Empathy is often described as a “soft skill” — something nice to have, but not essential for business. But what if we’ve been thinking about it all wrong?

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, I’m joined by Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller — TEDx speaker, executive coach, host of The Empathic Leader podcast, and author of The Empathic Leader: How EQ via Empathy Transforms Leadership for Better Profit, Productivity, and Innovation.

Melissa introduces the idea of practical empathy — empathy as a skill you can develop, measure, and apply every day. We explore why empathy starts at home with self-empathy, the leadership keystone. She explains how reflection and awareness drive better leadership decisions, and why empathy and judgment cannot exist in the same space. Along the way, Melissa shares personal stories, research insights, and practical steps leaders can use to build cultures that are more innovative, more productive, and more human.

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• Self-empathy is the keystone. Leaders can’t show empathy for others if they don’t first understand and connect with themselves.
• Reflection builds awareness. Daily self-reflection and awareness of impact create the foundation for better decisions and relationships.
• Empathy is a skill, not fluff. Practical empathy is skills-based, data-driven, and outcomes-oriented — not just “being nice.”
• Empathy and judgment can’t coexist. Removing judgement opens the door for leaders to grow, connect, and build trust.

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The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:10 – Why empathy matters more than ever in leadership 0:02:45 – Meet Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller: researcher, coach, author 0:05:26 – A career unravelled: when organisations show no empathy 0:07:05 – What Melissa means by “practical empathy” 0:09:43 – Can empathy be learned, or is it innate? 0:12:30 – Defining self-empathy: the leadership keystone 0:16:27 – The role of judgment and why it blocks empathy 0:22:09 – The path to building self-empathy: reflection, awareness, empathy 0:30:28 – How self-empathy leads to corrective action and growth 0:36:38 – Performative empathy: why saying it isn’t enough 0:41:56 – The business case: empathy’s impact on profit, productivity, and innovation 0:45:51 – Melissa’s three Sticky Notes of advice

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Get the full transcript of the episode here