Presentation Profile
IT’S NOT A PEOPLE PROBLEM: Understanding Human Behavior Through Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
Main Author
Kathleen Edwards - Labtopia, Inc,
Abstract:
What if the “difficult employee” isn’t actually difficult?
What if the “unmotivated employee” isn’t unmotivated?
What if the communication breakdown isn’t a communication problem at all?
Today’s laboratory leaders are managing teams that span multiple generations, diverse personalities, varying communication styles, and vastly different life experiences. And all too often, we spend more energy trying to fix behaviors without first understanding the motivations behind them.
Somewhere between the employee who thinks every problem needs a meeting and the employee who thinks every meeting is the problem, leaders are expected to somehow keep everyone engaged, productive, and moving in the same direction. In this engaging and interactive session, we will explore the science behind human behavior and the critical role empathy and emotional intelligence play in effective leadership.
Participants will discover that empathy is not weak leadership, it is one of the strongest leadership tools embodied by today's standout leaders. Understanding people does not mean lowering expectations, avoiding accountability, or excusing poor performance. Understanding what drives behavior, enables leaders to turn conflict into collaboration, resistance into engagement, and potential into performance.
