Everything around us moves so quickly; we are inundated with content, news, ideas and opinions with a ferocious consistency. As we go through our days filled with meetings, emails, conference calls and the tasks of our role, it gets more and more challenging to truly connect with those around us, especially our coworkers. That connection is what drives optimal collaboration, productive communication, and an overall sense of positivity on teams. So how do we achieve that? How do we connect with others in an environment that seems to only drive division? And how do we truly engage with one another in a way that fosters a culture of innovation, openness and inclusion? With vulnerability and, especially, with empathy.

Empathy and vulnerability aren’t necessarily two words associated with professional success, but they are invaluable to achieving the long-term goals managers and leaders set for their teams and companies as a whole. This talk dives into each of those topics. We’ll define what real-word empathy is and why it’s imperative in offices; explain why vulnerability is the gateway to opportunity; and finally, we’ll discuss how to truly connect with those around us by engaging empathy at work.