Minette Norman

No company today can succeed without empathy at the core of its business strategy. But empathy isn’t just about compassion and consideration for customers. For an inclusive, transformative culture to thrive, organizations need to ensure that all employees feel valued, heard, and appreciated. And that takes work.

In this keynote, Minette Norman outlines her approach to ‘radical empathy’: a leadership plan that embraces the challenges of 21st century business and upends outdated mindsets about work. She asks audiences to see vulnerability, emotion, and compassion as strengths—even, or especially, in male-dominated, tech-based industries. Challenging the premise that women must “lean in” with emotional detachment to be successful, she explores how an embrace of vulnerability and empathy can break—and re-write—the rules of business for everyone, men and women included. With reference to personal challenges she’s overcome in her own career, Norman helps us abandon ‘us vs. them’ mentalities, engage in active listening, and make time for the challenging conversations we’ve been putting off. Ultimately, this is a talk for leaders to feel empowered and take action—and embrace a mode of leadership that’s backed by science, economics, and the human heart.

We spend so many of our waking hours at work. So why not make it the best place it can be—an arena of meaningful relationships, real collaboration, and lasting rewards? To Minette Norman, we’re hard-wired to connect. So as leaders, it’s our duty to create cultures of connection wherever we work. In this talk, Norman inspires us to think differently about how we interact in our work lives, offering experience-based strategies for breaking down barriers, feeling inspired, and assuming responsibility for improving our relationships with colleagues. Drawing on diverse fields—from neuroscience to biology, philosophy to psychology—she shows audiences how to manage feelings of defensiveness, seek a diversity of opinion, and cultivate better communications. To stay competitive in today’s complex world, we need to stay connected—with each other, with our customers, and with ourselves.

There is no single formula for being a successful and effective leader, even in the world of science, tech, and engineering. And to this point, Minette Norman is resounding proof. At university, Norman studied Drama and French, never set foot in a computer lab or programming class, and eventually taught French in a private school for boys. Today, she’s the VP of Engineering at a major software company. And instead of being a hindrance, her liberal arts background has been instrumental to her success. Her theatre training helps her speak in public and think on her feet; her language skills make her a better global ambassador, interested in learning about other cultures; and her connection with people and emotional intelligence make her a strong organizational leader. Throughout this inspiring talk, Norman extols the values of a liberal education—how it can open doors, prepare us for collaborative, dynamic workplaces, and give us an edge on the competition.

Forget what you may have heard. It’s smart to be a drama major. And with Minette Norman, you’ll understand exactly why.