BLOGS & RESOURCES
Higher Purpose Podcast 94: Employee Experience and Engagement with Santiago Jaramillo
How can you unlock the true potential of your people in a way that’s good for them and good for business? Join us on this episode with our guest Santiago Jaramillo, the CEO and Co-Founder of Emplify. Today we’re talking about employee experience, employee engagement, and why ping pong tables in the break room aren’t going to cut it.
Spinning plates
As leaders and business owners, we’re keeping a lot of plates spinning — so much so that we end up neglecting employee engagement. But the secret to keeping that employee engagement plate spinning is to realize that it’s not a plate at all. It’s much more foundational and embedded inside of each plate itself.
Santiago tells the story of the moment he realized he’d dropped the ball on his company’s employee engagement, and what he did to turn things around.
Unlocking your potential
Emplify uses data to help business leaders make better decisions and create better and more engaging work environments, with the purpose of helping all people unlock their full potential at work. How do we create an environment that allows you to become a better version of yourself?
We spend half our waking lives at work, and that very much impacts our lives. It’s really difficult for somebody to live a fulfilled and meaningful life when much of their time is spent with an energy-sucking force. This impacts friends and family, and from that, the impact ripples out into society. So one of the ways we can influence the world is by creating better, more human work environments.
Good for business
Santiago shares the story of a manufacturing business that would turn over 100% of their team every single year. Those are massive costs. When they interviewed their employees, their employees revealed that their backs hurt from moving heavy metal sheets every day to get them ready for welding, instead of spending their time welding. One $60,000 investment into a forklift later, the team went from being the lowest engaged in the company to the second most engaged team, they produced more, and helped the company earn an extra 3.8 million dollars every year with the same exact labor costs.
The magic of employee engagement is that it’s not just the right thing to do because it’s good for people. It’s also better for business. If done right, it can be very profitable.
Defining engagement
It’s head, heart, and hands: an employee’s intellectual and emotional connection with their work that causes them to strive with their hands after the company’s goals and mission. If their head and heart are all in, then they want to pursue what the company is about with their full and best self.
Have you ever seen someone innovate in a company who’s had their mind and heart checked out? People have to care deeply to come up with new solutions.
Employee engagement vs employee satisfaction
The goal isn’t employee satisfaction. It’s employee engagement. Engaged employees lean in and put their full hearts and minds into the job. Satisfied employees lean back, and do the bare minimum to keep reaping the benefits and rewards of the job.
It’s not about leadership catering to every whim of their employees. It’s about finding what actions we can take to make people’s lives better and help the business win. And to find that solution, you have to carefully diagnose the problem: a problem well-defined is a problem half-solved.
Resources for Santiago Jaramillo
LinkedIn | Twitter | Email: santiago@emplify.com
Higher Purpose Podcast 88: Everybody Matters with Bob Chapman
Higher Purpose Podcast 93: Bringing HumansFirst Back to the Workplace with Mike Vacanti
How can you make a tangible HumansFirst impact on your business? Returning to the podcast is Mike Vacanti, founder of the HumansFirst Club. We first met Mike and the HumansFirst Club 16 episodes ago, and today we’re talking about what’s new with the HumansFirst Club, what’s next for them, and how to bring these insights and learnings back to your business where the rubber meets the road.
The HumansFirst Club
We’re at an inflection point in business. People aren’t being fulfilled, engagement is low, and mental and physical health ramifications are challenging people and businesses to find their growth rhythm. The old system doesn’t work.
HumansFirst is about actively bringing more humanity into the workplace to elevate people, help them mentally and physically heal, and then advance and evolve the workplace. And HumansFirst is not just about work — it spills into all areas of life, because we bring all areas of life into our work.
At HumansFirst Club Events
Each event is about the participants, so there is no “prepackaged roadshow” that the HumansFirst Club takes on tour. Volunteers come in to share and infuse ideas, topics, and ways forward, and that gets the juices flowing so people can participate. And it’s that participation from the people in the room that makes each event unique.
But though the events aren’t designed the same way every time, some common themes do emerge about what’s broken and what can be repaired, which tells us that experiences are very similar across the country.
On the horizon
The Playground is launching May 21, aligned with a live event taking place in Charlotte, to better serve an audience that is fast becoming global. It’s a virtual place with opportunities for people to come together and continue to experiment and meet other light-hearted people, and start to create what the future looks like.
As for the HumansFirst Club meetings, they will continue, but based on the feedback, people are looking to go deeper on the topics. Extended time will be important, as well as an opportunity to get a larger group of people together, so it may evolve into a one-day event with more time, scope, and scale. Less frequent events but bigger and more engaging.
Where the rubber meets the road
How can you bring the takeaways from the HumansFirst Club experience back to your organization and your daily work life? That’s where it feels like there is a barrier, or no entry point. That’s why Winning Conversations was designed.
This program focuses on open dialogue, very much like during the HumansFirst Club events, and teaches businesses how to have these structured conversations to unleash the brilliance that’s already in your organization. Because it’s interactive and engaging, it drives adoption, accelerates initiatives, and ties multiple initiatives across your company together.
Do we know what’s going on? Do we know what’s going to happen during the day? How do all the pieces fit together? Winning Conversations helps pull all of that into alignment, and builds this whole process into your organizational rhythms. It’s a very different approach to a highly believed and known problem.
When we get people together, stretch them out of their comfort zones, and align to the reality that’s going on, all of a sudden you’ll see the company values come through, the vision becomes clear, and the people attach themselves to it.
We love being busy, but now we can be purposeful. Given the opportunity, people will amaze you.
Resources for Mike Vacanti: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Website | HumansFirst Club
Other resources: X-Factor Consulting | Episode 77: Putting Humans First with Mike Vacanti
Higher Purpose Podcast 92: Psychological Safety at Work with Adair Cates
What kind of energy do you bring into your workplace? Joining us today is Adair Cates, Self-Mastery Coach, Insight Facilitator, and Founder of First Lead You, and today we’re talking about employee experience, employee engagement, and the massive impact your workplace culture has not just on your organization, but on the people you serve.
Culture
Culture is the energy of the place and the people that you work with. It’s very intangible in a lot of ways, but one of Adair’s favorite questions to ask is: are you the type of person who lights up a room when you walk in or when you walk out?
When it comes to employee engagement and experience, it’s become really clear that when people feel inspired, cared for, and connected, they are willing to go to the ends of the earth for the organizations they work for. Conversely, think about how much time, energy, and money is wasted when your employees are unhappy. There’s so much more that can be generated from a positive place.
Ripple effects
Everything is connected. When the energy of the culture is good, then the energy of the people is good, and they’re going to be productive and engaged. You can tell that a company has a good internal culture by the way they treat their customers: take great care of your employees, and they’ll take great care of your people.
Psychological safety
What want psychological safety. If you’re a CEO or leader of a team, make sure that everybody feels like they can come to work, be themselves, and be fully accepted for that. If they can’t, they become stifled, and their full creative energy is no longer available to them.
So create that psychological safety by listening, believing that people inside your business are the best source of ideas, and taking out your ego. Once you become authoritarian and think you have all the best ideas, your culture will erode.
Engagement tools
Engagement tools are just that — tools. They aren’t solutions. So you can’t put something like TINYpulse in place and expect it to fix your culture. That’s like expecting a thermometer to bring down a fever. You need to have a solid, positive culture in place, and then measure it so you can make it next-level. You can’t just gather data without doing anything about it.
Happy companies
One of the organizations Adair was part of won an award for being the happiest company. Their CEOs had read a book called The Dream Manager about helping people achieve their personal goals at work.
They implemented this shift in the company and put a lot of energy on helping people achieve their personal goals, and as a result, people were so invested in the work they were doing that they went above and beyond all the time — not just for their roles, but for their team, and other teams in the organization.
There was a care and concern to help one another achieve their goals, which benefited not just themselves, but the business, too. They won Happiest Company through TINYpulse. They grew so much that they went from 65 employees to 100.
When people feel like they can show up as their full selves, it’s unbelievable what happens.
Final thoughts
Are you doing your best work? Are you being the greatest version of you? How are you becoming your best self every day? Because when we can be our best selves, we put ourselves in a position to make a massive positive impact for others.
Resources
Higher Purpose Podcast 91: The Pulse of Your Organization with David Niu
At any given moment, do you know the pulse of your organization? On the show today we have David Niu, a serial entrepreneur who, after a “careercation,” founded TINYpulse, which gives clients a pulse on how happy, frustrated, and burned out their employees are before they get that surprise two weeks’ notice out of the blue. We’re exploring the topic of employee experience and engagement, and how to make sure you’re creating a culture where your people can thrive. Listen to the full episode:
The Careercation
Burnt out by his own startup, David uprooted his family and bought one-way tickets to New Zealand. During this vacation, he had two main goals: to unplug and connect with his family, and to figure out what was next.
So he conducted a series of interviews with CEOs about their pain points, and from these interviews, a common theme emerged: the haunting feeling when someone would give them their two weeks’ notice out of the blue.
This became the inspiration for TINYpulse. What if we could take the pulse of our employees - in the moment - so leaders could get on top of issues ahead of time and resolve them collaboratively before they spin out of control?
Think tiny
Instead of one huge survey once a year, what about asking people one simple question at a time? For management, it’s much easier to get a picture of what’s going on as there’s much less noise than if you had asked 30 questions. It’s also easier to find themes and actually do something about it.
Characteristics of companies that flourish
One is the importance of recognition. Whether you use TINYpulse or something else, make sure that there are multiple avenues of giving each other recognition, and that it’s very easy to do.
The second thing is the perception of management transparency. One of the biggest drivers of how happy employees say they are is how transparent they believe management is. So David challenges leaders: given your role, how can you be more transparent?
Cheers for Peers
This TINYpulse feature allows colleagues to appreciate one another in real time. Recognition isn’t just a high five, it’s (1) What am I giving you recognition for, specifically? (2) What is the significance or impact of what you did? (3) How did it make me feel? Not only does this boost engagement and morale and build a culture of recognition, but a manager can also check the cheer scanners and see what’s going on. In TINYpulse offices, these cheers are publicly shared and visibly celebrated.
Values
You’ll know if a set of values are your values if it allows the people you want in your company to flourish and the people you don’t want in your company to self-select out. You should be able to make decisions by these values and hire and fire by them.
Here are TINYpulse’s:
Delight customers. This includes internal customers because if you can’t delight each other internally, you can’t delight customers externally.
Spread positivity. When you walk in the door, you can be positive, negative, or neutral. It’s a free choice.
Lead with solutions and embrace change. If you have something to complain about, offer suggestions on how to solve it.
Improve communications by being direct and transparent.
Go the extra mile with passion. It’s super hard but very rewarding.
Hold yourself accountable. You don’t need to be policed. You have the freedom, but you also have the accountability. Balance it.
Treasure the culture of freedom we have. Everyone who comes after you will take their cue on how to act from you.
Resources
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 89: Allowing Humans to be Human with Mark LeBusque
Joining us for another session on what it means to live, love, work, and lead in
An appetite for the conversation
Talking about humanity at the workplace is not your usual business conversation, but an appetite is now growing for it. As one voice speaks, a second one does, and a third, and then thousands.
Leaders are now starting to realize they can drive this movement and have to start to role model to their people what it’s like — and then hold the line and walk the talk. Cultivating humanity in the workplace is no longer a compliance-based conversation with leaders, it’s one of intention. People want to intentionally bring back the human factor to work.
Experimentation
Mark decided he wanted to find out what happened if he treated his people more like human beings in the workplace, and if he was going to experiment, he was going to experiment on himself first and step into his own discomfort. Sometimes it looked like speaking his truth, even if it was a different opinion from the opinions of those in the room. Sometimes it was trusting someone to do good work. In any case, start small, start safe, and build from there.
Mark shares the story about an experiment he ran, where he asked his people to set personal work-life balance goals: goals for themselves, goals for their family and friends, and goals for the community. He talks about the real-life strategies he used, so that you can do this for yourself as well.
A “To Be” List
Most people have such a long to-do list that they never get anything achieved. So he created a to-be list: every day, be intentional about how you’re going to be. How are you going to behave and turn up? Are you going to be authentic? Are you going to be provocative? Because if you put the ‘being’ before the ‘doing,’ the doing happens so much better.
You can get the 50 Day Humannovation Challenge from Mark’s shop here.
Provocation
Mark considers himself a provocateur, but it really goes back to self-awareness and what’s really going on in the room. He only provokes with good intentions, to help the group make progress, and in the service of the people in the room. What he tries to do is help people get past the facade they put on when they walk into the workplace and deal with the real things.
Belonging
Mark shares a personal story about losing his father, who had said before he died that he felt like he didn’t belong. That’s why Mark does what he does. As humans, we crave two things: connection, and a sense of belonging. And for a species that craves belonging, workplaces have become places of social isolation. Are there any other species on the planet that practice social isolation like we humans do? Mark wagers that the answer is no.
A message for you
When Mark was in the workplace, he worked so hard to fit in: he didn’t push the system so it wouldn’t push back on him, and he spent a lot of his energy to stay unremarkable and average. But now with the humans first work that he does in service of the world, there’s a sense of belonging where Mark doesn’t even have to feel like he fits in.
His advice for you is to hold your nerve and do the hard work. This is the hardest work you’ll do, but once you can do this work, you can look outwards and do the other work as well.
Final thoughts
Ask yourself these three questions: Why this? Why now? Why me?
What are the things that you’re doing that are useful for you? What are you doing that isn’t useful? And be prepared to sit with that.
Resources
Being Human: Why Robots Are Not the Answer to Business Success
Higher Purpose Podcast 88: Everybody Matters with Bob Chapman
Adding to this series of conversations we’re having about what it means to approach business from a people first focus is today’s episode with Bob Chapman. Bob is the author of Everybody Matters, and today we’re talking about creating work cultures where people flourish, how that impacts our lives outside of work, and what it means to care about and be a steward for your organization. Listen to the full episode:
The business of caring
We work in a system where people are meant to be managed. But, as Bob realized, you can’t really manage anyone. And nobody wants to be managed. We have a broken language that dehumanizes businesses and focuses on value creation — profits and growth — instead of human dignity.
Bob shares the March Madness story about the time he realized: Why can’t business be fun? Why do we call it work? The number one source of happiness in the world according to Gallup is a good job working with people you enjoy, and that’s denied to most people in this country.
Justifying human leadership
During a talk on truly human leadership, Bob was asked, “How do you justify this truly human leadership?” To which he replied, “Did you just ask me how I justify caring for people?”
The person people report to at work has a bigger impact on our health than our family doctor. The way we treat people at work affects the way they go home and feed their families.
“How,” Bob asks, “do you justify not caring?”
Impact
The Church has people one hour a week, and they already have so much influence. We have people in our care for 40 hours a week. When you think of the time we have people in our care compared to any other institution, we could be the most powerful force for good in the world.
Inspired by parenting
Everything Bob learned about leadership, he learned from parenting. Both are a stewardship of the lives that come into our care — ensuring who they are and what they do matters, and they can return to their homes each night feeling valued.
Stewardship is caring. When we care for somebody, it’s not about being nice and giving in to anything they want. It’s about giving people responsible freedom and preparing them to be good stewards of their own lives when they leave.
Where do we start? Education: teaching people to listen to each other, and letting them know they matter while we give them technical skills. Too much of our education today is financial and strategic and economic, and not enough of it is human. How would you treat your own son or daughter?
The ripple effect
CEOs are all concerned about the rising costs of healthcare, but Bob points out: they are the problem. 74% of all illnesses are chronic, the biggest cause of chronic illness is stress, and the biggest cause of stress is work.
But when people at work are taught to care for each other? They say their marriages are better and their relationships with their kids are great. If you don’t feel good about yourself at work, then you’re not going to be fully present at home and take care of your children, your spouse, and your community.
Listening with empathy
Listening with empathy means being fully present when someone is talking, not judging, and being curious. This makes a big difference because collaboration can only occur if we know how to listen to one another. Most of us are more willing to tell others what we think than to listen to what they think.
Final thoughts
As Bob was being interviewed a few years ago, the interviewer remarked that Bob was the first CEO not to mention his product. He said he did: it’s their people. He isn’t going to go to his grave proud of the machines they built. He’s going to his grave proud of the people who built those machines.
It’s a long-term battle, but genuinely caring for each other can make a material difference in the world. We simply need to care.
Want to grow as a HumansFirst leader and connect in meaningful conversations with other HumansFirst leaders?
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.
Resources
Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family
Higher Purpose Podcast 87: The 7 Laws of Employee Loyalty with Heather Younger
With more and more people switching jobs every few years, how can you as a leader cultivate loyalty in a humans first kind of way? Join us on this episode with Heather Younger, the host of the podcast Leadership with Heart, the author of The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty, and, in her words, an employee advocate. Listen to the full episode:
Employee loyalty in today’s business world
From Heather’s perspective, employee loyalty is more about the bond between the leader and those being led, rather than being bonded to the organization. So the question is: how do we bond people to people? How can leaders create experiences and environments that help bond people to you for the long term?
Even if people aren’t staying in the company for the next few decades, how can we extend their tour of duty? And while they’re with us, what can they achieve for us, and how can we help them get closer to their goals?
Employee loyalty vs. employee engagement
Loyalty is an individual thing. People are loyal usually because they feel there’s loyalty on the other end. There’s reciprocity: I’ll give my all to you, and you give me what I need to excel. Because of that, I’m sticking with you. This can begin from way before they’re even an employee (e.g. from hearing about your company on the news or your website), to well after they’ve left you (e.g. will they refer people to you?).
Engagement is how employees feel at work. Do they feel like their work is meaningful? Are they invested in the company and its mission? Are they willing to go over and above for that mission?
Resonance
Loyalty assumes the work resonates with you in some way and you’re not just there to get a check. It’s that resonance that’s keeping you bonded with the organization. So organizations can curate touch points that make people feel a certain way and get them to stay longer and do more for the organization. These feelings aren’t accidental — they’re created in the back end by processes and systems. These allow you to maintain these “moments of truth” and keep them positive and consistent. This is impact by design, translating the high-level vision into specific actions.
The 7 Intuitive Laws in a humans first context
1. Give them great supportive managers.
This is about relationship, connection, transparency, and vulnerability. When we look at humans first, we’re talking about meeting people where they’re at: imperfect leaders and imperfect employees coming together, and that’s where true humanity comes from.
2. Recognize your employees often.
There is an innate need for us to feel appreciated and valued as people.
3. Give them a voice and do something about it.
Make sure that you hear them, and respond to what they need. Listen, repeat back what you heard, and then act upon it.
4. Grow and promote their talents
As a leader, you should be able to pull out the gifts that each person inherently has, and leverage them. Make sure they’re living up to their higher purpose.
5 & 6. Foster deep connections with them / Make teamwork the focus
Make the team your focus. Through teams, people are able to exhibit their own humanity: they can innovate, collaborate, discover each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and make a lot of great things happen. So you’re connecting with your team and helping them connect with one another, but this idea of connection also means connection with the mission vision and the executive leadership.
7. Pay them equitably
People need to be paid well for the work they do. They need to feel like it’s fair and equitable and that they can feed their families. There’s no greater humanity than that — being able to take care of your family.
Final thoughts
Employee experience is powered by emotions, and leaders get to choose which emotions they unleash from the people they lead.
Want to grow as a HumansFirst leader and connect in meaningful conversations with other HumansFirst leaders?
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.
Resources
The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age (Amazon)
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 86: Being a Brave Leader with Kimberly Davis
What does it mean to be a brave leader? This is our 10th installment in our HumansFirst series of heart-to-heart discussions on what it means to live, love, lead, and work in a
Being your authentic self
For many, authenticity means “I get to be what I want to be and it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks.” But from a leadership perspective, it really does matter what people think and how they experience you. Authenticity is in the eye of the beholder, and the way Kimberly thinks of authenticity is: if we were seated together, would you experience this leader — from your lens — as someone who is genuine and worthy of your trust? Are they someone you can rely upon and believe in? Because that is what is going to allow them to lead and influence others.
How are you truly connecting with the human beings you’re trying to lead?
Leading in a humans first kind of way
Humans first is really about cultivating humanity in the workplace and bringing the whole person to work. So brave leadership is about bringing your best, most authentic and powerful self to every situation that you face, so that you can connect to the hearts of your team members, and be someone they don’t have to follow, but want to follow.
Reframing bravery
The traditional definition of bravery is to face and endure danger or pain. But you can’t work with that mindset. Kimberly reframes bravery as being her best, most authentic, and powerful self: the Kimberly she is when she is being respectful, responsible, and mindful, who pays attention to what other people need from her. It is stepping into your own power, that is, your ability to create change based on how you show up in the world.
We need leaders who are willing to take responsibility for the impact that they make in the situations that they face, and on the lives that they’re leading. We need leaders who are able to connect to the humanity in front of them.
Your best self
Your best self is you at your most positive and your most effective. It’s who you are when you’re at your very best — not who you’re told you should be. Your best self is your best you.
A caveat: many people will say “I’m just being myself” as an excuse for pretty crazy behavior. But if it’s hurtful to someone, it’s not your best self.
Qualities of a leader
One of the most important things a leader can do is see the possibilities in others that they may not even see in themselves. That bridges the confidence in their ability to do things greater than they didn’t even think they were capable of doing, and allows us to lift each other up and rise together.
You have the ability to have an impact in every situation that you face. So the question you should be asking yourself is: what impact do I want to have?
The comparison trap
When you feel yourself comparing yourself to others, remember: you matter simply because you’re you. Not because of anything you’ve done or achieved, but because of how you show up in the world and the impact that you make.
So take one small step toward having the impact that you want to have. One small action. Don’t think about the whole world, think about this moment right now. Who are you with? How can you make an impact on them? How do you want them to feel about their work, or what’s possible?
Heart and soul cannot be commoditized
You can mandate someone to come in to work, but you can’t mandate that they’re going to do it with excellence. You can’t mandate that they’re going to do it with care. You can’t mandate that they’re going to give it everything they’ve got. That’s something they get to choose, and if that’s something you want from people, you can’t treat it like it’s an exchange. It’s a gift they’re giving you, and they have to want to give it. What you can do is create the environment and the opportunity that allows them to flourish.
Want to grow as a HumansFirst leader and connect in meaningful conversations with other HumansFirst leaders?
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.
Resources for Kimberly Davis
#BraveMoment Twitter Chat (8pm Central, Tuesday Nights)
Resources
The Abundance Loop: 8 Steps to Manifest Conscious Wealth (Amazon)
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 85: How Leadership is Evolving with Sesil Pir
Is there a magic pill to make your team and organization work? Welcome to another installment in what it means to live, love,
Meaningful work for everyone
We all want to be seen. And in the context of organizations, we also want to be heard, cared about, and recognized for our contributions. We are all seeking a sense of belonging, and any workplace has the potential to be meaningful and to honor our humanity: who we are and what we bring to the table.
Finding out what’s important
People are often motivated by external factors like reward systems, upgrades, or even the opinions of others. But more frequently, people are motivated from within.
Sesil brings up the Self-Determination Theory, a broad framework for human motivation, and distills it into its three essential elements: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. There is a bit of self-interest there, but there’s also a need to be part of something meaningful and bigger than ourselves — and that’s where purpose comes in.
The best way for leaders to discover what’s important to the people in their organization? Ask.
Building an environment that allows people to flourish
Sesil helps organizations build environments of inspiration, meaning, safety, and joy, grounded in the core belief that all humans are worthy of dignity, clarity, well-being, and empathy.
There is no formula or magic pill or blueprint. No two organizations are the same, so the key is to translate or adapt these principles in ways that work best for each specific organization. You have to find what uniquely allows your people to show up and contribute. This must come from the organization itself. Sesil shares that they don’t touch anything as much as possible, they just show leaders the way, help them see things from a different perspective, and let them create.
The evolving workplace
Sesil shares a number of trends she’s observed that’s changing the landscape of the way we work now. Two things she highlights:
The world is changing so fast that 65% of our children entering primary school this year will ultimately end up working in jobs that don’t even exist today. How do we prepare them for that?
Leadership is evolving. The traditional notion of a leader is someone who does something well — but we see leadership now as having little to do with authority on a subject, and more to do with being a guide, putting up a mirror, and serving.
A message for you
Lean in and show up. There is a true contagiousness to our energy, mindset, and behavior. When we come in with a genuine smile on our face, consciously or unconsciously, the whole office will be smiling, too.
Final thoughts
When we say humans first, we are saying that we will always put people as the most critical factor in any decision-making process. Under no circumstances will people be secondary.
Cultural transformation is heavily influenced by design. The only time paradigms start to shift is if there is genuine intent and participation behind it.
Wanting to grow as a HumansFirst leader and connect in meaningful conversations with other HumansFirst leaders?
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.
Resources
Get in touch with Kevin
kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
(678) 744 5111
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 84: Finding Real Happiness at Work with Brooke Erol
There’s job satisfaction, and then there’s the real happiness that comes from working at a company whose purpose aligns with yours AND where your job has meaning. We continue our HumansFirst series with Brooke Erol, the founder of Purposeful Business, and she shares how we can become more engaged at work, so we can become more engaged in life. Listen to the full episode:
Reflections from a HumansFirst Club meeting
What stays with Brooke the most are the conversations they have with their attendees. They opened up their hearts, called the group their ‘tribe,’ and immediately felt like this was a place they belonged to. Not only is this heartwarming to see, but it verifies what we already know: there’s a lot of hunger for ‘HumansFirst’ workplaces.
The hunger and the thirst for work to be HumansFirst
Our level of consciousness increases over time, and every time it does, the way we lead organizations changes. The concept of purpose is nothing new, but now we’re more aware of it and intrinsically yearn for it. We understand even more now that we can’t separate our work selves and our personal selves. The mindset from the industrial age definitely isn’t working anymore, especially with the new generation. Something’s gotta change.
Brooke’s path to HumansFirst
Brooke applied the formula given to all of us: good grades, good school, good job. She landed a great job at IBM and she was supposed to be happy. Everything looked great on paper. But in her early 20s, she began to question her purpose. Why was she working there? Was it really what she wanted to do for the rest of her life?
With the help of a coach, she realized her purpose was to make people happier at work, and now she has a tribe of amazing people she’s able to talk to about this every day.
On expressing her purpose today
Brooke runs Purposeful Business to help organizations reinvent themselves and grow based on a foundation of purpose. When that’s the case, profit becomes the byproduct, not the end goal, and everyone wins.
Making work more human is the answer — so what’s the problem?
Many workplaces don’t know how to motivate, attract, and retain the new generation. We now value different things than the generation before us, which leads to high turnover at a significant cost.
Many employers are also asking how they can get their employees more engaged. It’s an important question, too: when you’re disengaged at work, you’re disengaged from the rest of your life, and you bring that bad energy wherever you go.
The awakening
This movement is slowly but surely happening on a global scale. It’s getting much more attention than it used to. But many business leaders are trying to make people happy using the old tools: a good compensation plan, bonuses, free coffee, a ping pong table at work. Not that these aren’t great — they are! — but that’s not sustainable happiness.
Real happiness at work comes from more intrinsic things that we need as human beings, like relationships, and whether we find meaning and purpose in what we do. And that’s what helps with things like engagement, creativity, and innovation.
And if you don’t work for a company who’s had the awakening yet, Brooke shares some advice on finding meaning in what you do.
Final thoughts
It all boils down to our belief system. If you believe that it’s possible to treat people with the dignity and respect they deserve, and make them feel like they matter whatever their job is and that what they do contributes to a bigger purpose, that will bring the best results for your organization and for everyone.
Wanting to grow as a HumansFirst leader and connect in meaningful conversations with other HumansFirst leaders?
Join me for HumansFirst Book Club where we do a deep dive into a book a month and often engage the authors in conversation.
Resources
Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family (Amazon)
HPP Episode 33 – Explore, Discover and Transform Work with Gary Adamson
Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success (Amazon)
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 83: The 7 Simple Superpowers of the HumansFirst Heroes
Today, we’re talking superpowers. We’re midstream in a series of conversations on what it means to live, love, and lead in a HumansFirst kind of way, and for this special solo episode, I want to talk to you about some important simple skills. Now, don’t confuse simple for easy. These skills require us to put someone else ahead of ourselves, which is difficult, and doesn’t come naturally to many of us. I call them: The 7 Simple Superpowers of the HumansFirst Heroes.
X-Ray Vision
This superpower means you’re able to see a person for who they truly are. This has three dimensions:
Seeing beyond the veneer and layers and the mask people put up around themselves.
Seeing into their heart and seeing the real beauty, value, and worth of the individual in front of you — which makes them feel accepted and valued for having been seen.
Seeing into the future, and seeing what this person is capable of becoming and what they’re capable of accomplishing.
Extraordinary Strength
This is the strength it takes to lift your team or organization to extraordinary achievement. These heroes believe in the power of community, and they have the uncanny ability of allowing different people from all around the world to see their part in this bigger vision, and invest their blood, sweat, and tears into making it a reality.
Supernatural Hearing
This is the ability to listen deeply. They value what you have to say more than what they have to say. Here are the three quotes I’ve gathered on listening:
“Many a man would rather you heard his story than grant his request.” — Lord Chesterfield
“When people realize they’re being listened to, they tell you things.” — Richard Ford
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” — Stephen R. Covey
The first thing that we have to do is quiet the conversation that's already going on in our minds. Pause, breathe, and make it your intention to listen to the person in front of you.
Claircognizance
This is the amazing ability to gain information through intrinsic means. People with this superpower are able to pull out of themselves or others:
- things that they didn’t even know were there
- things they didn’t realize they were capable of doing
- a person they didn’t realize they were capable of becoming
They do this through asking questions that help cut through the clutter in your mind and your heart, draw you in, and engage you in a way you wouldn’t otherwise engage. They may already see something in you that you don’t yet see, and the gift of the claircognizant is getting you to see this possibility for yourself.
Web Weaving
This ability talks about relational webs: the ability to see people and connect with them. And it’s not just one-on-one. This superpower includes the ability to connect people to other people, whether inside or outside your organization.
Time Suspension
HumansFirst Heroes have an uncanny ability to be present in the moment. They recognize the power in the little things, see the opportunities in the mundane, and are able to stop time and create magic in that moment.
Super-sized Hearts and Enhanced Empathy
HumansFirst Heroes have a heart that oozes love, compassion, and compassionate care. When you interact with one of these heroes, you realize they genuinely care for you — no pretending here. They just operate with high levels of empathy and allow people to feel loved.
What would you add to the list?
This is far from a complete list, and I invite you to help me grow it. Who’s a HumansFirst hero in your work or world? And what’s their superpower? Email me at kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com or call me at (678) 744 5111.
Wanting to grow as a HumansFirst leader and connect in meaningful conversations with other HumansFirst leaders?
Join me for HumansFirst Book Club where we do a deep dive into a book a month and often engage the authors in conversation.
Past HumansFirst Episodes
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 82: Being a Chief Heart Officer with Claude Silver
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 81: The Future of Work with Dr. Heather Hanson Wickman
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 80: Making Work More Human with Renée Smith
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 78: Creating a ‘Humans First’ Workplace with Marcel Schwantes
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 77: Putting Humans First with Mike Vacanti
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 50: Make Work More Human with Renee Smith
Other Resources
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 69: The Epic Partnership that Created the WD-40 Culture with Garry Ridge and Stan Sewitch
Deep Listening: Impact Beyond Words (Amazon)
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 57: Becoming a Deep Listener with Oscar Trimboli
The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact (Amazon)
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 82: Being a Chief Heart Officer with Claude Silver
What is it like to mentor almost 800 people? Claude Silver is the Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia, a global digital advertising agency. She was previously the company’s Senior Vice President, and was handpicked for the role three years ago by the CEO himself, Gary Vaynerchuk. Today on the show she’s talking about the immense ability we have to touch people’s lives, even in the smallest of ways.
Our power as human beings
The way we see a person is how we treat that person. And how we treat that person is what they will become. We have so much power as human beings to change lives, whether that’s helping someone get out of the gutter or, on the flip side, do harm.
Blind spots
Self-awareness is important. The more you’re aware of yourself, what you’ve gone through in life and what holds you back, the more you are able to see that in another human being — whether that’s the customer at Starbucks or the CEO. That’s empathy. And when we empathize, we can choose to relate to someone with softness and tenderness, telling them to come closer instead of pushing them away.
A day in the life of...
Claude is always on the offense: her job is to spot where there might be a fire and extinguish it before it gets out of hand. In her line of work, that means people problems like a lack of communication or team members feeling inadequate. Every day is different because she deals with humans — and humans have different issues. From time to time, she’s able to FaceTime with Gary V, which is fuel for her to give more of herself.
The magic of intentional micro-interactions
Looking someone in the eye is intentional. Giving someone a high five is intentional. At work for Claude, these micro-interactions might look like saying hi in the bathroom as they’re washing hands, or in her 15-minute sessions that she holds with people.Small moments like these light people up. Bringing the magic into the mundane starts by giving someone attention: when you’re able to make them feel like they’re the only person in the room and that is the only conversation you want to be having.We all want to be seen. Because of that, seeing people is powerful. This is a revolution of tenderness and of bringing humanity back into this life.
A message for you right now
I hear you. I hear that you have these beliefs that you are less than, that you don’t belong, that you aren’t connected to this world and that no one will understand you. But I want you to know something. You’re not alone. I got you. Kevin’s got you.Do something right now for me: I want you to think of three things that you’re grateful for. Just three things. It could be the blue sky, or the song you heard on the radio, or the high five someone gave you on the basketball court. It doesn’t matter.Get yourself to a place where you can think outside of yourself for a second. Think of something that makes you happy, that inspires you. Go to that place just for that moment, and remember how you feel in those moments.That’s magic. You DO belong to this planet because you had that experience. Because you’re able to have gratitude for that person in your life or the person who gave you a high five, that means you belong. You’re connected to that person.You’re not alone, my friends.
The beginnings of the HumansFirst Club
It began in her office when Mike Vacanti came in and they decided they wanted to work together. Mark LeBusque was someone she found on LinkedIn, and it was like finding a brother across the world. She connected the two, and eventually connected with Jill Katz, and they all began jamming.The first HumansFirst Club session was in New York, and it was an exciting moment because nothing was planned. It was just: “What can I say and share about myself to encourage people to take a bigger step in their life?”
Ditching the deck
Some people prepare what they’re going to say, and fail to prepare to show up. She shares the story of Dubai — where, ready to give a talk to a room of 60 to 65 people, she made a split-second decision to ditch her deck, have everyone sit on the floor, and jam together. It’s about asking: “What’s going to be best for this group of people? What’s going to bring them together?”
Final thoughts
Go and call or text someone who isn’t expecting a call or text from you. Let them know that they’re loved and appreciated and that you’re thinking of them.
Resources for Claude
LinkedInInstagramTwitterHigher Purpose Podcast Episode 77: Putting Humans First with Mike VacantiHigher Purpose Podcast Episode 78: Creating a ‘Humans First’ Workplace with Marcel SchwantesHumansFirst ClubHumansFirst Club: New York City, Reflection of the Kick-Off Experience
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
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 78: Creating a 'Humans First' Workplace with Marcel Schwantes
What goes into creating a humans first workplace? Marcel Schwantes is a keynote speaker and the and Founder and Chief Human Officer of Leadership from the core. Today we’re talking about that four-letter word: love. What does leading with love mean, and what does it look like in action, and how does it help people — and businesses — flourish? Listen to the full episode here:
What’s fueling the energy behind humans first movement?
Love. It’s the most powerful force in the universe, and as humans, we are wired to want to experience love. The definition of a true leader is somebody who meets the needs of others. If love is absent, then fear takes its place, and Marcel shares a personal example of what this fear-based toxic work environment can look like.
What makes a workplace humans first?
It’s putting love into action, like when leaders:
- Care and model that behavior all the way down to the floor
- Have patience and self-control over their emotions
- Remove themselves from the spotlight, and put the spotlight on the employees
- Build and nurture a trusting community
- Are authentic, meaning: they’re approachable, emotionally honest, and communicate the good, the bad, and the ugly instead of sweeping things under the rug
- Are transparent; they show their true selves instead of hiding behind a mask
And these are things that have been repeatedly backed up by research. The evidence is overwhelming in favor of human-centered leaders and workplaces.
What does love look like in the workplace?
It takes the form of agape love: unconditional love rooted in behavior towards others, without regard to their due. It’s what leaders should be striving for, because it’s an actionable type of love. It’s a verb, not a feeling.
Coach Vince Lombardi said of his team, the Green Bay Packers: “I don’t necessarily have to like my players and associates. But as their leader, I must love them. Love is loyalty. Love is teamwork. Love respects the dignity of the individual. This is the strength of any organization.”
What does a leading out of love look like?
Many airlines were going out of business and laying people off after 9/11, but Jim Parker (the CEO of Southwest at that time) said, we are willing to suffer some damage, even to our structure and stock price, to protect the jobs of our people.
The result of sticking to values and putting people first? Loyal and committed employees, higher-level performances, and the only profitable airline throughout that period. When you put your people first, profits take care of themselves.
Another way to show love is to release control. Share your leadership with your followers to empower them not only to succeed in their roles, but to help create a leader-leader culture rather than a follower-leader one. Steve Jobs said: “I don’t hire people to tell them what to do. I hire them so they can tell me what to do.” Help them take ownership of their own decisions and do what they do best.
As for Garry Ridge, becoming a human leader meant getting comfortable with three powerful words: “I don’t know.” For him, ego is a barrier to leading effectively.
Leaders are humans first, too
There are leaders who fear their roles because they don’t want to fail. They don’t want to be seen as weak leaders. So there’s usually a facade that keeps them from being authentic and connecting with their team. This is why many end up leading through fear and managing through power and control.
A true ‘humans first’ workplace involves everyone from the very top of the organization at the highest level, all the way to the least tenured position.
Final thoughts
What’s one thing you could be doing right now to improve the life of one of your employees?
Transform YOUR Team!
If you're a leader who is, or wants to be entrusted with the transformation of your team, join me and 6 other leaders for a year-long journey of transformation that will help you release your brilliance, and help others do the same. Email Kevin@Kevindmonroe.com to begin the application process.
Resources for Marcel Schwantes
Resources
Episode 29 – Interview with Jeff Harmon
Episode 69: The Epic Partnership that Created the WD-40 Culture with Garry Ridge and Stan Sewitch
Harvard Business Review: What CEOs Are Afraid Of by Roger Jones
The Evolved Executive: The Future of Work Is Love in Action by Heather Hanson Wickman PhD (Amazon)
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 77: Putting Humans First with Mike Vacanti
We’re at an inflection point and it’s time for a business culture shift. Today we have Mike Vacanti, the founder of the HumansFirst Club, here to share about the movement, the community, and what happens when you bring like-minded and like-hearted people together to put humans first. Listen to the full episode here:
What is the HumansFirst Club?
It’s a consortium of people interested in understanding and recognizing that we can create business environments where people can grow and thrive. Its simple mission is to ‘ignite and accelerate a shift in business culture that values humans first.’
Where did this idea come from?
When Mike first started his consulting work, he zeroed in on some key phrases: “people are your business,” “it’s much more than what we accomplish, it’s who we become along the journey,” and “the intent to lift others.”
He’s always had a human-centered approach to helping companies, and it was his idea to get a bunch of people in the room together and talk about being human. That was the first HumansFirst Club event.
How do you describe the HumansFirst Club?
It’s a movement. People are raising their hands from different cities and countries asking for this to take place there. It’s time we started the dialogue because we can do more collectively than any one of us could do alone. There’s a collection of talents coming together and combined, it’s a wonderful playground.
What does it mean to be human first?
It’s re-prioritization, not a replacement. We’ve created processes and systems, and at some point, the human element — the employee — has become just another part of that process.
We can’t squeeze any more capacity out of humans, so now it’s time to see how we can expandcapacity. Take an element from your systems and processes, then prioritize people over everything that goes on: does that change the process? Does it enhance it? Break it? Can we make it better?
What might people expect at a HumansFirst Club event? How is it different?
Where most events are “talk-to” events, a HumansFirst Club event is interactive. Participants are leaders who are volunteeringto hang out and have real conversations about their experiences in their daily work as leaders.
Participants get the chance to let their guards down, engage and connect, and belong. There’s so much value in the back-and-forth with everybody: it’s comfortable, it’s unique, and it’s needed.
What kind of feedback have you received from these initial meetings?
“Something so simple and obvious apparently wasn’t.” The statement is a testament to how powerful it can be to make “humans first” the focus and address just that. And everybody knows they stand a great chance of enjoying work the next day better than they did today.
If somebody wanted to host or organize a HumansFirst Club meeting in their community, could they do that?
The answer is always yes.
What’s your hope for the world if this movement takes off and flourishes?
Mike would love to see the overall concept continue to bloom and grow, but at the same time, bring the seeds from that and plant them into the hearts of new leaders, our corporations, and our communities. These are principles that need to be in place for businesses to be sustainable as we go through this era of rapid change.
Final thoughts
Set aside your expectations of what you’re going to experience. This really is a true heartfelt connection to other human beings with a desire to do better. You’re welcome. You belong. So take down your guard, come with curiosity, share your voice, and bring your ideas.
Resources:
HumansFirst Club Calendar of Events
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 76: Unwrapping Your Purpose Package
We’re kicking off the new year with another solo episode. For many, this is a time of New Year’s resolutions, transitions, or taking those next steps. For this episode, we’re exploring the idea of purpose and using new language to frame it: What does it mean to unwrap your Purpose Package? Listen to the full episode:
What is the Purpose Package?
The Purpose Package refers to two things: (1) purpose as a gift that arrives in your life and that you have to share with others, and (2) the benefits you receive when you choose to embrace and express purpose through your business and your life.
The joy in the search
Take joy in the search for your purpose. It’s a journey. Enjoy it and don’t rush to your destination. And the destination is not the end journey, it’s a doorway. The goal is to live and lead out of your room of purpose as much as possible.
Finding your Purpose Package
Purpose is like a Russian nesting doll. There are many layers to exploring, unpacking, and understanding your gift:
1) The first area to look at is your gifts, talents, and abilities. Everyone is gifted, but most of us don’t recognize it in ourselves because it comes so naturally. To help you identify your gifts, ask those close to you: What is it that they see you doing effortlessly that they wish they could do?
2) Another element of purpose is your life experience. Map out the milestones of your life journey and think of three types of moments as you’re doing this:
- Defining Moments, or moments that changed the trajectory of your life for good or bad.
- Refining or Crucible Moments are the hardships you’ve encountered. These are some of your greatest gems because you have the ability to comfort or encourage others with the lessons you’d learned going through these moments.
- Confining Moments are moments that alter your perception of yourself or some aspect of your life. It’s what Brené Brown calls Creativity Scars, and they seek to seal up the gift that’s in you and close you off from others.
Now, others may have similar gifts, talents, and abilities as you do, but when you bring your personality, life journey, experiences, and perspectives to the table, that allows you to make a contribution in the way only you can make it.
3) The next area is your joy and your genius. Genius is putting your gifts to work and spending as much time as possible doing what you are most gifted to do. And that produces joy.
4) The last thing to consider is your values. You might be using your gift and tapping into your genius, but if you have to compromise your values in the process, you’re living in frustration. Understand what matters most to you and never sacrifice it for what’s convenient.
The benefits of sharing your purpose with others
Shining your light invites others to do the same. People are waiting for you to share your gift, so they can benefit from it. And the benefit for you is living in joy from sharing that gift.
Another benefit is the love, peace, and harmony we experience from living in rhythm with who we are created to be, and doing what we are created to do.
It’s not all rainbows and unicorns though: tapping into your purpose helps you persevere through tough times, and may mean
Final thoughts
Purpose thrives in
Resources
Episode 75: 7 Hopes for You in the New Year
Living Your WHY – a Mini Manifesto on Purpose
Episode 56: How to Find Your Purpose with Nick Craig
Episode 12: Interview with Thom Winninger
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown (Amazon)
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level
Higher Purpose Podcast Episode 75: 7 Hopes for You in the New Year
This is the first episode of 2019, and it comes with a disclaimer. This one might be a little weird. In fact, it could be the weirdest episode we’ve done yet! While the actual New Year only comes, well, once a year, these seven hopes should be with you every month of every year, starting right now. Listen to the full episode:
That you are awakened to purpose, and that you awake and arise to purposeful living
Purpose is a choice that we all make on a daily basis. Do we live for ourselves or for something larger? Living for yourself is a very small life. A year of purpose is lived 365 days a year, one day at a time.
That you live authentically, and that you live in authenticity
Poet E. E. Cummings has several quotes that Kevin shares which drive this hope home:
- “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
- “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”
- “We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
That you displace the limiting beliefs that hold you back
We all have limiting beliefs; some we are aware of and some we aren’t. Kevin invokes another poet, Marianne Williamson, and her work, “Our Greatest Fear.” In short, many of us aren’t really afraid of failing. What we’re really afraid of is being very successful. Instead, liberate others by liberating yourself.
That you ride the waves and make ripples
We did warn you this would be a little weird, but think about it. We’re all riding waves that began long ago, but are you aware that you’re making ripples that will one day become waves? Kevin shares some anecdotes you might be able to relate to about both waves and ripples.
That you will be present more often in the next 12 months
What’s the value of living in the now? It’s the only time we truly have. We might be blessed enough to live tomorrow, and that will be another ‘now,’ but it isn’t guaranteed, and it won’t be the same as THIS ‘now.’ You won’t have the same opportunities as you have in this ‘now.’
That you flourish and thrive in the next 12 months
You might think this is Pollyanna, airy-fairy, but if you want the truth, flourishing isn’t ‘fluffy.’ Instead, a state of flourishing is how we were created to live. This is how we express the great concept of ‘shalom.’ Kevin explains what it really means.
That you enjoy community
If you’ve listened to the podcast, there’s no doubt you’ve heard Kevin’s rallying cry: “Purpose thrives in community and starves in isolation.” Be intentional about who you surround yourself with, perhaps now more than ever before. Check out the Higher Purpose community on Facebook!
Transform YOUR Team!
If you're a leader who is, or wants to be entrusted with the transformation of your team, join me and 6 other leaders for a year-long journey of transformation that will help you release your brilliance, and help others do the same. Email Kevin@Kevindmonroe.com to begin the application process.
Resources:
kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com