Jen Mueller: How Championship-Winning Leadership Starts With Empathy

The Empathy Edge

Today, sports fans and high achievers, you're in for a treat! Empathy is not soft. It's not weak. Nothing thrills me more than when I can share examples of empathetic leadership that help win national championships or create winning sports dynasties. You may recall my example of Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, in my book, The Empathy Dilemma.

Emmy award-winning producer and sports broadcaster Jen Mueller shares how she's seen coaching and leadership styles evolve in the last few decades, how she conducts sideline interviews with athletes who may have either had the worst or best day of their careers, why empathy is not just showing up on a bad day, but encouraging and celebrating your team's best days, and why top athletes and performers crave clarity and feedback in order to get better. You'll get so many tips on how to deliver feedback, ask the right questions, and infuse joy and levity into your team for championship-level performance.

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• We don’t need or want to be cruel in the name of candor. Candor and clarity are empathetic and can help everyone understand where they are at.
• Prepare ahead so that you can be with your team in the moment. Consider: how do you give somebody permission to talk about their win and an easy way to share in that celebration with everybody else?
• You can lead a high-performance team, while still leaving room for emotion, feelings, and disappointment when things don’t go well.

"We assume that everybody understands what winning and losing look like and they don't. When you are clear, now people can do their job to the highest level." — Jen Mueller

References Mentioned:

Welcome to Wrexham: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0D77Y5BMG

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Jen Mueller: Producer, Broadcaster, Founder, Talk Sporty to Me

Jen Mueller is an Emmy award-winning producer and sports broadcaster based in Seattle. A 24-year sports broadcasting veteran, she currently serves as the Seattle Seahawks radio sideline reporter and is a member of the Seattle Mariners television broadcast team on ROOT SPORTS. She was honored for her work in the industry in 2022 as the recipient of the Keith Jackson Media Excellence Award presented by the Seattle Sports Commission.

In addition to her work on the sidelines, Jen is an established business communication expert and the founder of Talk Sporty to Me. She’s published three books that outline her approach to conversations and effective communication. She is also the executive producer, host and creator of “I Cook, You Measure” a cooking show on YouTube.

Connect with Jen:

Talk Sporty to Me: TalkSportytoMe.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jenmuellertalksporty

Instagram: instagram.com/talksportytome

Threads: threads.net/@talksportytome

Connect with Maria:

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

X: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice

Threads: @redslicemaria

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