BLOGS & RESOURCES
An Infusion of Gratitude with Kerry Wekelo
Kerry Wekelo is an author and the Chief Operating Officer of the Culture Infusion program for Actualize Consulting. Her most recent book, Gratitude Infusion: Workplace Strategies for a Thriving Organizational Culture, is a practical guide to implementing action plans that improve the work climate. She joins Kevin Monroe to discuss her book and how its principles apply.
Gateway to Abundance
Gratitude is the gateway to abundance, Kevin says. It is easier to focus on what we lack or what we’ve lost due to our negativity bias. However, no amount of regret changes the past and no amount of anxiety changes the future, but any amount of gratitude has the power to change your present. Shifting one’s mindset towards gratitude during challenging periods can relieve feelings of negativity, Kerry advises. There is always something to be grateful for. She describes an experience in which expressing gratitude for someone she considered a friend enabled her to repair their relationship, which was interrupted by feelings of hurt.
What Gratitude Does
Life challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, but rather, help you discover who you are. Focusing on gratitude allows you to move forward into being the best version of yourself. Kerry urges listeners who may be experiencing difficulties in their personal and professional lives to practice gratitude by connecting with people that inspire them. People want to do a good job, she adds, and they will be more motivated to put more effort into their work if they feel genuinely appreciated. You can start by finding one person on your team and expressing your gratitude, emphasizing why they earned it. It will make a difference in the organization. Kerry shares an experience in which she expressed her gratitude to everyone in her company and they doubled their reciprocation of her gratitude.
Infusion
Kevin asks Kerry what infusion means. Kerry defines infusion by using an analogy she learned from her grandmother: when cooking, you do not just add flavor to the food and call it a day. You must layer the flavors so that it is present in every bite. Similarly, gratitude must be a regular practice that is present in every level of an organization. It has to be cultivated and nurtured continuously.
Receiving gratitude is often harder than practicing it. Kevin and Kerry urge listeners to graciously accept gratitude when it is expressed, because it is coming from a place of sincerity that should not be overlooked.
Resources
Kerry Wekelo on LinkedIn | Twitter
Gratitude Infusion: Workplace Strategies for a Thriving Organizational Culture
Episode 118: Infusing Your Company with Culture
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111
Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
This Extraordinary Life
Kevin Monroe continues to discuss living an extraordinary life in this solo episode of the Higher Purpose Podcast.
Anyone Can, But Not Everyone Will
Kevin believes that the act of listening to his podcast shows that listeners are aware that their lives have meaning and purpose, and strive to live an extraordinary life. This extraordinary life is here in the now rather than far in the distance. Anyone can do it regardless of their current circumstances, but not everyone will, he says. Though simple, it is not an easy task. It is available to everyone, but not all will say yes to the invitation, and some are so preoccupied with other things that living an extraordinary life is not one of their pursuits.
Takeaways from the 90-Day Challenge
Kevin talks about the 90-Day “Extraordinary Experiment” challenge and what it taught him. Purpose starves in isolation and thrives in community, he says. An extraordinary life is other-centered, and is best lived with others who are on the same journey. We need one another to inspire, encourage, and lift ourselves up. It is through shared passions, perspectives and experiences between ourselves and others from around the world that we realize there is more that unites us than that which divides us. In addition, we all desire safe spaces where we can freely share our thoughts and ideas.
Deaths of Despair
Kevin discusses “deaths of despair”: deaths during the current global pandemic caused by isolation and feelings of loneliness. These prove that we are designed for community, Kevin says, and crave to be around like-minded people who see our value.
Kevin gives details about a guide to living an extraordinary life: his collaborative project with Debbie LaChusa. He urges listeners to maximize their life’s full potential by not settling for an ordinary life and to inspire others to do the same.
Resources
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111
Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
Episode 152
TheGratitudeChallenge.community
Living an Extraordinary Life (featuring Debbie LaChusa)
Kevin Monroe discusses how to live an extraordinary life in this semi-solo episode of the Higher Purpose Podcast. Debbie LaChusa, an author, blogger, and online instructor joins in to share details about their collaborative project.
It’s Natural
Kevin reads responses from colleagues and listeners to the question of what makes life extraordinary. Being extraordinary and living an extraordinary life is a matter of choice and not chance; it is not contingent on being born with a rare talent or ability. There is an assumption that it is the result of a monumental experience or achievement. “An extraordinary life is made of a myriad of what many may perceive as mundane moments, lived with such fervor and flair that the ordinary things of life are transformed into extraordinary,” Kevin says. We already have what we need to make life spectacular, he adds.
Transform your Life
Debbie joins in to talk about a new course developed by herself and Kevin about how to transform your life from ordinary to extraordinary, as well as what motivated them to start this project. It’s not about being special, she says; it’s about living your life more consciously and intentionally. Additionally, it’s not all about you, but involves the people around you as well.
Kevin extends a promotional offer to listeners: purchase the course within the next 5 days for a discounted price!
Resources
Debbie LaChusa on LinkedIn
ExtraordinaryLifeCourse.com
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
No Time For Silence with Rick Rigsby
Dr. Rick Rigsby is the President and CEO of Rick Rigsby Communications, a motivational speaker, pastor, and best-selling author. He returns to the Higher Purpose Podcast to share his views on the current civil unrest across the US.
This Podcast is a Platform
Many are silent out of fear of saying something wrong, ignorant, or insensitive. Now is not a time to be silent, Kevin Monroe begins. The Higher Purpose Podcast is a platform of responsibility and opportunity, and Kevin sees it as his duty to speak up instead of sitting back and doing nothing.
An Offense to God
The civil unrest in the United States of America is a result of neither political or legislative problems; rather, it is a result of an offense to the heart of God, Rick claims. The Bible calls for love and equality in both the Old and New Testaments. The issues present today are moral issues, rather than issues about specific topics like police and/or race. Rick adds that even during this time of uncertainty and darkness, there are positive things occurring in response. Circumstances are never completely bad, he says. There are always opportunities for growth and improvement.
The Media’s Agenda
Rick’s background in media prompts Kevin to ask him why he thinks it is harder for the media to give more attention to positive news. Rick replies that while the media represents an important estate of society, the profession is narrow. Their goal is to tell a story, which requires certain dramatic features and elements such as a hero and a villain to keep viewers intrigued. The media only shows a glimpse of life, which is more often than not very emotive and spectacular because that interests viewers the most. This births a narrow, myopic view of the world.
Perspective
Rick shares his beliefs regarding the rights and freedoms of all people. As a pastor in the Christian faith, he views the world through a spiritual lens. All people are children of God, he says, and should be treated with equal love and respect regardless of their differences. He believes that God is speaking to His children through the chaos of current events, and is passing on an instruction of humility, repentance, and obedience.
Protests Then vs. Protests Now
Kevin asks Rick about the main differences between the protests of the 50’s and 60’s and the current protests. Peaceful protests did not mean the protesters were not angry, he says. Rick replies that the black church was largely responsible for shaping the moral compass of the civil rights movement, which shaped the narrative of the leadership. The protests of today lack direction, and while the energy and pragmatism are admirable, the absence of leadership provides no moral compass to point people towards, he claims. The blame for that partially falls on the baby boomer generation for not teaching their successors enough about their rights according to the Constitution and nonviolent, passive resistance.
People should fear saying nothing at all more than saying the wrong thing, Rick argues. People die for the right to speak out and do something, so those with that freedom should utilize it to its full power. America cannot afford for her citizens to be silent any longer. There is a common, misguided belief that argumentation and dissension are negative, but dissension advanced citizenry and democracy. “If you’re sitting on your butt, you can’t move forward,” Rick urges. In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Resources
Rick Rigsby on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Rick’s Podcast: How Ya Livin’?
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
Cracking the Leadership Code with Alain Hunkins
Alain Hunkins is the Managing Director of Hunkins Leadership Group and Leadership Development Consultant at AlainHunkins.com. He is also Senior Facilitator at Eagle’s Flight, futurethink, and The Energy Project, as well as Senior Consultant at JMReid Group. He chats with Kevin Monroe about his bestselling book, Cracking the Leadership Code: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders, and shares insights about becoming great stewards in the workplace in light of current events.
Leader of the Future
Many leaders see people as human resources instead of human beings. They are still stuck in the industrial age mindset, Alain says. The leader of the future must be able to embrace both masculine and feminine archetypal energies in order to effectively carry out their duties. Alain gives examples of good and bad leadership during the current global crisis. He and Kevin also comment on the civil unrest within America, talk about their privilege as white men, and call for systemic change in order to combat racial oppression.
Qualities that Leaders Need to Have
Kevin cites Alain’s book about the four important characteristics of good leaders according to a study involving 1700 CEOs from 64 countries and 18 industries. The four characteristics are: communicative; collaborative; flexible; and creative. These soft skills are essential for today’s leaders because the industrial-age, hierarchical, command, and control style of leadership doesn’t work anymore. Leaders should instead see themselves as facilitators of groups.
The Three Secrets
The three secrets to building strong leaders are connection, communication, and collaboration, in that order. Alain describes the model for these principles as concentric circles that include each one before it. Rather than a title or position, leadership is a relationship between one who chooses to lead and one who chooses to follow. The quality of that relationship is based on the quality of their connection, communication, and collaboration. In addition, the person who chooses to follow has the final say about the quality of the relationship, and only 23% of leaders understand this. Alain details each secret, how they intersect with one another, and how they apply currently.
The Three Trends
The three trends of the current working world are choice, transparency, and technology. These trends largely make up the key differences between the 21st and 20th centuries: past generations were not aware that they had a choice in following a leader, neither were they able to access the technologies that we have today. Subsequently, there was barely any demand for transparency.
Alain calls on leaders to become familiar with discomfort; if you’re always comfortable then you’re not growing.
Resources
Alain Hunkins on LinkedIn
Email: alain@alainhunkins.com
Cracking the Leadership Code: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
A Quest to Higher Purpose -Part 2 with Shawn Askinosie
Shawn Askinosie is an author and the founder and CEO of Askinosie Chocolate. His book, Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul, takes readers on his journey to self-actualization and is a guide to how they can discover the secret to purposeful business. He joins Kevin Monroe for a follow-up episode to further explore concepts included in the book, as well as how they enabled him to help others.
How Much is “Enough”?
Kevin asks Shawn when he started thinking about the concept of “enough.” Shawn replies that as he embarked into a new career the idea of financial success and notoriety began to lose its luster. The paradoxical and mysterious connection between his joy and sorrow gave him clarity of purpose during those years of transition. “If you want to find yourself, lose yourself in service to others,” Shawn quotes.
Scale
Shawn claims that rapid growth is the temptation of our time, especially for entrepreneurs and people with ideas. In certain cases, scale is necessary and optimal, but you risk losing something when growth is valued above all else. He describes scaling as a dark temptation and warns that even when it’s for ostensibly good purposes, it may not actually be good. He describes an experience with a major retail company in which they give a fitting depiction of Askinosie Chocolate: they are about reverse scale.
Kinship
Kinship, Shawn says, is woven deep within the fabric of his company, is highly valued, and is another part of the human connection. He details how Askinosie Chocolate strives to engender kinship among their members, partners, and customers. Doing business with these values at the forefront is a much more rewarding pathway, he points out.
Relationships Affect Your Product
If you bake a loaf of bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger, Kevin quotes. He asks Shawn to elaborate on the correlation between a good product and a human connection. Who we are and the product or service that we deliver are inseparable; we can’t peel them apart, Shawn replies. The value chain is enhanced through relationships. Shawn talks about the projects Askinosie Chocolate has undertaken, the impacts they have made in numerous communities internationally, and how the connections he has established with people have positively enhanced his life.
Fair and Direct Trade
Fair trade began with good intentions but has become so ubiquitous that it is now a victim of its own good marketing. Studies show that the premium added to the market price of products is not making its way to producers and is gradually lost along the complex supply chain. Shawn describes how Askinosie Chocolate has redefined fair trade into direct trade, including modified travel practices that ensure their producers get the profits they rightfully deserve.
Resources
Shawn Askinosie on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: hello@shawnaskinosie.com
Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
A Quest to Higher Purpose with Shawn Askinosie
Shawn Askinosie is an author and the founder and CEO of Askinosie Chocolate. His book, Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul, takes readers on his journey to self-actualization and is a guide to how they can discover the secret to purposeful business. He joins Kevin Monroe to discuss his book and how its teachings apply to current events.
Threshold
Poet and philosopher John O’Donoghue would consider this current period a threshold, Shawn says. A threshold can be a dark place of panic, discomfort and depression, but also a place of teaching, awakening and connection with our higher selves, if we allow it. You have to understand your present position and acknowledge your fear, instead of waiting to reach the other side of the threshold. Kevin adds that he has realized that current events are the world’s “temporary new normal,” and we must learn to adjust to it rather than hold on to the normal of the past. We may all be in one of three places right now, according to Shawn: on a threshold; on the path to awakening, where you have a daily practice that keeps you grounded; or among the masters or teachers from whom we gain wisdom. The tools you can access on your path depend on where you are.
Success
Kevin quotes a line from Shawn’s book and asks him to elaborate. Shawn shares a story about a young girl’s positive experience with an employee of one of his stores, and says that even if his business fails, that moment of impact will be around forever. He considers that as part of his redefined meaning of success. “What people want to know is that they are joyfully alive,” he says.
The Journey
Shawn’s experience of losing the love and motivation he had for his career led him on a quest to discover a new passion. He shares some of the activities he participated in along his journey, a notable one being volunteer work in hospice care. Accepting his broken heart, caused by the death of his father, enabled him to connect with his true self. “Our greatest joy is sorrow unmasked,” Kevin quotes. This joy wants to explode out of our sorrow, and to access it we must be willing and open to find that pathway.
Floundering and Flourishing
The greatest freedom in humanity is the choice we make in response to the stimulus in our lives. Even in the midst of challenge and difficulty, we can decide whether to flounder or flourish. However, we must be able to surrender to the moment, and not just survive it. We do not have to wait until we cross the threshold to flourish, Shawn says.
Resources
Shawn Askinosie on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: hello@shawnaskinosie.com
(Blog) ShawnAskinosie.com
Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
Follow It Forward
Kevin Monroe connects with listeners one-on-one in this week’s show. He discusses three activities leaders engage in and whether they are beneficial to their organizations.
Decade of Difference
Kevin’s previous expectation for the turn of the decade was for 2020 to open a decade of difference. He describes the current global pandemic as a “legacy shaping event,” one that will impact how people are regarded post-crisis based on how they responded and lived through it. Leading now is different, but many leaders are doing what they’ve always done in hope for a magically different result, Kevin says. The way of life and business pre-COVID-19 is no longer sustainable and so we must adapt.
Excuse-Making
The first activity is excuse-making. Kevin advises anyone who participates in making excuses to stop. When a leader makes excuses, they are not leading. When people engage in excuse-making, their focus is usually in the past. However, leadership involves accepting responsibility and being accountable for one’s decisions.
Sense-Making
Sense-making is the ability or attempt to make meaning in situations that are uncertain, complex or ambiguous so that you know what actions to take. The challenge the current crisis poses for sense-makers lies in the fluidity of events and how liable they are to rapid change. Sense-making is a leadership responsibility, highly valuable, and may enhance your legacy. However, it does not necessarily result in action, as there is often no end to the information that comes. There comes a time where you must make do with the information you have.
Way-Making
Similar to sense-making, way-making is defined as forging a solution despite difficulty, impossibility or uncertainty. The key differentiator between the two activities is that way-making is action-based and dependent on sense-making. It bridges the present to the future, invokes the pioneer spirit, and incorporates what you have learned in the sense-making process, Kevin adds. Way-makers begin their journey by assessing where they are now. They don’t need to have it all figured out; they just find the next step and follow it forward.
Resources
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
Searching for Hope with Dr. Rick Rigsby
Dr. Rick Rigsby is a former college professor, motivational speaker, minister, and President and CEO of Rick Rigsby Communications. He is also a USA Today, Amazon, and The Wall Street Journal best-selling author. He returns to the Higher Purpose Podcast to talk about hope: an invaluable asset to living a happy life.
The Benefits of Being Broken
Circumstances never leave you the same as you were before them. If a difficult season in your life breaks you, there's an unknown authenticity that can pour out of you as a result. Rick tells Kevin Monroe he feels at ease around broken people because they are authentic. He shares a definition of humility from his late friend: “Humility is the absolute God-given ability that eliminates the need to prove the worth of who you are and the rightness of what you do.” Broken people are humble, which is why Rick enjoys their company.
Losing Perspective
We are all leaders, Rick says. Leadership is influence; you are a leader if you are influencing anyone within your periphery. The first thing that's lost in a crisis is perspective, which it is incumbent upon a leader to lead with. Maintaining perspective is crucial to leadership during difficult times, as it can lead to hope for a better day. Feeling like you’ve lost hope is a result of losing perspective. As long as you are still breathing, you have hope.
Hope is...
Our casual use of the word hope has relegated it to the basement of human emotion and neutered its power. Rick defines hope as a quality contained within every human spirit that places a transformative demand upon the heart to believe for the absolute best outcome. Hope is more powerful than a strategy: a strategy is a plan, whereas hope is a belief; strategy is external, whereas hope is an internal virtue that can improve your quality of life.
Hope energizes, it’s active, alive, passionate, and transformative. It requires courage. Fear is a reaction; courage is a choice. One must choose to be brave even through fear. Hope requires faith. Lastly, the characteristic that moves hope out of the realm of strategy is the requirement of an immediate decisive response.
Renewing Your Mind
The thoughts we cultivate have a butterfly effect on other aspects of our lives, so we should pay careful attention to them. You have to renew your mind in order to not be negatively affected by external factors. Every day a choice must be made to replace thoughts of negativity with positive thoughts and affirmations, especially during the current crisis.
Unfounded Hope
Kevin shares a saying his friend told him; misplaced hope is more dangerous than not having hope at all. Rick says that rather than misplaced, the more applicable description would be unfounded hope, which he defines as hope based on a set arbitrary condition. While it is critical to have hope, one must remain realistic with one’s expectations, else they will be reducing hope to wish fulfillment. However, not having any hope at all, Rick believes, is death to the soul. Hope is idiosyncratic, so even if your hope may seem unfounded to others, if it is what keeps you moving forward, there is no room for judgment.
Resources
Rick Rigsby on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
The Healing Organization with Raj Sisodia
Rajendra Sisodia is an author and the co-founder and co-Chairman of Conscious Capitalism Inc. He is also the FW Olin Distinguished Professor of Global Business and Whole Foods Market Research Scholar in Conscious Capitalism at Babson College. His latest book, The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World, explores the idea of business as healing. He joins Kevin Monroe to discuss his book, and how its principles apply to organizations around the world.
Epidemic of Silent Suffering
Raj claims that the current crisis has only exacerbated underlying problems within the workplace and society: it has “made explicit what was already quite implicit and under the surface.” The faults in our systems have always been the unseen part of the iceberg. He shares statistics concerning stress-related deaths, overworking and disengagement, stating that it is evidence of an epidemic of silent suffering. Vulnerability has always defined us as human beings, he comments, but now it unites us. He and Kevin discuss their personal response to the current crisis. Raj says that he has been thinking about how he can serve.
The Healing Organization
A healing organization recognizes the role of business in the world. Raj believes human beings are put here to take care of each other. If you start a business, you could touch the lives of potentially thousands of people. Businesses which have the mindset of serving others and meeting their real needs are places of healing for those who work there. Employees leave work at the end of the day feeling better off than when they came in. They can also be a source of healing for customers and communities, as they provide goods and services that make a positive difference in their lives, rather than simply feeding their desires and addictions. Capitalism, Raj says, is the way in which we can cooperate with each other to achieve things we cannot do by ourselves, and come together with a shared purpose and shared values.
Healing Leaders
Unexpressed human caring is the most abundant underutilized resource in the world. Human beings have a need and desire to care: it brings fulfilment to our lives. If we can connect silent suffering and unexpressed human caring, we would have the opportunity for healing to take place, for both the receiver of care and the caregiver. Leaders must model the vulnerability and the willingness to express their needs. Kevin asks what differentiates regular leaders from leaders of healing organizations. Raj replies that leaders of healing organizations have a more expanded view of leadership; they recognize that leadership is the stewardship of the lives entrusted to them, and that the way they lead impacts the way people live. Leaders, however, cannot be healing leaders if they haven’t yet healed themselves. Kevin inquires whether every business can become a healing organization. Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future, Raj quotes.
The Right Thing to Do
Organizations shouldn’t decide to do the right thing purely because it may be good for business. Leaders must believe that taking care of people is the right thing to do in order to do it for the right reasons. The notion that the wellbeing of people is only an instrument that contributes to profits has to change. The business of business is people. True business creates value.
Resources
Raj Sisodia on LinkedIn | Twitter
The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
Resilience During Challenging Times with Tim Arnold
Tim Arnold is the author of The Power of Healthy Tension: Overcome Chronic Issues and Conflicting Values. He is a speaker and facilitator at StoryBrand, and the President of Leaders for Leaders. He joins Kevin Monroe to share the secrets to resilience and results during challenging times.
Tensions
Everyone deals with tension in their everyday lives, and tension is generally considered to be a bad thing. However, Tim says, not all tension is inherently bad. Ignoring or avoiding tensions may only cause them to escalate; if we choose to embrace them, it can lead to a level of effectiveness, and more impactful relationships with others. During challenging times, there are a few tensions that matter and need to be managed in healthy ways. When you’re dealing with tension you need to see both sides of the struggle. We may want to pick one side more strongly when we’re under pressure, but Tim warns that it is the worst time to choose one side and neglect the other.
Resilience
Tim defines resilience as the ability to keep going when your circumstances are against you. It is something you assess over time. Three tensions that are critical to obtain and maintain resilience are: optimism and realism, embracing change while staying rooted in stability, and caring for others while not neglecting to care for yourself. He explains each tension and what they entail.
Optimism and Realism
There is something in our psyche that loves binary options, Tim says. Though the tension is between picking a side, in order to be resilient you must be fully immersed in both ends of the spectrum of both optimism and realism. Kevin likens it to an infinity loop rather than a pure continuum. One must retain hope for a better future while remaining aware of and acknowledging the bitter facts of reality, Tim paraphrases. He shares three steps to managing tensions: accept the tension; assess the tension; and leverage the tension.
Change and Stability
Change brings with it new circumstances, which may cause you to neglect your core values and let go of what really matters. When difficult times pass, ensure that you are still the same regarding who you serve, the values you are committed to, and the level of quality you are known for. However, you must be open to change and the experience and perspective it gives.
Caring for Others and Oneself
Tim and Kevin discuss how you can reach out to others during the pandemic, and what you can do to help them. Kevin recounts a lesson from a previous episode: people think that they need to do grand gestures in order to assist anyone. Rather than thinking of all the things you wish you could be doing, think about one small thing that you’re going to start doing, Tim says. He comments on the misconception of self-care perpetuated by mass media, stating that simplistic rituals such as sitting down to enjoy a cup of coffee are just as effective.
Resources
Tim Arnold on LinkedIn | Twitter
Join Kevin and Tim for their first series of WayMaking Sessions -- helping you navigate your way forward: ZoomMeIn.com
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
Bringing Gratitude with Karl Staib
Karl Staib is the founder and President of Domino Connection, an author, and owner of Bring Gratitude LLC. His most recent book, Bring Gratitude: Feel Joyful Again with Bite-Sized Mindset Practices, talks about bringing gratitude to each and every situation in your life, whether good or bad. He joins Kevin Monroe to discuss the contents of his book and how its principles apply to the current pandemic.
Gratitude is the Foundation
More emphasis needs to be placed on gratitude in our daily lives because gratitude is the foundation of where we can start to make changes, Karl says. The more we put our focus on the things we are grateful for, the more those things will come to light and add abundance to our experiences. Gratitude is a key component in living a more joyful life. According to Karl, gratitude is the best way to release endorphins in your brain. These ‘feel-good’ chemicals make us less stressed and help calm us. When we are calm, we make better choices, which enables us to do things that truly matter to us.
An Opportunity
The current global pandemic gives us the opportunity for us to understand and have more compassion for those around us. We can use this time of social distancing to make shifts in our mindsets and habits. Although it is scary and we must remain cautious and vigilant, we should not let this opportunity go to waste.
Finding Gratitude in the Challenge
“If I can turn any situation into a growth experience, I can appreciate any moment now,” Kevin quotes from Karl’s book. He asks Karl how it may apply to our current situation. Karl replies that everyone struggles on a daily basis, and if we practice compassion, it opens up our hearts and makes it easier to feel gratitude even during the struggle. He describes a challenge he faced during the pandemic, and how he was able to subvert it by his regular practices of gratitude.
The Strength of Gratitude
In addition to sending out endorphins, gratitude shifts our mindsets. It has a direct effect on what we choose to think about, which dictates who we are and how we behave. It is a powerful tool that helps moderate our reactions to negative experiences. Karl says that bringing gratitude to negative interactions with people allows you to be thoughtful of your next steps. Meditation is a huge part of gratitude, he adds, because it enables you to pause and appreciate the whole moment. This ensures that you do not get swept away by your thoughts and succumb to your ‘inner bully.’ It teaches you your triggers, and once you are aware of them, then you can use gratitude and compassion to make sure you stay level-headed.
Positive Rumination
The things you think about at the end of the day will go into your long term memory. Additionally, what you put into your head at night solidifies as thoughts and feelings the next day. If you focus on negative things like dwelling on your mistakes, you gain nothing but negativity. However, if you acknowledge your mistakes and approach them with the intention of learning from them, you gain knowledge and perspective. You must take the negative moments and flip them into positive ones in order to live a joyful life. The people that grow and achieve success are the ones who learn from their mistakes.
Resources
Karl Staib on LinkedIn | Twitter
Bring Gratitude on Facebook
Bring Gratitude: Feel Joyful Again with Bite-Sized Mindset Practices
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
The Power of Onlyness with Nilofer Merchant
Nilofer Merchant is a famous author and speaker for TED Conferences. Her most recent book, The Power of Onlyness, talks about worthiness and the connected individuality of all human beings. She joins Kevin Monroe to discuss her book and how the principles in it apply to current events.
The New Normal
Nilofer talks about the things people are doing to help those in need. People now have the voice to create change, she says. She gives an example of altruism that arose due to the coronavirus, and states that society may come to the point where we realize our fates are linked rather than ranked or separated. She ponders on the possibility of the care with which we treat others and the connectivity we have established becoming the new normal. Onlyness’ role in this is to be the combination of voice and belonging that creates real change and lasting connection between people.
Making a Difference
There are people who feel like they should be doing more. Part of their struggle is that they think they need to do something of a grander scale to make a difference. All they need to do is care for the person next to them, Kevin says. He shares a story from a children’s book about contribution, explaining that even the smallest thing makes a difference. Nilofer adds that whatever you pay attention to grows, so if you focus more on having a grand plan rather than actually showing love, it’s counteractive. Center on what you know and what you can do right in the moment, and the rest will take care of itself.
Onlyness
Nilofer defines onlyness as the source of all ideas and innovation. Onlyness is contrary to the traditional hierarchy of worthy contribution and holds an egalitarian view that everyone has something of value to add to the world. We have been conditioned to believe that our level of capability relies solely on measures such as level of education, but that is a lie, Nilofer says. For example, we now realize how dependent we are on grocery store workers, a position that has historically been considered low-skilled. They are part of a system that feeds us, which allows us to exist and do our creative work. Contribute, don’t compare.
Part of A System
When you enter a room, your light illuminates the entire space. This makes it difficult to discern your own ‘only’ because the light you shine is also the filter you see the world through. Here is where others come in to help you, as they have the perspective to see the difference in the world when you are present and absent. The meaning of the individual is the smallest measure of humankind, so even alone, you are never disconnected.
Parking Your Fears
Nilofer says she has to park her fears in order to be present for a conversation. Fear always demands to be heard and gets louder the more it is ignored. She believes fear acts as a signal, like every other emotion. It doesn’t have to rule you, but you need to pay attention to it.
Hope Is A Bridge
“Hope is a thing with others that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all,” Nilofer quotes. She shares a past experience in which she thought hope was something lightweight, but now she defines it as the bridge we have to walk across in order to get to a new future. She believes that unity happens because two people are both going toward the same thing together.
Resources
Nilofer Merchant on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The Power of Onlyness: Make Your Wild Ideas Mighty Enough to Dent the World
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
There is Hope with Jane Adshead-Grant
Jane Adshead-Grant is an ambassador for Truly Human Leadership and this week’s guest. She was recently a part of the Truly Human Leadership World Tour. She joins Kevin Monroe to talk about the importance of hope, optimism, and connectivity.
Visions of Hope
Jane has been collecting and sharing stories of acts of kindness and compassion, which gives her hope that we will get through this pandemic. She believes that we will also sustain the compassion and connection we are practicing right now. In many situations in life, you have the option to become either better or bitter, Kevin reminds listeners. He is glad that the birds, unlike much of the global population, didn’t get the memo to stop singing and be joyful.
Truly Human Leadership World Tour
Jane describes her experience in the Truly Human Leadership World Tour as profound and meaningful. One point that seemed to resonate deeply with the audience was the concept of treating your team members like they are your precious children. This concept is especially relevant today when leaders are working remotely with team members in this unprecedented time.
How Leaders are Taking Charge
Kevin shares what he learned about Truly Human Leadership from the last episode with Bob Chapman, and asks Jane what it was like to see it in action. Jane mentions what Bob did to make people feel acknowledged and appreciated. She also discloses how the leaders she coaches are navigating through the pivot to a remote work environment, while displaying admirable values in their leadership. Jane believes it is important, during virtual meetings, to let members express how they feel, as it enables them to feel more connected to their team. Acknowledging people by their names with a short, heartfelt greeting as they join meetings (and even in emails) makes them feel seen and cared for.
Why Optimism Is Important
Kevin asks why Jane thinks optimism is essential and not frivolous. She replies that it is a tool leaders can use to lift others up and create a sense of hope. With optimism comes empathy and sensitivity. Jane recounts how Bob answered a difficult question on the tour. When told some people would take him for granted, Bob said that while he is aware it’s a possibility. It’s not his job to focus on those people. It’s important to look at the goodness of people, so they can be who they are meant to be. Jane describes optimism as a grounded reality.
Resources
Jane Adshead-Grant on LinkedIn | Facebook
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
Truly Human Leadership with Bob Chapman
Bob Chapman, author, CEO and Chairman at Barry-Wehmiller Companies, is this week’s honored guest. He joins Kevin Monroe on the Higher Purpose Podcast to discuss the true meaning and responsibilities of leadership.
Perpetual Optimism
Kevin asks Bob how his optimism equips him to navigate seasons of uncertainty. Bob responds that our greatest growth comes from our greatest challenges, and that he takes life on one day at a time. Everybody has a lens, Bob says, and though he’s not sure what creates the lens through which we see the world, he was blessed with one of optimism so he sees the good in people.
Leadership
Bob believes that a leader’s fundamental responsibility is to give the people in their care a sense of hope for a better future. A core issue is that leaders are not taught to care for people, and instead know how to to use people for their success. Bob defines management as ‘the manipulation of others for your success,’ whereas leadership is ‘the stewardship of those entrusted to you.’
Span of Care
Bob describes ‘employee’ as too much of a technical term to apply to humans. He had a key revelation that everyone in his span of care is someone’s precious child. Research shows that the way leaders treat those in their span of care has a profound effect on their health. Every business should be the most powerful force for good in the world because they have people in their care for at least 40 hours a week, every week. The way people are treated will affect not only themselves but their families and lives and communities.
Truly Human Leadership
Leadership during a crisis starts with a fundamental responsibility to both the individual and the organization, Bob says. You can’t decide to do the right thing for the people without considering the impact it may have on the business, because the business provides for the people. Truly human leadership looks at both the organization's health and the people’s health and leads with it in a positive way.
Kevin and Bob hope that leaders are able to keep their feet on solid ground and lift their vision to see beyond this current crisis. Many are making hard decisions that affect the lives and futures of many others, and so, should be a voice of reason and a source of hope for those they lead.
Resources
Bob Chapman on LinkedIn | Twitter
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
Leading with Gratitude with Chester Elton
Chester Elton is a speaker, coach, mentor and best-selling author at Gostick & Elton, as well as a partner and the Founder of “The Culture Works.” His most recent book, Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results, is the topic of discussion in this week’s episode as he joins Kevin Monroe to talk about gratitude and recognition.
Gratitude
Kevin believes gratitude makes a huge difference in times of calm, crisis, or chaos. Chester adds that we often get caught up in the moment and forget to take a longer view. Even during the chaos of current events, there are many amazing things in your life that you could be grateful for. And when put in perspective, they give you the strength and momentum to overcome hard times, and the opportunity to deepen the relationships you have with people.
Feeling Forgotten
There’s nothing worse, in both the workplace and especially in one’s personal life, than feeling forgotten, Chester says. Nothing connects people more than simple acts of reaching out, such as texts saying ‘I love you’, which affirm feelings of value and importance. People are less likely to express gratitude at work than any place else; consequently, people are more likely to feel forgotten at work. Saying ‘thank you’ in the workplace is the moral equivalent of saying ‘I love you’ in your personal life, Chester adds. A study shows that 82% of people will work harder if their boss expresses gratitude. Gratitude creates feelings of belonging.
Leading with Gratitude
Gratitude attracts gratitude, Chester says. When you’re happy, engaged and motivated at work, you are 150% more likely to be the same way in your personal life. The goal of Chester’s book is to create great workplaces which have that ripple effect into homes and communities. It’s so we can take our best selves home after taking our best selves to work.
Kevin says a sincere ‘thank you’ never gets old, to which Chester adds that general praise has no impact, and specificity is meaningful. In showing gratitude to your employees, you must remember that what works for one person may not work for someone else, which is why it’s important to know your people. Not only must the expression of gratitude be appropriate to the person, it should also be appropriate to the accomplishment.
Find Your Gratitude
Kevin and Chester extend a special invitation for listeners to participate in a new collaborative project. Find out more at FindYourGratitude.community.
Resources
Chester Elton on LinkedIn | Twitter
Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
Sharing Your Story with Michelle Prince
Michelle Prince, CEO and founder of Performance Publishing Group and the Book Bound Workshop, is this week’s guest. Michelle is a Ziglar Certified Speaker and best-selling author. She joins Kevin Monroe in this week’s episode to chat about her most recent book, The Power of Authority, passion and purpose, and sharing your story.
The GPS of Life
Michelle likens the mind and subconscious to a GPS. You program your GPS to take you to your destination, and often don’t care what route you end up taking, so long as you get there. Sometimes there are potholes and detours, but eventually, you will arrive at the destination you programmed. The opposite is also true, she warns. If you dwell too much on destinations you don’t want to go to, your GPS’ programming will be inclined to take you there. Michelle is a big believer in getting clarity on what you truly want in life and positively affirming where you want to go. It doesn’t prevent difficulties, but it allows you to easily reset your coordinates and get back on track. It comes right back to gratitude, Michelle says, which doesn’t mean that everything is great; gratitude just means you choose to focus on what is good at the moment.
Your Story is Not About You
Michelle recalls that she wrote her first book with the intention of only her family being her readers. However, a friend convinced her to share it to a wider audience so she could make a difference to others. She advertised it on Facebook and people started buying the book, and gradually she began getting calls asking her to speak and coach in many places. Sharing your story is all about serving people, she says. Your story is not about you, but about someone else and the benefit you can provide to them.
Passion and Purpose
Passion is a clue to your purpose. Michelle believes everyone was put on Earth for a reason, and that the intersection of passion and purpose gives people their stories. Most individuals have a measure of pain in their stories, and if there is no connection between your pain and a passion to help others with the same or a similar experience, it may not be sufficient enough to write a book about. Kevin shares some advice that was relayed to him by a friend: it’s helpful when we can talk about our pain from our scars and not our wounds. There needs to be distance between when your pain was first dealt and when you start to share the story behind it because you need enough time to heal.
The Power of Authority
Everyone has a story worth telling, and this book will help you write it. The Power of Authority teaches readers that we all have the power to be the authority in our lives. You can’t spell authority without the word author, Michelle says. She believes that becoming an author is one of the easiest ways to gain authority over one’s niche. However, if you don’t want to write, this book will teach you how to claim the authority of your story.
Resources
PerformancePublishingGroup.com
Michelle Prince on Facebook | LinkedIn
Email: support@michelleprince.com
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
On Purpose-Powered Leadership
Kevin connects with listeners as he reflects on the path that led him to this week’s episode of Higher Purpose Podcast. He shares insights about purpose, culture, and leadership in business and how they are the trifecta for success.
Servant Leadership
If servant leadership is the answer, what question is being asked? Kevin recounts his experiences working with numerous companies who were drawn to servant leadership. Companies that operate on servant leadership usually characterize themselves as either purpose-driven, value-based, or people-focused. They tend to gravitate toward this type of leadership because they feel it is the best approach to achieving their purpose. Servant leadership aligns with the values they want to see come alive in the world.
The PCL Framework
Kevin describes a purpose-powered business as a Venn Diagram of three interlocking circles, with one circle below and two on top. The lower circle is purpose (P) because it is the starting point, direction and destination of a business. When done well, purpose permeates all facets of a business and unites all departments and initiatives into a symphonic endeavor. The top circles are culture (C) and leadership (L). Kevin defines culture as the way things are done daily in an organization. While in most organizations culture happens by default, purpose-powered businesses design their culture, anchor it in a rich set of values and beliefs, and actively cultivate it. In addition, purpose-powered businesses recognize leadership as a function and not a position, and empower employees at all levels to think for themselves. Every purpose powered leader is a coach seeking to encourage everyone on the team to live out the company values and use the values combined with data to make prudent decisions.
Kevin says that to make a difference, purpose needs to be paired with action around culture and leadership. If an organization is strong in purpose and culture but lacks leadership, they may have a high degree of devotion to the purpose, but do not have as much movement toward their results and outcomes. If they are strong in purpose and leadership but do not cultivate culture, they may have a high sense of drive, but it may be to the detriment of their people. Finally, if a company lacks purpose but has leadership and culture, they may have a high sense of duty, but it may be adrift.
Resources
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
The Amare Way with Moshe Engelberg
Kevin Monroe chats with Moshe Engelberg, author and CEO of ResearchWorks, Inc. about his latest book, entitled The Amare Wave: Uplifting Business by Putting Love to Work (The Amare Way). They discuss key points in the book, as well as how they can be applied and practiced.
Writing the Book
Kevin asks Moshe what inspired him to write his book. Moshe answers that it would be more appropriate to say the book wrote him instead. The common business mentality of disdain towards customers, combined with the predatory and warlike language of business, and his own spiritual journey were his muses for the book.
Surfing the Wave
Kevin comments on the bandwagonist behavior that some companies have: he says that they adopt a certain principle or behavior to get ahead, rather than sincerely believing it in their hearts. Moshe shares two perspectives on this: sometimes we need to change our behaviors before we change our beliefs, and so some companies that genuinely want development adopt these practices to promote change. The other perspective is that some companies have an opportunistic view of promoting love in the workplace, and use it for financial benefit.
Love, and Its Many Names
Moshe stresses that it doesn’t matter what you choose to call love; as long as you practice it, you can call it whatever you wish. Some people embrace the concepts of love but are uncomfortable with the language, and so use other words like appreciation as a substitute
Actions, Words and Values
Companies that practice the Amare Way do so by actively expressing authenticity, belonging and collaboration. Their words and actions are consistent with their values. Moshe paraphrases Plato, “What is honored in a company is cultivated there.” The ideal is to achieve alignment between what people believe, say and do.
Moshe hopes that more and more companies will develop the courage to implement love at work, treat their employees well, and have leaders that learn to love themselves. “It starts from the inside and spreads outwards. You can’t give what you don’t have,” he says.
Resources
The Amare Wave: Uplifting Business by Putting Love to Work (The Amare Way)
Moshe Engelberg on LinkedIn
Email: moshe@mosheengelberg.com
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111
Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade
Why Belonging at Work Matters with Dr. Gabriella Kellerman
Dr. Gabriella Kellerman, Chief Innovation Officer of BetterUp, head of BetterUp Labs and co-author of the article entitled The Value of Belonging at Work, converses with Kevin Monroe about the missing link between diversity and inclusion: belonging.
Listen to the full episode:
The Missing Link
Kevin asks whether BetterUp has uncovered the answer to the question of the missing link between diversity and inclusion. Gabriella answers BetterUp has been able to prove that belonging is, in fact, that missing link. Gabriella describes her organization as a “mobile development platform” that does one-to-one coaching with individuals around the globe on personal professional development. Belonging is one part of BetterUp’s six pillars of employees’ experience index, and, as such, is a significant part of how they help and support their clients in their development.
Unbelonging and Belonging
Researchers at BetterUp coined the term “unbelonging” to describe someone’s internal experience, not considering external factors such as inclusion or exclusion. Kevin adds that the idea of unbelonging expresses one’s personal experience of a group, independent of what may be happening within the group. Gabriella says that BetterUp’s definition of “belonging” is your internal experience of feeling like part of a group which cannot be triggered by people behaving inclusively.
The Impact of Unbelonging
Gabriella shares research recorded by BetterUp Labs. People usually respond to feelings of exclusion in one of three ways:
- You work less hard: If you perceive exclusion, you may have a decreased motivation to work and you would put in less effort.
- There is no impact: You are not affected by feelings of exclusion and it doesn’t affect how you perform.
- You work even harder than you are required to: You feel motivated to go above and beyond in your work to earn your spot.
Belonging in Business
Having a sense of belonging in an organization is good for business. According to Gabriella, people who feel they belong are 50% less likely to quit their jobs and perform up to 56% better than those who feel they do not. Individuals who experience high degrees of belonging take 75% fewer sick days. Gabriella describes the research her team did and the evidence-based practices that lead to a greater sense of belonging they discovered from their investigations.
How to Belong at Work
Positivity resonance is a concept that describes the depth of connection you feel with someone in a particular moment. You have to allow yourself to feel a certain degree of vulnerability in order to have that deep connection. The same is true at work. Feeling connected to your coworkers means that you allow them to get to know the real you, and vice versa.
Gabriella shares practical tips to help you if you feel you don’t belong. If you want to help someone feel like they belong, she has advice for you as well:
- Share your own experiences of feeling like you don’t belong, and how you got through it;
- If you’re in a position to effect change, create more conditions of belonging for them. Simply being a fair-minded ally can be of tremendous help.
Resources
The Value of Belonging at Work (Report)
The Value of Belonging at Work (Whitepaper)
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com
Call or text Kevin: 678-744-5111
Join the community: KevinDMonroe.com/decade