184: How Effective Leaders Practice Empathy

My guest for this episode is Rani Puranik. Rani is co-owner, EVP, and Global CFO of Houston-based Worldwide Oilfield Machine (WOM). Over 15 years, because of the frameworks she created, the company grew to more than $350 million in annual revenue. She has been named one of the "Top 25 Most Influential Women in Energy 2022" by Oil and Gas Investor and Hart Energy.   Rani is passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders. She has hosted a mentorship day at the Energy Leadership Institute of Houston High School, where she paired seniors with WOM company executives to help them refine energy product innovations. Rani serves as an HISD ROSES mentor supporting a program to empower female students, Rice University graduate students, and Energy Institute High School students interning at WOM. She also launched "WOMEN at WOM," a virtual event series to provide strategies and resources for female employees to advance both personally and professionally.   Currently, Rani serves as the chairwoman of the Puranik Foundation located in Pune, India, which was founded over 20 years ago by her mother and is now managed by her oldest daughter. The nonprofit provides educational opportunities for under-resourced children in India and operates as a private residential school called the Vision International Learning Center.   In her new book, coming in Spring 2023, Seven Letters to My Daughters, she shares memoirs of her journey through transformative seven-year phases in her life by telling the true story of a young girl who grew up between two countries and faced many obstacles, but who always persisted in learning and moving forward.   Rani received a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Pune, India, before starting her first business, Integral Search for Harmony through Art (ISHA), where she later served as CEO for nearly 20 years. She then returned to Houston, earning her MBA in finance from Rice University. Rani currently resides in Houston, Texas, where in her free time enjoys scuba diving, traveling, and spending time with family and her two rescue dogs. She is also a classically trained vocalist, musician, dancer, and certified yoga instructor.   Here's what to expect during the episode: What is empathy? How can leaders practice empathy? What are the benefits of having an empathetic leader in the workplace? How can you be an empathetic leader? What are the 4 stages of leadership? How does empathy contribute to effective leadership? Does empathy mean being nice? Connect with Rani Puranik! Websites: https://www.ranipuranik.com/   |   https://www.puranikfoundation.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revatiranipuranik Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ranipuranik/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rani-puranik/   Get your copy of the Trust Building Action Plan by going to https://hilandconsulting.org/trustbuilding.   Mary's book is available on Amazon or wherever books are sold: Love Your Board! The Executive Directors' Guide to Discovering the Sources of Nonprofit Board Troubles and What to Do About Them.   Be sure to subscribe to Inspired Nonprofit Leadership so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!     Let us know the topics or questions you would like to hear about in a future episode. You can do that, and follow us, on Facebook.   Connect with Mary! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryhiland Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Facebook Group: https://tinyurl.com/inspirednonprofitleadership Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hilandconsulting Website: https://www.hilandconsulting.org