Picture this: you’ve just finished an incredibly important presentation. It was dense with crucial information… And you absolutely nailed it. 

At the end, one of your colleagues wants to give you some feedback. You thrive on constructive criticism, and welcome the chance to learn. But all he says is: your outfit is too distracting. Your dress is so sparkly it made it difficult to concentrate. 

How do you react? 

Most of us would blow a gasket - to hear something so overtly sexist and inappropriate would send almost anyone into a fit of rage, or even despair.

But not Dr Catriona Wallace. When this happened to her (yes, this actually happened!), she’d spent enough time navigating male-dominated businesses and boardrooms to know that outrage wasn’t the answer. It might’ve been reasonable, but it wouldn’t have been productive. 

Instead, Cat chose empathy. She put herself in that colleague’s shoes, and understood that even though what he’d said was absurd, he clearly didn’t mean to insult her. By meeting him where he was instead of where she wanted him to be, she was able to help him understand the contents of her presentation without diminishing herself, or descending into an all-out shouting match. 

Cat shares how this moment, and others just like it, turned her into the empathetic leader she is today.

Connect with Catriona on Twitter or LinkedIn

You can find the full interview here: Dr Catriona Wallace’s million-dollar nose ring and what it taught her about running a business

***

My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.




Connect with me on the socials:

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If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au




CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

Picture this: you’ve just finished an incredibly important presentation. It was dense with crucial information… And you absolutely nailed it. At the end, one of your colleagues wants to give you some feedback. You thrive on constructive criticism, and welcome the chance to learn. But all he says is: your outfit is too distracting. Your dress is so sparkly it made it difficult to concentrate. How do you react? Most of us would blow a gasket - to hear something so overtly sexist and inappropriate would send almost anyone into a fit of rage, or even despair.But not Dr Catriona Wallace. When this happened to her (yes, this actually happened!), she’d spent enough time navigating male-dominated businesses and boardrooms to know that outrage wasn’t the answer. It might’ve been reasonable, but it wouldn’t have been productive. Instead, Cat chose empathy. She put herself in that colleague’s shoes, and understood that even though what he’d said was absurd, he clearly didn’t mean to insult her. By meeting him where he was instead of where she wanted him to be, she was able to help him understand the contents of her presentation without diminishing herself, or descending into an all-out shouting match. Cat shares how this moment, and others just like it, turned her into the empathetic leader she is today.Connect with Catriona on <a href="https://twitter.com/catrionawallace?lang=en">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcatrionawallace/?originalSubdomain=au">LinkedIn</a>You can find the full interview here: <a href="https://www.amantha.com/podcasts/dr-catriona-wallaces-million-dollar-nose-ring-and-what-it-taught-her-about-running-a-business/">Dr Catriona Wallace’s million-dollar nose ring and what it taught her about running a business</a>***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can <a href="https://www.amantha.com/time-wise-book/">grab a copy here</a>. Connect with me on the socials:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber/?originalSubdomain=au">Linkedin</a><a href="https://twitter.com/amantha?lang=en">Twitter</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanthai/?hl=en">Instagram</a>  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at <a href="http://howiwork.co">http://howiwork.co</a>Visit <a href="https://www.amantha.com/podcast">https://www.amantha.com/podcast</a> for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at <a href="mailto:amantha@inventium.com.au">amantha@inventium.com.au</a> CREDITSProduced by <a href="https://www.inventium.com.au">Inventium</a>Host: <a href="https://www.amantha.com">Amantha Imber</a>Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets - the daily strategies behind their success through to life hacks and productivity hacks they’d rather keep to themselves. We’re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that’ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who’ve cracked the code.

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets&nbsp;- the daily strategies behind their success through to&nbsp;life hacks and productivity hacks they&rsquo;d rather keep to themselves. We&rsquo;re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that&rsquo;ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who&rsquo;ve cracked the code.

Have you ever wondered if the worlds leading entrepreneurs, writers, musicians and business people construct their day differently to you?

How I Work

Dr Catriona Wallace shares her most pivotal experiences as a leader, and what they taught her about the power of empathy.

My Favourite Tip - Catriona Wallace: Leading with empathy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/bc1e93ba-5015-440f-8d20-af6901457e4b/transcript

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