Water Leaders 201: Leadership, Awareness, and Communication: Building Stronger Teams and Practices of Belonging

Date: Friday, February 27

Time: 10:00am-3:00pm

Location: Virtual

Cost: $100 WEco Members/$125 Non-Members

Description:Creating healthy and connected workplace cultures doesn’t happen by accident. It is built through everyday choices, conversations, and the courage to lead with empathy. In this interactive four-hour workshop with Syah of Empathy Elevates, participants will learn concrete and actionable skills that strengthen trust, improve communication, and foster an environment where people feel respected and valued. Through a mix of reflection, skill-building, and hands-on practice, we willn explore how empathy fuels stronger relationships and more effective teams. Participants will learn active listening techniques, strategies for validating lived experiences, and tools for recognizing personal and group biases. We will also practice approaches that support emotional regulation and self-awareness when navigating difficult moments. Together, we will co-create a set of personal and team accountability commitments that reinforce long-term culture change. This session is designed for leaders who want to move beyond good intentions and walk away with real strategies to build a workplace where everyone can thrive.

Workshop Objectives Include:

• Build core empathy skills through active listening, reflection, and validation of others lived experiences
• Explore individual and group cultural biases while deepening understanding of intersectionality and positionality within the space
• Practice identifying personal implicit bias, emotional fragility, and defensiveness using strategies rooted in emotional regulation and self-awareness
• Co-create a shared list of personal and professional accountability commitments for participants to uphold individually and within their teams after the session