47. Managing with Empathy with Debi Yadegari

Introduction

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “life happens.” It suggests the idea that despite our enthusiastic, gung-ho plans and best efforts, certain life events distract us and attempt to pull us off course. In some cases, these so-called distractions are positive life events like the birth of a child or a tremendous professional opportunity for one’s spouse that requires relocation, but there are also hard things in life that make it difficult to focus on work or maintain the same routines. For example, an elderly parent can no longer care for herself, you or a family member need to fight a chronic illness, children require care, someone in your household is struggling with addiction, you lose a loved one unexpectedly–and the list goes on and on.

In some cases, we can foresee these challenges, but other times, we’re caught by surprise and completely unprepared. Each day becomes more challenging and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

If you haven’t personally experienced one of these life challenges yet, hold on, because you probably will at some point in your career. If you’re a manager, someone on your team is probably struggling with something now–or they will be in the next year. When that happens, you need to respond appropriately and with empathy.

Unfortunately, managers generally aren’t trained in empathy. It’s often hard to know what to say or do when one of your team members shares a concern like this with you. Or maybe you notice one of your A-players is starting to slip a bit; they’re missing deadlines, and contributing less in meetings. They seem distracted. How do you address it?

Nevertheless, how managers respond to those distractions is the most determinative factor of employee outcomes. And because it is impossible for any manager, regardless of intention or EQ, to know how to support all of their employees through all of their various circumstances, and that’s where today’s guest comes in.

Using AI, she and her team provide the “just in time” guidance managers need to lead empathically throughout their employees' Life Events, while driving productivity forward.

Our Guest

Debi Yadegari is the Founder and CEO of Villyge, a manager enablement platform that helps managers support and respond to their employees’ personal “Life Events” (things like burnout, miscarriage, leave, divorce, elder care, loss, coming out, and more) in an appropriate, timely and productive manner to drive culture, boost productivity and improve belonging.

She is obsessed with bringing humanity into the workplace so EVERYONE can show up as their most authentic self regardless of how they identify and/or what may be unfolding in the background of their Zoom.

Debi is a graduate of Barnard College of Columbia University and the George Washington University School of Law. Before her entrepreneurial journey, she had a demanding career as an investment banker on Wall Street.

Debi is also the mom of five children ranging in age from 6 to 17 and this allows her to preside over what she describes as “delicious chaos” every day.

What You’ll Learn

• How changes in the workplace have created the the need for empathic leadership

• What empathy in the workplace looks like

• The impact of empathic leadership on companies--and what happens when empathy is lacking

• Where work is going and why empathy will be a big part of the future of work

 

Links for This Episode:

• www.Villyge.com

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/dyadegari

• https://www.linkedin.com/company/villyge

 

Connect with Dr. Mike: 

• Website: https://www.drmikepatterson.com

• Book: https://www.missionfirstpeoplealwaysbook.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmichaellpatterson

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealdrmikepatterson/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/drmikepatterson

• Buy The Book!: Mission First People Always

 

Episode Minute By Minute:

• 0:02 Managing empathy in the workplace is something that is often overlooked 

• 9:40 Debi’s company helps managers navigate the need for more empathy 

• 11:00 Debi’s origin story began on Wall Street

• 11:32 Debi’s first manager was phenomenal, with good intentions, but lacked empathy

• 15:21 Managers are afraid to say and do the wrong thing and tend to react poorly 

• 18:09 Research and data proves how lack of empathy impacts retention and productivity 

• 20:39 The difference between sympathy and empathy 

• 23:09 Empathy is a skill, but it something that we have to learn

• 27:24 Company needs have shifted post pandemic to valuing family and diversity

• 30:01 How Debi’s platform (Villyge) can help managers better respond to worker needs 

• 32:04 Information and guidance on how to respond to that comes through Villyge 

• 37:02 Managers don’t have to second guess why an employee is absent or struggling

• 39:46 Manager support affects attrition, it affects productivity, and it makes a difference

• 40:40 Being sincere and authentic will make you a better leader and human

• 43:26 How to find out more about about Debi and get connected with Villyge