, by Jon Clifton. (Read my review.)
[ ] Future Normal: How We Will Live, Work and Thrive in the Next Decade, by Rohit Bhargava and Henry Coutinho-Mason. (Read my review.)
[ ] Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy, and Understanding at Work, by Michael Lee Stallard, Jason Pankau, and Katharine P. Stallard. (Read my review.)
[ ] A New Way to Think: Your Guide to Superior Management Effectiveness, by Roger L. Martin. (Read my review.)
To order from Amazon, click on the title for The Empathy Advantage: Leading the Empowered Workforce, by Heather E. McGowan and Chris Shipley. Listen on Libro (pre-order for May 9, 2023 availability). And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy. For more book reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting.
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