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 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.
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)