Leadership advice is everywhere—but leadership that actually works is rare. In this episode of The Change Agent, Eric sits down with Valentina Schneider, a leadership advisor and organizational behavior researcher, to unpack what most leaders misunderstand about empathy, assertiveness, and effectiveness. Drawing from years of academic research and real-world advisory work, Valentina challenges the false binary that leaders must choose between being nice or being effective. Through evidence-based insight, she explains why that belief is not only wrong—but actively damaging to teams, performance, and careers. Together, they explore: Why conflict is still mostly destructive—and how leaders can make it productive The critical difference between cognitive empathy and emotional contagion How over-assertiveness quietly erodes trust, safety, and performance Why leadership effectiveness lives in a narrow “middle ground” most leaders miss How gender norms rig the leadership game—and what leaders can do about it Why data, when misused, reinforces bias instead of truth How cross-functional teams fail without emotional intelligence at the centre This is not a conversation about soft skills. It’s about leadership under pressure, where decisions carry consequences and behaviour sets the emotional temperature of entire organisations. If you lead people, manage conflict, or operate in high-stakes environments where clarity is rare and responsibility is heavy—this episode will change how you think about leadership. 🎧 Listen closely. The science is clear—but the work is yours.