Creating a 'Humans First' Workplace with Marcel Schwantes
Release Date: 01/22/2019
Allowing Humans to be Human with Mark LeBusque
Higher Purpose Podcast
Joining us for another session on what it means to live, love, work, and lead in a humans first kind of way is Mark LeBusque. He describes his work as allowing humans to be human, whether that’s in the workplace, outside of the workplace, or in their communities. We talk about the magic that happens when you allow humans to get back to connecting, and why we need to be human beings before we can become human doings.
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Everybody Matters with Bob Chapman
Higher Purpose Podcast
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.
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The 7 Laws of Employee Loyalty with Heather Younger
Higher Purpose Podcast
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.
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Being a Brave Leader with Kimberly Davis
Higher Purpose Podcast
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 humans first way. Today we’re joined by Kimberly Davis, the author of Brave Leadership and the Founder and Director of OnStage Leadership, and on this episode she talks about showing up as our best selves, making our impact, and leading from the heart.
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How Leadership is Evolving with Sesil Pir
Higher Purpose Podcast
Is there a magic pill to make your team and organization work? Welcome to another installment in what it means to live, love, lead, and work in a humans first way. Today we have Sesil Pir, an organizational psychologist and a leading researcher on workplaces and workplace culture. She’s here to share her keen insights on the future of work and human resources, and why we need to challenge the status quo of work to suit the way we’re built as human beings.
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Finding Real Happiness at Work with Brooke Erol
Higher Purpose Podcast
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.
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The 7 Simple Superpowers of the HumansFirst Heroes
Higher Purpose Podcast
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.
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Being a Chief Heart Officer with Claude Silver
Higher Purpose Podcast
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.
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The Future of Work with Dr. Heather Hanson Wickman
Higher Purpose Podcast
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?
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Making Work More Human with Renée Smith
Higher Purpose Podcast
What does it look like when we 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?”
info_outlineWhat 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?
What’s fueling the energy behind the 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?
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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)