ARIEL INTERMISSION: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON EMPATHY AND LEADERSHIP PRESENCE

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I want to take an opportunity to introduce you to the newest member of the Ariel ensemble, Gabriella Salvatore.  Gabriella is joining us as VP of Client Solutions.  In that capacity she will be partnering with our clients to map their business needs to our learning solutions.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Gabriella and, by way of introduction, wanted to share with you some of her thoughts:

Sean: What does Presence mean to you?

Gabriella: To me, presence is the ability to “roll with it” in any given situation. It may be a hard conversation or a strained relationship; a herculean project or a small interaction.  Presence is the anti-reactive; the anti-judgmental; the anti-jump-to-conclusions.  Presence is when you are able to draw from within you the insight and resources required to reach out to those around you (your team, your boss, your directs, your colleagues) and connect so as to serve at all levels – individually, organizationally, strategically.

Sean: After 15 years in the learning industry where do you see the need for presence show up most? Where is it most lacking?

Gabriella: Presence is needed from top to bottom in an organization, as a “greaser of wheels,” to support the everyday, everywhere interactions that make businesses go. At the end of the day, every decision in an organization comes down to a group of people sitting in a meeting room or emailing across time zones sharing ideas. In this process, ideas are sometimes complementary and oftentimes in conflict.  The real work of an organization gets done when people can navigate through that “mess” and come out on the other side with an answer.

I have often heard it said that what makes a good leader is the ability to connect with others, to inspire and mobilize them to action.  I like to think of leadership as sourced from all directions in an organization – each person finding a way to be a leader in their distinct role – whatever that might look like. So for all of us, regardless of where we sit in the business, the higher the stress, the more we need presence.

Sean: Empathy is talked about a lot. Where is it most needed in business?

Gabriella: Truth be told, I think empathy is not an “everywhere” skill.  I think when overused or used in a moment that doesn’t require it, empathy can cause the recipient to feel like they are “being handled.”  It can feel insincere, like a relationship tactic, as opposed to a relationship benefit.

In my mind the role for empathy is pretty clear-cut.  If the person or people you are interacting with are faced with bad news and there is nothing you can do to change that reality, empathy is your best and only bet.

Tags: empathy,Gabriella Salvatore,InterMission Newsletter,interviews,presence,Sean Kavanagh