The business world doesn’t exactly have a reputation for kindness. Instead, it’s often described as cutthroat, cold, and as single-mindedly focused on profits over people. In recent years, this has been shifting in some ways, as consumers have begun to expect more from business in terms of values like generosity, openness, and responsibility. Not only […]
This is the third in a 6-part series on the principles of heart-based leadership. If you missed them, don’t forget to check out the first and second posts. We all know the voice of our own internal judge. It’s the voice that always seems able to find fault — either with others or ourselves. Our […]
This is the second post in my blog series on the foundations of heart-based leadership. If you missed it, don’t forget to check out last month’s post on celebrating others’ work. Thanks for reading! Our ability to communicate effectively with others is arguably the single most important skill we can develop. It is a prerequisite […]
One of the foundations of heart-based leadership is a commitment to celebrating the work and accomplishments of others, whether they’re colleagues, employees, or even competitors. When we intentionally honor others’ wins, we generate positive energy and create an opportunity for increased creativity, more meaningful and collaborative relationships, and greater well-being for all. There is more […]
March Madness is officially over, but college basketball fans of all ages just enjoyed the most exciting NCAA men’s tournament in years. From the first round to the Final Four, we saw that anything can happen. The tournament is a high pressure time for coaches and players, as talent, competitiveness, and pride go on full […]
These days, it often seems like we can’t escape the conversations the differences and divisions — political, racial, gender, socioeconomic — between us. With these continuous us-versus-them messages, we lose sight of all that we have in common. The Dalai Lama has often highlighted one of the most important of these, reminding us that “everyone […]
Happy Valentine’s Day! On this international day of love, we often get caught up in greeting cards, chocolate, flowers, and making plans with that special someone. Those are all wonderful, but what if we could infuse each day with the same focus on sharing love? Further, what if we could extend that love to not […]
We often don’t realize how many of our decisions and behaviors are a response to fear. Fear of failure, fear of losing the esteem of others, fear of conflict, these are all common, and understandable, fears that we have. Fear serves an important function — it protects us from harm — however, more often than […]
People who are living from love are hard to ignore. They bring a positive energy (and often, a lot of it) to everything they do, and because of this they are able to recruit others to their cause and, in my experience, succeed in making their goals a reality. Chancelor J. Bennett, the 24-year-old Chicago […]
One of the qualities of heart-based leadership is an ability to see opportunity where others don’t. This often means a willingness to do business in places and with people that many businesses disregard. Without a doubt, this takes a creativity and vision that single-minded focus on the bottom line may stifle. But more than that, […]