Gautham Pallapa - Leading with Empathy: Understanding the Needs of Todays Workforce

1. Chapter 3
2. Chapter 5

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 3
3. Chapter 5
4. Chapter 6
5. Chapter 7

As technology becomes core, most leadership roles and value streams become more and more cross-functional, and organizations must move away from silos to survive. Breaking through these functional boundaries requires a deep understanding of others roles, perspectives, and challenges. Gautham makes a very strong and unique case for empathy being a requirement among leaders in order for them to cultivate thriving workplaces that drive innovation.

Dr. Mik Kersten, Founder and CEO of Tasktop and best-selling author of Project to Product

Gautham's practical guidance in Leading with Empathy could not be more timely, as leaders grapple with supporting our teams through the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. Empathy is also the foundation to acting as an effective ally and using our voices to combat systemic racism.

Jacqui Allard, EVP Personal Financing Products, RBC

In his book, Leading with Empathy, Gautham succinctly captures today's need to build a cohesive team and a positive professional atmosphere. With anecdotes from real-life experiences, the book talks about people management and how leaders and managers should develop new traits such as patience, empathy, and the ability to relate to diverse situations. This book serves as a guide on how leaders should become responsible in creating an environment of trust and motivation, while leading form the front exhibiting the same traits, expected from team members. A must-read for all young managers and budding entrepreneurs!

Kaushik Madhavan, Vice PresidentMobility, Frost & Sullivan

A strong leader is successful by having a vision and a drive for success, but they also have an empathy for their team that helps them inspire, motivate, and build loyalty. In this book, Gautham explores empathy in its many forms, like how recent world events such as the pandemic and racial inequity have changed us forever, and through this draws out lessons for us all to employ in everyday and in the workplace to drive a better future. His use of anecdotes, stories, and recollections helps bring these approaches to life and leaves the reader with approaches and strategies to help them empower their people and be better leaders.

Martin Davis, CIO and Managing Partner, DUNELM Associates Ltd

GAUTHAM PALLAPA

Copyright 2022 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permission.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this work, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives, written sales materials or promotional statements for this work. The fact that an organization, website, or product is referred to in this work as a citation and/or potential source of further information does not mean that the publisher and authors endorse the information or services the organization, website, or product may provide or recommendations it may make. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a specialist where appropriate. Further, readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. Neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Names: Pallapa, Gautham, author.

Title: Leading with empathy : understanding the needs of todays workforce / Dr. Gautham Pallapa.

Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2022] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021028974 (print) | LCCN 2021028975 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119837251 (hardback) | ISBN 9781119837275 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119837268 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Empathy. | Leadership.

Classification: LCC BF575.E55 P35 2022 (print) | LCC BF575.E55 (ebook) | DDC 152.4/1dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021028974
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021028975

Cover image: runeer/Getty Images
Cover design: Wiley

Dedicated to my mother.

She taught me the value of compassion and empathy in a highly technology-dependent world. Her actions transcended her self-needs, and she was always willing to help others.

Her approach to life and work instilled in me a desire to lead with empathy and improve human quality of life.

My mother was a strong and empathic human. She was also incredibly driven and motivated to help people, sometimes at her inconvenience. When I confronted her about this growing up, she told me that a person's existence is meaningless until they improve another's life, even if it is in some small way. She confided in me that was a primary driver for her becoming a doctor. Seeing that look of happiness and gratitude in her patients made her feel joy and empathy.

My mother was a busy person, being an ob-gyn at one of Bangalore's top medical facilities in India. She then gave it all up to support her husband's PhD in England, switching from being a busy doctor to a stay-at-home mom, taking care of me, and later my brother. I never once heard her talk about her old days or how she missed her life while at home. She had put her family first and spent her energy with her children's upbringing and emotional support for my father during his doctoral studies. I remember several occasions where she went out of her way to help the friends she had made during our stay there. One particular incident stands out in my memory. A friend of hers was going through a rough patch, and my mother wanted to cheer her up. Despite being in her third trimester with her second child, she cooked her friend's favorite food and took me with her to her friend's house, braving a snowstorm. We had to change buses in between, and I remember not being very happy or cooperative during the journey, but she bore it all with a smile and patience because she wanted to be there for her friend. I did not know it at that time, but she had a wealth of compassionate empathy in her.