Shari Starkey

Empathy Can Be Too Much Empathy can be too much, especially if you feel the pain of others and do nothing but wallow in it with them. Empathy with the correct perspective can be powerful and life-changing for everyone involved in the moment. Leadership provides many opportunities to practice empathy. There is a fine line in this practice, because if we are not careful, it can take us down an emotional rabbit hole that is difficult to climb out of; however, with intention, empathy can be...

Have you ever wondered why some days drain you completely? It’s not just bad luck—it’s brain science. I learned this the hard way after a day of unexpected stress, multitasking, and one very messy dessert. Here’s what NeuroLeadership taught me. I knew this workday would be busy and different from most of my days. Earlier this year, I decided I no longer wanted my car because I work from home and travel rarely. I felt it was a waste of resources. My husband had recently retired, so we’re...

Why Do We Crave Teams—Yet Struggle to Build Them?  We have social brains, yes —even us introverts have a craving for social interaction. We love being part of a team, something that works toward a common goal. If that is the case, why is it so hard to build cohesive teams that operate beyond  what’s in it for me ? Work teams are especially difficult because not many of us get to pick the teams we are assigned to or work with. We join teams with all kinds of biases and predispositions as to...