OneTAKE: Embracing Empathy & Humanity in the Future of Work

Embracing Empathy & Humanity in the Future of Work

With Dan Pontefract

“If a pandemic is not waking you up from your catatonic coma of how awful, perhaps, your leadership has been … you really have to ask yourself, ‘Why are you a leader?’ I fundamentally believe that the reflection that we’ve had over the past year … it’s a chance for us to do good in that redefinition.”

– Dan Pontefract, Founder & CEO of the Pontefract Group

Welcome to OneTAKE Live! In this episode, host Ian Barkin speaks with Dan Pontefract, the founder and CEO of The Pontefract Group, to discuss the role of caring in leadership, what it means to have true empathy, and the value of putting people first.

True empathy as a leader means putting yourself out there, embracing change, remaining curious, and always being a champion for the people who share your mission. It’s tough — but worth it. And when it comes to your bottom-line, caring isn’t just a nice-to-have.

“You have a fiduciary responsibility as a leader to check in on the soul, the psyche, the wellness, of your team members.” Dan says. “I do care, I do want to care, I should care, because if I see when you’re debilitated, or if there’s a mental health or wellness issue, then I know that typical performance is going to lag and sag, so maybe I do have a responsibility here to be a human being in that relationship.”

Dan has built an illustrious career and media empire communicating the value of empathy and humanity in leadership through his many best-selling books, TED talks, and keynote speaking engagements. His latest book, Lead. Care. Win. How to Become a Leader Who Matters is now available on Amazon.

Join us and find out how the simple act of caring can mean all the difference on OneTAKE Live!

Find Dan on Clubhouse by searching @danpontefract.

Dan Pontefract

Founder & CEO

The Pontefract Group

Dan is the founder and CEO of The Pontefract Group, a firm that improves the state of leadership and organizational culture.

He is the best-selling author of four books: Lead. Care. Win. How to Become a Leader Who Matters; Open to Think; The Purpose Effect; and Flat Army. A renowned speaker, Dan has presented at four TED events and also writes for Forbes and Harvard Business Review. Dan is an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria, Gustavson School of Business and has garnered more than 20 industry awards over his career.

Dan is honored to be on the Thinkers50 Radar list. HR Weekly listed him as one of its 100 Most Influential People in HR for 2021. PeopleHum listed Dan on the Top 200 Thought Leaders to Follow in 2021, and Inc. Magazine listed him as one of the top 100 leadership speakers.

His third book, Open to Think, won the 2019 getAbstract International Book of the Year.

Previously, as chief envisioner and chief learning officer at TELUS — a Canadian telecommunications company with revenues of over $14 billion and 50,000 global employees — he launched the Transformation Office, the TELUS MBA, and the TELUS Leadership Philosophy, all award-winning initiatives that dramatically helped increase the company’s employee engagement to record levels of nearly 90%. Prior to TELUS, he held senior roles at SAP, Business Objects, and BCIT.

Dan and his wife, Denise, have three children (aka goats) and live in Victoria, Canada.