BLOGS & RESOURCES
Higher Purpose Podcast 95: Waves and Ripples with Kevin Monroe and Jason Meucci
This podcast is all about connection, conversation and community. On today’s episode, we’re diving deeper into these three "C's" with the idea of Waves and Ripples. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite stories, and Jason Meucci will join us in a special segment to share the waves and ripples in his life, which he connects to the Higher Purpose Podcast.
Waves and Ripples
Both waves and ripples are movements of water or liquid in response to a stimulus. The scientific definition of a wave is "a moving disturbance in the level of a body of water" — there is motion there. There is action, there is energy. Both definitions include movement and a response to some type of stimulus: something has to start the movement.
The distinction is that waves move you in a specific direction, whereas a ripple is a far-flung effect of something.
Opportunities in action
Imagine yourself sitting at the edge of the water, watching and listening to the waves. That’s one way to enjoy a wave’s impact. But unless you seize the opportunity, take action, and jump into the wave to have it carry you somewhere — you’re just sitting on the shore. You need deliberate and intentional action.
Jason Meucci’s waves and ripples
Jason has not only ridden waves and ripples, but has also created plenty of his own that we can trace through the Higher Purpose Podcast.
He shares the story of getting to work with Jake Haupert after listening to him on an episode. They’re spreading the word about how transformational travel works to make the world a better and more connected place, a project that has potentially global ripples.
He also shares a story about connecting with Bernadette Jiwa through the podcast, who, within a week, had sent him a box of her books from Australia for him to share. That’s a ripple that has bounced from the podcast in Georgia, to Jason in Washington, to Bernadette in Australia, and back to Washington — and who knows where else!
He talks about meeting and becoming friends with Renee Smith and Tyler Adams through the podcast, and says he can list another ten to a dozen people he’s connected with through the podcast. All of this because he decided to take action, get involved, get to know these people and invest in their relationships.
More waves and ripples
The first ever episode with Mark Tim was an introduction through Chris Patten.
The Profile of Purpose Series, made up of conversations with 12 business owners who are in the business of purpose, also came as part of a wave.
My friendship with Marcel Schwantes led to an introduction to Mike Vacanti, which then kicked off the HumansFirst series on the podcast (and the waves and ripples from each of my guests on the series!) and my involvement with the HumansFirst Club — which also led to my hosting the HumansFirst Hangout, which has been another set of waves and ripples all of its own!
A call to action
I want to invite you to share your waves and ripples story that is somehow connected to the tsunami effect of the Higher Purpose Podcast. Go to kevindmonroe.com/waves and you’ll find a page and instructions to record a voice message and share your story.
If you record it by Saturday, June 15, you’ll be able to hear it on our 100th milestone episode airing on June 25.
Resources
Submit your wave and ripple story
Episode 3: The Seven People You Meet on Your Path to Purpose
Episode 35: Transformational Travel with Jake Haupert
Episode 50: Make Work More Human with Renée Smith
Episode 4: Failing On the Quest for Higher Purpose with Mark Timm
Episode 77: Putting Humans First with Mike Vacanti
Episode 78: Creating a ‘Humans First’ Workplace with Marcel Schwantes
Episode 80: Making Work More Human with Renée Smith
Episode 81: The Future of Work with Dr. Heather Hanson Wickman
Episode 82: Being a Chief Heart Officer with Claude Silver
Episode 83: The 7 Simple Superpowers of the HumansFirst Heroes
Episode 84: Finding Real Happiness at Work with Brooke Erol
Episode 85: How Leadership is Evolving with Sesil Pir
Episode 86: Being a Brave Leader with Kimberly Davis
Episode 87: The 7 Laws of Employee Loyalty with Heather Younger
Episode 88: Everybody Matters with Bob Chapman
Episode 89: Allowing Humans to be Human with Mark LeBusque
Episode 63: Abundance and Scarcity Loops with Juliana Park
Episode 64: Experiencing and Cultivating Abundance with Juliana Park
Higher Purpose Podcast 90: The Higher Purpose Journey with Kevin Monroe
Our guest on this episode of the Higher Purpose Podcast is … me! Today, I’m having a conversation with my new friend from across the pond, Gary Turner, as I reflect on the journey of this very podcast - what I’ve discovered, how I’ve grown, and why Humans First has become such a big part of it all. Listen to the full episode:
The format of the Higher Purpose Podcast
For this podcast, I just wanted to find people — whoever they are, wherever they’re at, and regardless of title — who are doing amazing things and integrating purpose into their work. And I’ve been blessed to meet and connect with an amazing community of people from around the world.
I also decided I didn’t want to have interviews, I wanted to host conversations. That was a significant shift. I wanted to have unique conversations with my guests that they won’t have with any other podcast host, or that you won’t hear on any other podcast.
The Humans First Movement
The movement began for me through relationships. Marcel Schwantes and I were already connected, and he asked if I knew Mike Vacanti. I said I didn’t, Marcel made the introduction, and what was supposed to be a 30-minute conversation with Mike lasted for two and a half hours.
For some reason, Humans First is a label that just connects like crazy with people. I like to think of Humans First as a multifaceted diamond. You can look at it from different perspectives, and each person will see something unique in the diamond — but we’re all still looking at this same multifaceted gem.
The Humans First Series on the Higher Purpose Podcast
There was no plan of doing a Humans First series on the podcast, but then I began to have conversation after conversation with people, and every time, there was this lift. There was energy. It was fun.
And the guests weren’t showing up to say, I have the answer. No: it was to say, here’s my contribution. And I want to sample what other people are offering. Let’s have a conversation. To me, that’s the single biggest difference that I see characterizing Humans First.
On community
I’ve identified my zone of genius as Create, Connect, Converse, and so to me, podcasting is a conversation that connects people in the community.
I don’t know the scale or the scope, but I’m going to begin hosting some in-person gatherings because we need to get in the room together. These are going to be unique meetings that aren’t going to be built around presentation — they’re going to be transformational conversations with like-minded people from around the world.
Emergence
Rather than trying to make things happen, for me, it’s all about the flow. The flow of energy, the flow of creativity. When you follow the flow, amazing things happen.
Last week, I sent out an email to all the folks that have been in this Humans First series of conversations and I said, here’s an idea. And in a few hours, everybody said they were in. We’re in the process now of planning a series where we’ll have four or five people on the podcast at once, and have an unscripted and unplanned conversation that takes a topic and dives into it. That’s what we’re doing very soon!
I’m electrified, ecstatic, and energized. I’m pretty excited about the things we’re talking about and I’m just thinking, wow, what’s next? What is possible?
HumansFirst Leaders Connect
Join me for the HumansFirst Book Club, where we do a deep dive into a book a month and often engage the authors in conversation.
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 81: The Future of Work with Dr. Heather Hanson Wickman
What does the future of work look like? According to our guest, the future of work is ‘Love in Action.’ Heather Hanson Wickman is the co-founder of Untethered Consulting and the author of “The Evolved Executive,” and today we’re talking about what it means to lead with love, not fear. Heather shares that her purpose is to awaken the souls of leaders to create soulful organizations. So how can we do that? Listen to the full episode:
Why are so many people uncomfortable talking about love in the workplace?
There are still beliefs and baggage around what it means to love. In our language, we don’t have a distinction about what love means at work, but what this kind of love means is human connection.
How can we make love an easier topic to explore?
It starts with a one-on-one connection and conversation. Heather usually begins by defining what love means to her: the absence of fear, having freedom and autonomy, and human connection. And then they begin a conversation about what it means for them as a leader, what it is that they’re trying to create in this team or organization, and then creating a message that fits them and their voice.
What does a workplace rooted in fear look like?
There are many stories of things people do to maintain their power, control, ego, or status in such inhumane and debilitating ways.
It can show up in leaders like:
- Public humiliation
- Being passive aggressive
- Calling someone out for an error in front of their peers
Or
- Being unable to tell the truth, e.g. feeling like you can’t be constructive and honest when your boss asks for feedback
- Feeling like you need to keep up appearances, like looking busy or staying at the office late, even if there’s no extra work to do, otherwise something might happen to you
- Gossiping
Any of these scenarios say “it’s not safe to be here.”
What would you say to somebody under the weight of a toxic boss?
You can continue to try different strategies and solutions, like connecting with trusted peers and collectively trying some new initiatives. But there’s also a personal inventory that needs to happen internally. What’s this going to cost you, and are you willing to pay that price? It’s a choice between what you can do, and what’s best for your purpose going forward.
Can you share a few practices of love?
Know that practicing love at work is not easy, and it’s major kudos to you to try small experiments of love with your team. Heather also shares:
- How one organization approached gossip and made that approach a team effort that was embedded in their culture, and...
- How leaders can practice vulnerability in three small words
When it comes to changing culture, which comes first: the team’s desire for change, or the leader’s?
Both. But it’s most effective when the leader is out front leading the charge. Many times a team starts gaining momentum down a path of change — until the leader finds out and squashes the effort. Having a leader who’s open to change is a much easier path to success.
What’s needed for a leader to evolve?
The awakening is unique to every individual. For some, it’s slow and gradual. For some, it’s something as sudden as getting fired or having a heart attack. The important thing is to pay attention to the feelings when they’re alive within you: they’re there to tell us something.
How do people respond to this awakening?
In the beginning, people can be confused, but a few months down the road, when behaviors are continuing and growing, people become alive. They can stop hiding, and they can show up and contribute. It just takes some time for them to trust that this shift is real.
How can you guide leaders through this awakening?
It’s not about being good or bad. It’s solely about a belief or thought patterns, and we can have absolute permission to change those thought patterns once we understand what they are, and who and what they served.
Final thoughts
Continue the climb because this work is not easy work. It’s a revolution, and we need people like you to be on the journey with us, recreating the way that we work. Find people who can support you and move you forward, because nobody climbs Mount Everest alone.
Resources
The Evolved Executive: The Future of Work Is Love in Action by Heather Hanson Wickman, Ph.D
Becoming the Chief Joy Officer of Your Company with Rich Sheridan
Putting Humans First with Mike Vacanti
Creating a ‘Humans First’ Workplace with Marcel Schwantes
Making Work More Human with Renée Smith
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 80: Making Work More Human with Renée Smith
What's needed to create HumansFirst workplaces and make work more human? Renée Smith serves as the Director of Workplace Transformation for Washington State as part of the Governor’s Results Washington Office. She leads the ‘Make Work More Human’ project, and she’s here to answer the question: “What’s love got to do with it?” Listen to the full episode here:
What are some of the developments you’ve seen relative to the Make Work More Human Project?
There has been a continuous growth of this movement, and people are embracing the big idea that people want less fear and more love in their lives -- work lives included. We flourish when we create more love in our workspaces, and making work more human-centered is the key to creating the kinds of organizations that prosper, both for people doing the work and the customers that we’re serving.
Renée shares two poignant encounters with people related to love — an exclamation of relief during a summit, and a sadness for years lost from an old gentleman, who had spent his entire career not thinking it was okay to be fully human.
What’s love got to do with it?
Love is the heart of the matter, even if people may not choose to use the word. Joy, gratitude, belonging, inclusion, respect, trust — these human experiences are wonderful, essential, and emanate from love.
The more brave and bold you become with using the word love, the more you invite other people to say, “You know, I actually as a human being want love in my life, both personally, and the versions of love that live squarely in my professional life.”
Renée shares stories about the different and concrete ways love shows up in the workplace. She underscores that listening is love in action. As leaders, the higher up we go in an organization, the greater our capacity and capability for love have to be.
What does it mean to be human-centered? (A workshop)
They run a workshop that guides people to explore the kinds of love that belong at work. During the workshop, different kinds of love are assigned at the tables (kindness, empathy, compassion, respect, inclusion, belonging, and trust) and people are invited to share stories and have dialogues about them. They come away with their own definitions of that kind of love, and the benefits that come to them as an individual, to their team, to their customers, and to the work.
What people come away realizing is that they’ve already experienced love at work. Here are all the different forms it shows up in. It’s not weird. It’s not squishy. It’s normal.
Love when it’s difficult
You can discipline the human way and resist the harshness that you’ve seen, or maybe even experienced, in the past. When having to tell someone that you can’t keep them in their position, for example, you don’t have to wall your humanity off in those moments and put up a shell. Leaders have to be in a space of emotional discomfort in the moment and be real. Being real helps them move along and you shouldn’t sacrifice your humanity.
The business value of love
Love changes how you interact with your team and how people behave from day to day. Go from being hesitant to becoming more centered and comfortable. From that comfort comes the ability to communicate, a sense of inclusion, and being able to argue and disagree in a healthy way to come up with better solutions. It’s all around being able to do better work.
Final thoughts
Don’t be afraid of love, and don’t be afraid to put that into action. It’s what we need to be fully ourselves and to bring our best selves into the world.
Join the conversation
How do you feel about love at work? Join me in the Higher Purpose Community or on Twitter, or you can email me at kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com - or pick up the phone and call me at (678) 744-5111.
Resources
Make Work More Human (Website)
Radical Loving Care: Building the Healing Hospital in America by Erie Chapman (Amazon)
Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear (Amazon)
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 79: Life Through the Lens of Purpose
I want to invite you to a different kind of episode today: a thinking-out-loud session on seeing the world differently when looking at it through the lens of purpose. Please join the conversation! I'll share more about how you can provide your feedback at the end of this episode.
One of my favorite quotes is from Anaïs Nin: “We don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are.” So I’m inviting you to look at life, the world, and your journey through the lens of purpose.
What looks different through the lens of purpose?
Time
It’s easy to see life as a blurred series of events. Many of our moments are similar. But at the same time, each moment is unique.
Through the lens of purpose, you realize that there may be something incredibly unique about this moment, and you may cross paths with a person who may desperately need even the smallest act of kindness, a word of encouragement, or even just recognition that they exist and that they matter, right now, in this moment. The lens of purpose allows us to see that now matters, and no kind word or deed
People
There are no little people: everybody matters.
- Always seek to engage your server (or anyone with a nametag) by name — and watch what happens when you do. That’s an opportunity to elevate and lift others.
- If you’re in a leadership position, give people a seat at the table, especially those who have been excluded from the conversation.
- In creating humans-first workplaces, remember that your boss is human, too.
Purpose helps us recognize that all people have value, and they’re all in need of our love, kindness, and respect.
Work
There are parts of our jobs that are repetitive and mundane at times, but purpose allows you to discover the magnificence in the mundane, the bigger quest to your menial tasks.
Helen Keller said: “I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.” Love and compassion elevate even the most mundane acts of service.
Leadership
The traditional view of leadership is based on perks, privilege, and power. Now, how does the lens of purpose invite you and me to see leadership differently? It allows us to see leadership as a responsibility to use power: to serve, elevate, and develop others, rather than for self-advancement, self-aggrandizement, or personal enrichment. It allows us to use leadership as a platform for serving.
Success
How do you define success? In many places it’s fame, fortune, travel, and fun. Not that there’s anything wrong with any of those, but is that the ultimate definition of success? Or does success give way to significance? Success is all about you, but significance benefits others beyond you.
Mother Teresa gave my friend a plaque with three words: Faithfulness, not success. As a person of faith, I believe I’m called to live a life faithful to the principles and practices Christ taught.
I’m not saying you have to define success the way I do; what I’m suggesting is that you find your own definition of success that’s consistent with your values and priorities. How do you define it?
Failure
I grew up with the understanding that failure was final. It’s not.
Failure is an assessment about an outcome — that’s all it is. It’s feedback about a hypothesis. In fact, we shouldn’t even say you failed. It just didn’t work. And taking the real scientific approach means going ahead trying something else.
Through the lens of purpose, we see that failure is not the flip side of success. It's part of the journeyto success.
Adversity and Suffering
When you’re suffering through difficulties and challenges, this is the area where purpose is most potent. It helps us gain a fresh perspective when we believe there is purpose and meaning even in suffering and adversity. There are things we learn by going through difficult seasons of life and enduring trials and difficulties that we don’t learn any other way.
And when you get to the other side of adversity and suffering, you have a degree of moral authority that you didn’t have before. You’re able to comfort others with the comfort you received when you went through something, which allows you to have empathy on a whole other level.
Join the conversation
Would you add to this list? What would you see differently? Join me in the Higher Purpose Community or on Twitter, or you can email me at kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com or pick up the phone and call me at (678) 744-5111.
Resources
Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care
Episode #72: Hospitable Leadership and the Discipline of Hope with Terry Smith
Episode #78: Creating a ‘Humans First’ Workplace with Marcel Schwantes
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Amazon)
Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Amazon)
Phone: (678) 744 5111