The Role of Empathy in Leadership with Holly Golebiowski
Holly Golebiowski, Partner at LeaderSkills, explains why self-awareness and empathy cannot be separated in leadership. She shares how struggling as a new regional manager led her to the coaching that became LeaderSkills, and the tools she relies on now: DISC profiles, nonviolent communication, regular feedback, and values a company actually lives.
Self-awareness and empathy are the leadership skills most managers are never taught, and Holly Golebiowski learned them the hard way. In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, Stephen Sakach and Tullio Siragusa welcome Holly Golebiowski, Partner at LeaderSkills, a three-month leadership training where participants learn one new idea every two weeks and put it into practice right away.
In this episode we explore:
• Why lower turnover is the clearest business case for empathetic leaders
• Seeing the people on your team as people, not objects
• Using nonviolent communication to work through conflict
• How the DISC profile shows how each person wants to be communicated with
• Why company values should describe who you are, not who you wish you were
• Treating mistakes as a growth process instead of a punitive one
Holly’s own story frames the conversation. After moving from on-site manager to regional manager, she struggled in the new role and turned to an executive coach. She calls herself “student zero” because the work they did together became the LeaderSkills curriculum, and within a year she was training other regional managers.
From there, she makes a practical case. Empathy lowers turnover, and the tools are concrete: the DISC behavioral assessment, regular check-ins that make honest feedback routine, and giving people time to think before they respond. As she puts it, “You will never be empathetic without self-awareness.”
She also challenges companies that hang aspirational values on the wall. Acknowledge who you are today, decide who you want to be, and build actionable steps to get there, because people notice when a company claims to be something it is not.
Building that kind of care into everyday routines is the heart of Building Love Into Scalable Systems, the philosophy behind Zero Company, which brings you this show.
Key Takeaways
• (1:46) On where her leadership turnaround began: “it all started with self-awareness and empathy and understanding where people are and where you are.”
• (4:16) On the business case: “It’s the biggest thing I see is turnover dramatically goes down when your leaders are empathetic.”
• (9:12) On conflict: “anytime you get mad, that means there’s a conversation that you need to have.”
• (13:33) On the DISC profile: “once you understand how you’re coming across to people and then can look at how they perceive themselves, it is just a night and day change.”
• (26:06) On company values: “they write down what they want to be, not what they are.”
• (31:30) On mistakes: “you look at any problem that comes up as an opportunity to have a conversation to grow that person, not about, oh, you did something wrong.”
FAQ
How are self-awareness and empathy connected in leadership?
Holly Golebiowski of LeaderSkills says you will never be empathetic without self-awareness: leaders first have to recognize their own emotions and how they come across before they can put themselves in someone else’s shoes.
What is the business case for empathy in leadership?
For Holly Golebiowski, the biggest one is turnover. She sees it drop dramatically when leaders are empathetic, with employees staying longer and being happier while they are there.
How can leaders use nonviolent communication to handle conflict?
Holly Golebiowski uses the method from Marshall Rosenberg’s book: name the problem, then share how it makes you feel. In her experience most people respond with an apology, because hearing the impact puts them in your shoes.
For Holly Golebiowski, love plays into everything in business, starting with caring for yourself so you can care for your team. Learn more about LeaderSkills at leaderskills.training and Holly’s coaching practice at hollygcoaching.com. Watch the full video, read the companion post on leading with empathy, see her guest profile, and explore more Featured Guest Series conversations.
🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Tullio Siragusa
🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa
Executive Coach | Partner of LeaderSkills | Owner of Emerald Property Management
Holly is the Lead Facilitator at LeaderSkills, joining the company in 2018. A graduate of Coach U’s Professional Coaching Training program, she’s spent the past five years coaching mid-to-senior leaders, high-potential talent, and those facing leadership challenges. She brings over 25 years of experience in business leadership, including roles as COO and VP of Operations at privately held firms, and as the founder of a successful real estate business.
Holly has firsthand experience navigating the pressures of high-growth and high-turnover environments common to the C-suite. Her passion lies in helping motivated leaders elevate both their performance and quality of life. Early in her career, she transitioned from field management to a corporate role, where she struggled—until she began coaching with Nan O’Connor, founder of LeaderSkills. In just six months, she went from near-termination to top-performer, reigniting her career and sparking her coaching journey.
Direct and candid, Holly emphasizes emotional intelligence and self-awareness as the foundation for personal transformation. She challenges clients to reflect, disrupt limiting beliefs, and embrace change at a sustainable pace. Her goal is to empower them to lead with clarity, confidence, and focus.
Holly holds a BBA from Tiffin University (2005) and runs a real estate firm in Atlanta, offering services from consulting to property management. Her career has taken her across the U.S., and she thrives on helping other leaders grow. Outside work, she’s been happily married for ten years, enjoy… Read More
