Empathy isn't soft. It's strategic. And most leaders are getting it completely wrong.
In this episode of Leading Through Growth, Tony Sanders sits down with workplace empathy consultant Liesl Murtis to break down what empathy actually is, why it matters in business, and how to practice it without freezing up or saying the wrong thing.
This isn't about being nice. It's about understanding that empathy is already embedded in your business through marketing, customer experience, and retention strategy. The question is: are you extending that same attention to your team?
Liesl brings real talk, practical frameworks, and a refreshing dose of honesty about what gets in the way. From the "Fix It Frank" who jumps straight to solutions, to the "Silent Sam" who avoids hard conversations entirely, she unpacks the empathy avatars that show up in every workplace and what to do about them.
What you'll learn:
• Why empathy is not about shared experience but about identifying with the emotions underneath
• The biggest mistake leaders make when someone shares something hard (and how to avoid it)
• How to show up when you don't know what to say without making it worse
• The stoplight check in: a simple tool that transforms team connection in under two minutes
• Why "let me know if you need anything" doesn't work and what to say instead
• The empathy avatars framework: which one are you and how to grow from there
• How to plan for care in your calendar so you actually follow through
If you're leading a team and wondering why connection feels harder than it should, or if you've ever avoided reaching out because you weren't sure what to say, this episode will give you the language and the tools to do it differently.
Guest: Liesl Murtis, Workplace Empathy Consultant
Learn more at LieslMurtis.com
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:49 The Buffalo vs Kirby: What Empathy Really Looks Like
00:03:30 The Healed Femur: The First Sign of Human Civilization
00:04:35 Defining Empathy: Identifying with Emotions, Not Just Experiences
00:07:13 Empathy Is Already in Your Business—It's Called Marketing
00:10:09 The Household Debate: Does Tony Lack Empathy?
00:13:19 The Fix-It Frank Trap: Why Solutions Come Second
00:16:38 What to Say When You Don't Know What to Say
00:18:49 The Empathy Avatars: Silent Sam, Cheer-Up Cheryl, and More
00:23:40 It's Never Too Late to Show You Care
00:25:20 Can AI Teach You Empathy?
00:27:37 Two Practical Tips Every Executive Needs
00:30:07 Outro
#Leadership #WorkplaceEmpathy #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamCulture #LeadingThroughGrowth