The Empathy Edge Joris Merks-Benjaminsen: Managing Without Power to Balance Humanity and Performance
Balancing performance with human leadership can be tough for some leaders. The goal is to strike a healthy balance, while always remembering that taking thoughtful care of your people, recognizing their unique contributions, and creating an environment where they can thrive can lead to the stellar performance results you seek.
But how would you lead if your title or position didn't give you any power?
Joris Merks-Benjaminsen is a leadership trainer and the award-winning author of Managing Without Power. Joris shares his unique journey at Google, watching the culture and leadership he loved so much shift as his managers changed, and why he’s committed to helping companies capture that early magic and scale it as they grow. We discuss recognizing and respecting your power dynamic while also understanding that the title does not give you power, but consistent, intentional small behaviors will ensure your team will help you meet your goals. Joris shares how to balance people nd performance through the five basics of his interconnected, practical, holistic leadership approach. And he shares how to solicit and take in upward feedback to help you effectively support an employee's journey, ensure high performance, and make tough decisions when needed.
To access the episode transcript, go to www.TheEmpathyEdge.com, search by episode title.
Listen in for…
- How managers can shape microcultures and establish team norms.
- Upskilling leaders to avoid conventional traps and pitfalls.
- Providing ongoing support to learning, not just one-time training.
- The five basics of his interconnected, practical, holistic leadership approach.
- How to solicit and take in upward feedback to help effectively support an employee's journey, ensure high performance, and make tough decisions when needed.
“The problem I see is this balance between human-focused and performance-focused leadership. I regularly meet leaders who think of them as opposites, but you need both of them in a certain balance...in order to create a high-performing team and organization." — Joris Merks-Benjaminsen
Episode References:
- Joris’ Book: Managing Without Power: Creating high-performance teams and organizations in your own human way
- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg
- Google re: Work - Guides: Give feedback to managers https://share.google/nhB0hREQOztuqQwOV
About Joris Merks-Benjaminsen, Leadership Trainer, Author of Managing Without Power:
Joris Merks-Benjaminsen is a leadership trainer and the award-winning author of Managing Without Power. Joris had a leading role in Google's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives, and was one of the highest-scoring managers in the company's history. Today, he trains managers and leaders to help find the right balance between humaneness and performance pressure.
Connect with Joris:
Managing Without Power: www.managingwithoutpower.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joris-merks-benjaminsen-5673384/
Connect with Maria:
Get Maria's books: Red-Slice.com/books
Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross
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