Women’s History Month: Women Leaders and Empathy

Andriana Eliadis, Ph.D.

Alum Andriana Eliadis, Ph.D. (HOD’19) joined Fielding’s annual Call across the Globe on March 11 and shared her leadership story and the significant role her Mother, Kalliopi Elliadis, played in her life.

Dr. Eliadis is a Greek-American bilingual coach who divides her time between the USA and Europe. She is the co-founder of Executive Communication USA-Hellas-Cyprus Inc., an international company specializing in corporate training, translations, and executive coaching. She has been living and working in New York, Athens—Greece, and Limassol—Cyprus. Dr. Eliadis was a corporate trainer and coach at Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company and subsequently obtained her MBA, with honors, in Organizational Behavior and Executive Coaching at the University of Texas at Dallas. Her passion for the evidence-based academic side of coaching so she continued to study for her Ph.D. in Organizational Development and Change with a concentration in Evidence-Based Coaching, where she conducted research on leadership and coaching practices. She is presently a doctorate candidate in organizational leadership and learning at Columbia University in New York.

During Women’s History Month we have connected with Dr. Eliadis to learn more about her work and recent research.

Throughout Women’s History Month this March, we asked our alumni to share the names of women that inspired or influenced them. During Fielding’s Call across the Globe, you talked about your Mother and her significant influence on your success. Were there other women-role models in your life? Who were they?

In my professional and academic career, I’ve looked up to several women to inspire me. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, RBG as we know her, is one such woman. She has so many accomplishments and throughout her life, she fought for women’s rights. She exemplifies a dynamic and persistent female leader who ascended her leadership roles in a predominantly are the male-dominated world.

Andriana Eliadis, Ph.D.

Your recent research is on empathic leadership. Can you share what inspired your research? What is empathic leadership, and why is it important?

I’m working on my second dissertation. As part of my latest research, I plan on publishing an article on the significance of empathic leadership. COVID-19, the tragic death of George Floyd, the social crisis, and the violence we see across the globe call for a different type of leadership. This leadership must be inclusive and human-centered, and empathy must become a core element in leadership style today.

I started researching empathy in leadership because I was curious to find out how effective the leaders who lead with empathy are. How do these leaders influence other people? What are the outcomes for organizations whose leaders lead with empathy? Empathy increases the effectiveness of leadership, increases the quality of relationships with employees, which, in turn, benefits the entire organization.

What would be your advice to women wanting to advance their careers?

Women should do whatever it takes to pursue careers that fulfill them. Women should believe in themselves and challenge themselves into realms where they think they might not succeed. Experiment with whatever you desire and don’t let anything keep you back—a woman in our days can do a lot of things.

A woman has a lot of power as far as their emotions and cognitive abilities are concerned. Therefore, there is nothing that they cannot achieve. I say: “Go for it! Experiment and take action!”