The Empathy Dilemma

How Successful Leaders Balance Performance, People, and Personal Boundaries

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Lead with compassion without compromising high performance or financial success.

We have entered a new world of work. It’s a world where successful leaders embrace a human-centric approach, prioritizing the mental health and personal responsibilities of their employees alongside their professional ones. However, post-pandemic, a dark side to the empathetic workplace has emerged and many well-intentioned business leaders are struggling to keep both productivity and morale high.

In The Empathy Dilemma, author, speaker, and empathy advocate, Maria Ross, explores the difficulties organizational leaders are having, and the solutions they need to get back on track. Drawing on her decades of experience, thorough research, and extensive interviews, Ross goes back to the basics of what empathy is, and what it isn’t. She details where leaders are going wrong and how to navigate complicating factors such as generational mindsets, philosophical differences, and diverse life experiences while still getting the job done. By utilizing the five pillars of effective empathetic leadership: self-awareness, self-care, clarity, decisiveness, and joy, leaders will discover actionable tactics to create this firm foundation that enables compassion to co-exist with high-performance. And by bringing this all into focus, Ross emphasizes the fact that empathy is a two-way street that involves mutual respect and trust between all involved parties.

Written as a follow-up to her book The Empathy Edge, The Empathy Dilemma looks at the compassionate leader through a post-pandemic lens. It is the guide every leader needs in order to prioritize performance and protect mental health so that both their organization and their teams come out on top.

Order your copy of The Empathy Dilemma below!

Order your copy of The Empathy Dilemma now at these retailers – and enjoy volume discounts for your team at Porchlight.

Client gifts? Employee perks? Thank you gifts? #JustSayin

Amazon

BN.COM

Porchlight Books

Download a free chapter to get a taste! Fill out the form below.

Come See Me at a Book Event!

9/5/24

The Biles Effect: How to Balance Self-Care, Empathy, and High Performance with Paula Rosecky, LI Live

9/11/24

The Empathy Dilemma Book Launch, Panel + Growth Mindset Workshop
Seattle, 6-8 pm

9/12/24

Seattle WIT Regatta Walky Talky
Noon to 2 pm walking discussion

9/16/24

VIP Private Online Launch Event
By Invite Only

9/18/24

TBWA/U Global Learning Program Webinar: The Empathy Dilemma: Balancing Empathy with Accountability and Performance
Open only to TBWA employees

9/19/24

Optionality C onversationality Livestream, 1 pm PT

10/2/24

Optionality Live event with WIN Alliance at Extreme Networks San Jose, CA, 3-5 pm PT

10/5/24

Book Discussion and Signing at Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA, 1 pm PT, Emceed by Rob Volpe

10/9/24

Heinz Marketing Inner Circle Fireside Chat.
Private event by invitation only

10/28/24

Thought Leader 10x! Business and Leadership private peer advisory group
By Invite Only

10/29/24

Virtual Discussion with Fluency Consulting’s Catherine Ducharme
Event Page to Come

11/2/24

Empathy Summit Online, 9 am PT; Speaking at 10:10 am PT; Empathy Circle to Follow

11/6/24

SHRM INCLUSION Conference Session, The Empathy Dilemma
Aurora, CO, Speaking on Nov 6, 1-2 pm MT

12/5/24

SPC and SWEP The Empathy Dilemma Virtual Keynote, Noon to 1 pm PT/ 3 to 4 pm ET
Register now

12/18/24

Athena Alliance Monthly Online Salon
For Members Only, but you can join the discussion with code ROSS as my guest!

3/5/25

Watch Me Think Summit: Humans & AI: How do we understand people better? Chicago, IL
Sign up now

The Empathy Edge Podcast is here!

Take A Listen

Praise for The Empathy DILEMMA

“Maria Ross’s The Empathy Dilemma is a refreshing and practical guide for leaders who want to make empathy more than just a buzzword. By focusing on self-awareness, self-care, clarity, decisiveness, and joy, Ross provides a holistic approach to empathetic leadership that is both inspiring and achievable.”

Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Drive, When, and The Power of Regret

“In The Empathy Dilemma, Maria Ross equips those of us man- aging workplace stress and burnout with the tools to develop an empathy practice that emphasizes much-needed self- care. Her Five Pillars of Effective Empathetic Leadership pro- vide an invaluable framework for anyone wanting to cultivate a more empathetic and engaged culture without sacrificing high performance, clearly addressing the challenges of the post-COVID workplace.”

Terri Givens, professor at McGill University and author of Radical Empathy book that’s a must-read for every manager and executive

“If you’ve made the mistake, like I have, of mixing up ‘empathy’ and ‘being a pushover,’ this book will save you. It will guide you on how to care and have boundaries, how to encourage and be a decisive leader.”

Michael Bungay Stanier, bestselling author of The Coaching Habit

“A vital, timely examination of modern workplace (dys)function, with real-world recipes for getting and keeping your team on track. Should be required reading for every manager.”

Jay Baer, founder of Convince & Convert and author of The Time to Win

“Empathy is a crucial skill for today’s leaders. Command- and-control leadership is outdated, short-sighted, and unsustainable. Maria Ross smashes the perception that empathy and high performance cannot coexist. She shows you how to balance empathy and accountability to foster engaged, collaborative teams that deliver long-term results.”

Dorie clark, Wall Street Journal–bestselling author of The Long Game and executive education faculty at Columbia Business School

“Leadership is finally waking up to our role as motivators and mentors. When our people thrive, so do our businesses. Our people come to work from different generations, ethnicities, and abilities. The Empathy Dilemma sets leaders up to success- fully support all those needs and perspectives while delivering results—and without sacrificing their own mental health.”

ChiP conley, New York Times–bestselling author and founder of MEA, Modern Elder AcademyCompany Name

Want to learn more about The Empathy Dilemma or bring me in to your organization or conference to to deliver a dynamic and valuable keynote or workshop? Contact me with your ques tions!

How You Can Help

Do you want to be part of this organizational transformation to make our work – and our world – more empathetic? Here are a few ways to help get the book to people who could benefit from reading it.

Buy the book. Seriously, that’s the most helpful first step. Buy one for yourself, or order i n bulk for your team, business association or entrepreneur group. PS: The book makes a great client and customer gift. Just sayin’! You can do so at Amazon, Porchlight or BN.com.
Review the book: Online reviews really help raise the book’s profile on online retailers, as well as put it on interested people’s radar. If you are committed to changing the rules about how business gets done, please post an online review. Thank you.
Share the book. If you enjoyed it, tell someone else…or lots of someones. It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend or your entire mailing list, it all helps and you’ll have my eternal thanks. Please tag the book as #empathydilemma on any social platform, so I can thank you and follow along.
Connect the book to influencers/media. If you have direct contact with a media outlet, influencer, podcast host, publication, etc—I’d be so grateful for an introduction.

If you can think of or want to help in other ways, like hosting a book event, making an intro or bringing me in to speak, please contact me now and let’s make magic together!

If you’ve read this far, you’re good people. THANK YOU for making the world more empathetic, compassionate and kind.

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