Shari Starkey is Vice President of Claims at CorVel, bringing over 18 years of claims industry experience. Since joining in 2014, she has advanced from Claims Supervisor to her current role, overseeing operations across seven jurisdictions. Shari is dedicated to team development and achieving high-quality outcomes, emphasizing mentorship and process-driven leadership.
Through this article, Shari Starkey reflects on her journey as a leader, emphasizing the importance of empathy in supporting team members through personal challenges. She discusses strategies for fostering resilience, creating a supportive work environment, and balancing personal and professional life. Shari also highlights the role of leadership in facilitating growth and resource access for her team.
When I first became a leader, I never considered how involved I would be in other people’s lives. I would come to work, prepare workflows for people, and give them the flexibility to function in work and life; we would all do our jobs and go home happy. That view of leadership was naive. As I got to know my team, I heard about family issues, personal joys, work frustrations, and stress. I quickly realized everyone I worked with was in a different season of life. After recognizing how consuming empathy could be, I sought to become an empathetic leader who helps people navigate life’s challenges while maintaining my joy.
True leadership means supporting team members through their seasons of life, fostering resilience and trust while balancing empathy and performance.
Reflecting on my team’s various life seasons, I often felt unequipped to address their issues, like moving a parent into a nursing home or processing the death of a family member. I realized my role was to provide a fair work environment where they had the space to balance personal and professional lives. Work often relieves personal challenges, and personal life can ease work stress; they are intertwined and equally important.
To effectively lead my team, I learned that I must first lead myself exceptionally well. While teaching a class on John Maxwell's book, The 360 Degree Leader, I recognized that leading myself is the foundation of good leadership. I worked hard to show my team that I was in the trenches with them and would strive as hard as they did to meet our goals. By removing roadblocks in their work, I contributed to a lower-stress workplace. As leaders, we must perform competently to allow our team members to focus on their tasks without adding to their stress.
It took me a couple of years to excel in my leadership role, but I soon realized it was just one aspect of helping people through life’s seasons. As our team began performing well, I thought it was a good time to introduce leadership concepts to help us create habits for when work gets hectic. We started a book club called Leadership for All, inviting everyone in our region to join. We read books like Who Moved My Cheese, The Ideal Team Player and Leaders Eat Last. The discussions revealed incredible stories, highlighting that a good leader teaches technical skills and life skills applicable to both personal and professional situations.
As I continue to grow, I understand that empathy is essential but can be overwhelming if not managed properly. This is especially true when team members seem stuck without improvement. We have a job to do; most of us work for for-profit companies. I’ve learned to walk a mile in a person’s shoes to understand their situation and return their boots. I empathize and support them by gathering our company's resources, ensuring they know where to find help. I empower my team members to take the time they need to heal or navigate challenges, providing links to our benefits department if they need to take a leave of absence. While we talk about empathy, it’s limited; once we empower our team with knowledge, it’s up to them to use it.
It’s challenging when people don’t seek help, forcing leaders to make tough decisions. I offer conversation, support, and resources but recognize I’m not a counselor or financial advisor. My role is to connect them with the right people who can help. I strive to do everything possible to assist my team in dealing with life’s seasons. I can only proceed with a progressive discipline process after exhausting all options, which sometimes catalyzes positive change.
Life is challenging yet rewarding, full of seasons that change unexpectedly. Leadership is similarly challenging and fulfilling. Good leaders meet people where they are, preparing their teams through habit-building, forward-thinking, and setting solid personal and professional foundations that foster resilience. We first lead ourselves well, build trust, teach technical skills, and guide our teams to available resources. That is how we lead through life’s seasons.
