Leading with Empathy and Curiosity to Create a Human-First Workplace

Madison Artist is a Senior Manager of Learning and Talent at Godaddy. While Madison spends most of her days empowering employees to develop skills to tackle new challenges and to help employees achieve their fullest potential, Madison learned about the importance of empathy and making others feel heard while working in retail as a college student. This experience has shaped her views on why people should lead and engage in a human way in the workplace.

Read below for more of Madison's story:

What is your role and what motivates you to do your work each day?

Madison: I am currently a Sr. Manager on the Learning and Talent team at GoDaddy and my team and I support everything from onboarding, leadership development, compliance, DEIB offerings, and really whatever else comes our way! It’s always about the people for me. As a leader and as an L&D professional I LOVE to see that light go on for someone, see someone learn something new and take on a new challenge.

There is even beauty in failure and the learning that comes from it. My motivation is the opportunity to enable that learning for both my team and the employees of GoDaddy and the high that comes from watching them succeed.?

What’s a life experience that has shaped your own mindset and thinking on work, and the workplace?

One of my first jobs in college was in retail and working with customers every day will give a whole new appreciation and empathy for employees in service-industries. It also teach you composure and how to think on your feet. You see people on their bad days.

My go-to in difficult customer interactions was always to listen. Ninety percent of the time, people just wanted to feel heard and then they were more open to solutions.? Today, this isn’t all that different from the workplace. Many times, if I just stop to really listen to the problem or complaint, we can get to a solution faster. When in doubt - just shut up and listen!?

As a human-first leader, you recognize that work doesn’t happen in a silo. Work happens in the midst of this wild human experience and we must create space for individual wellbeing, development, and fulfillment.

In your own view, what does it mean to be a human-first leader?

Madison: It’s a recognition that we are all human. That humaness means that our lives are messy, complicated, and beautiful; that sometimes we are our best, and sometimes we are our worst, and all of it is worthy. As a human-first leader, you recognize that work doesn’t happen in a silo. Work happens in the midst of this wild human experience and we must create space for individual wellbeing, development, and fulfillment.

Those three things are going to look different for each individual too, so you have to take time to get to know your team and what they value. I’m a big believer in the old-saying, “A person who is appreciated will always do more than is expected.”

What is a leadership skill that you think more leaders (formal and informal) should practice?

Madison: Empathy. I don’t think that most people wake up and wants to do a bad job. But I do think that people “don’t know what they don’t know,” and that navigating life is hard - some days more so than others. Practicing empathy with our teams allows us to understand what may be causing a certain behavior and allows us to lean in from a place of support, rather than accusation.

I don’t believe that empathy has to come at the expense of results either. Supporting and understanding people where they are allows you to address the actual barrier at play, which enables better and faster results.?

How can others embrace human-first leadership?

Madison: Get curious. Ask questions about what people like doing, what frustrates them, what stress them out, what brings them joy. And then, if you can, think about how the work you give them can align with some of those answers. Practice vulnerability - share your answers to those same questions. I think a lot of leaders get caught up in needing to be perfect and have it all together, when in reality that creates a barrier to your team finding you relatable.

I’m not saying to spill all your problems to your team. I’m suggesting that sharing with your team that “Excel spreadsheets make my head hurt” makes you human. And that recognition is the beginning of connection.?

What’s something that you hope to see out of the next generation of leaders in the workplace?

Madison: Less hierarchy. On the best teams, leadership is often a shared quality that moves from person to person depending on the topic, project, etc. That means that everyone is learning, growing, and trying new things.

I get the need for a formal leader for the sake of an organization but when you’re moving and grooving within your team, spread that love, and then give them the opportunity to shine to those above you.?

Who is a leader you admire who is creating a better workplace for their people, and what do they do or model that we can all learn from them?

Madison: Angie Imse, Laura Woolford, and Will Leahy. I have three, and I mention all three of them because they’ve all demonstrated something that I think is key to highlight. They’ve all been tremendous coaches. What I mean by that is, at various times in my career I’ve been in front of something big and scary and that I didn’t feel like I was prepared for, but these three did. And every time, they coached me.

They helped me unlock that I was ready, that I could do this, that I would be supported if I said yes. They were by my side along the way, with their sometimes thought-provoking and sometimes obvious (Ha!) questions , to show me that I already KNEW what to do, I just needed to talk it out. There was never a pressure, just an unfailing belief and a little nudge in the right direction. And it wasn’t just with me - I saw them do it with everyone! Their influence has shifted how I approach my own leadership and coaching and I honestly think the three of them should teach a masterclass.

What do you want companies to do in order to create a better workplace for their people?

Madison: I could write a book about my feelings on this one, but stop treating people as disposable numbers. There are lives and families, hardships and joy, behind those numbers.

We give a lot of ourselves to companies and as we’ve seen lately, our efforts can be reduced to a single termination email in the middle of the night. What is loyalty then? Why should I go the extra mile for your profits? I find it hard to believe that no one in a layoff couldn’t help fill a gap elsewhere in the company (especially when you see openings posted the same week that a layoff is announced.)

What does success in your career mean to you?

Madison: Fulfillment and Impact. I want to feel like what I did each day made at least one person a little better, made them think a little differently about something, saw the world as a little brighter. I’m not talking about changing the world, but I talk a lot about “making my little corner of the world better.” I think if everyone spent a little time on their corner of the world, we might just make the world a better place.?

Thank you to Kristi Haivala and Shazia Bhura for the nomination!