Promoting a Positive Workplace with Empathetic Leadership

The Miami Museum of Modern Art (MMMA) is the premiere modern art museum in Miami with an encyclopedic collection of 20th century modern art and a comprehensive calendar of public programming and community cultural engagement. The museum is considered a staple of the community and is highly regarded by members of the public, as evidenced by attendance figures and fundraising successes.

However, the museum’s board of trustees is concerned about the results of a recent employee engagement and satisfaction survey. Museum employees, from curatorial and programming staff to administrative and support personnel, report feeling as though managers and department heads do not provide suitable performance feedback or adequate coaching, do not acknowledge employee concerns, and do not solicit ideas from team members. A leadership consultant, Jose Cisneros, was brought on to analyze the results, leading to his finding that the museum would benefit from having managers and supervisors employ empathetic leadership skills.

You have been contracted by the MMMA to develop a training program to provide its managers and leaders with empathetic leadership skills. For this project, you will be working with Jose Cisneros, the leadership and coaching consultant who has been working with the museum. He will serve as your subject matter expert.