Tarun Agarwala on Building Rational Empathy: Lessons from IPL × CMR University

The energy from last weekend’s session at Institute of Product Leadership × CMR University is still alive  and Tarun Agarwala was at the center of it, guiding an inspiring group of leaders.

Picture this: Directors and VPs who are product innovators in mobility, engineering heads in SaaS, strategy leaders in fintech, and sales champions in manufacturing  all leaning in to answer a deceptively simple yet profound question: “Why do we do, what we do?”

Together, they explored why collaboration often fails despite 100,000 years of human practice, and how awareness of biases can help us recognize them in critical workplace moments.

The session dived deep into:

• The pitfalls of Automatic-Empathy, and the power of redirecting Emotional Intelligence towards Rational Empathy.

• Practicing emotional granularity  not just in English, but in mother tongues too, laughing at how a single feeling can wear different names across cultures.

• Mapping the science of trust  biases, belief sources, and early warning signs.

One participant summed it up best: “Refreshing to take a course about people when everyone else is only talking about AI.”

💡 What does this mean for you?

• As a parent, imagine helping your child articulate their feelings precisely  not saying “depressed” when they’re actually “bored” or “frustrated.”

• As a sales leader, picture predicting customer trust quality and deal closures more accurately when committing to monthly or quarterly targets.

• As a people leader, think about spotting deception early and replacing it with genuine connection.

➡️ If this vision excites you, join the upcoming open-enrolment cohort on 23–24 August. Seats are limited, so early registration is recommended.
🔗 Details & registration: www.empanetics.in

A big thanks to IPL for the platform and to every leader who showed up ready to practice, laugh, and grow. With Tarun Agarwala, the journey is always about turning insight into action.

👉 Follow Tarun Agarwala on LinkedIn for more such insights and opportunities.