Most strategists are empaths, which is both good and bad for when they're asked to take on leadership/management roles. It’s good because empaths are thoughtful and present. It’s bad because empaths absorb everyone else’s trauma and don’t often know to digest it properly. (1/6)

Psychiatrists agree that ’sales’ and ‘pitching’ jobs are the worst for empaths, because ‘being on’ 24/7 is a draining ask. And stressful clients and colleagues can close an empath down for a long time. I would shut down for DAYS after a bad meeting. (2/6)

Empaths are independent thinkers who tend to question the status quo at work if it doesn’t feel right and like to know the WHY behind every decision so they can feel it in their gut. These behaviors challenge an industry that’s expected to squeeze out more with less (3/6).

Being aggressive, being ‘on’, being able to roll with the punches, keeping quiet and carrying on… all outdated platitudes that don’t serve the variety of people leading these days. Sensitivity, quietness and thoughtfulness are assets to modern orgs if we know how to use it (4/6)

As an empath myself in a leadership role, I’ve found that it helps to find peers who can understand your tendencies and work into them. And then it helps to be open about our different working styles in order to understand how we all complement each other as a team. (5/6)

I’m glad we’re beginning to bring more mental health conversations into our industry because the stress and the pace will only magnify in this COVID/WFH era. And I’m glad more leaders are being open about the importance of self-care and boundaries as we try to figure it out (6/6)