Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of global partnership marketing agency Acceleration Partners. A serial entrepreneur, award-winning executive, and accomplished operator, Bob has a passion for helping individuals and organizations build their capacity and elevate their performance. Bob is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today international bestselling author of four books, his most recent being How To Thrive In The Virtual Workplace: Simple and Effective Tips For Successful, Productive and Empowered Remote Work. He is this week’s guest on this episode of Love In Action, sponsored by Duck Creek Technologies. Marcel asks Bob about how he started his newsletter, Friday Forward. “I had a folder of just some quotes and some stories and things that I liked, so I started to fire off an email to my team… it's like spicy chicken soup for the soul [that] challenges you or pushes you to consider something… I don't know if anyone was even reading it but I was enjoying the process of thinking about these things and writing about them. And then 5 to 6 weeks later I heard from people that they really liked it… they were sharing it outside the company,” Bob shares. [5:58] People who oppose remote work may find themselves facing difficulties later down the line. “A notable CEO called remote work ‘an aberration that needs to be corrected as soon as possible,’ yet when the company released their earnings for the quarter with employees remote, it was recorded as the single highest revenue and profitability in the history of the company,” Bob remarks. “So clearly, something is working.” [13:55] Managers aren’t good at delegating, according to Bob. When a new manager comes in, they are rewarded for doing work, and their delegation skills suffer for it. [19:39] “When you get promoted to manager… you are now rewarded for how good your people are; you should be feeling that warm, fuzzy feeling when someone says ‘your team is crushing it,’ not ‘you were crushing it.’ You are the conductor, you're not playing the instruments,” Bob warns. [22:09] Marcel asks Bob what the secrets to his success are. “I try… to be consistent between what we believe, what we say, and what we do,” he responds. “I spent a lot of my time focusing on developing our people; it's what I enjoy. There's probably other aspects of being a CEO that I'm not as good at… I think what really frustrates people about leadership is people not being authentic,” he adds. [28:46] “My dominant core value is ‘find a better way and share it,’” Bob comments. “Self-reliance, respectful authenticity, long term orientation and health and vitality… I make decisions based on these things. The company values are own it, embrace relationships, excel, and improve.” [33:28] Leaders that want to reform their company culture should first work on their core values, Bob advises. “Figure out your personal core values and what the organization wants; be radically honest with the world about that and get the right people on board,” he says. [39:12] “I always find that [change] is not about committing to a huge [goal] on January 1st. I'm more likely to believe in the person that starts doing one or two little things than the one who says they’re going to change their life and lose 30 pounds,” Bob muses. “I always say to do the 1% rule: do just one thing better. 1% a day in that direction rather than stressing yourself out making huge changes is more likely to give you better outcomes.” A special thanks to our sponsor, Duck Creek Technologies for making the episode possible. Built for insurance, by insurance. Duck Creek Technologies offers the vision and tools you need to drive your business in 2021 and beyond. Visit www.duckcreek.com to learn more. Resources Robert Glazer on LinkedIn How To Thrive In The Virtual Workplace: Simple and Effective Tips For Successful, Productive and Empowered Remote Work

Love in Action

Remote Work, Cultivating Culture, and Change with Robert Glazer

As Chief Strategy Officer at Duck Creek Technologies, Eva Huston is responsible for building value for the technology and spearheading corporate strategy on a global scale. She is also an independent board member at E2open and previously served as CFO at Verisk Analytics, as well as Managing Director at JPMorgan. Eva is Marcel Schwantes’s guest on this episode of Love In Action.  “I think that whenever you can bring your whole self [to work] ... you're just going to be better. Regardless of your background, everybody has something special to bring to the table,” Eva comments. [7:10] Marcel asks Eva to share lessons she learned moving up the ranks as a woman in a male dominated industry. “You'll hear that a theme in my career is that I would create a role that didn’t exist... It's finding new ways to bring value to a company,” she replies. “I tried to look for creative ways to approach things and some ways that might be more traditionally female.” [10:11] Leading with love starts by seeing and honoring the people on your team, Eva says. You would think that you would automatically do that while spending time with them, but it’s common to be around someone for a long time and still not truly see or honor them. Practical love starts when you look at who your team is, what motivates them, and what lies in their hearts. By doing that, you validate them as people. [17:37] “As you go up the leadership ranks, I think that you have to find ways to show your strength that are more indirect so people feel like they have that freedom to grow and flourish,” Eva shares. [21:38] Marcel asks Eva what leadership trait is the hardest to internalize and carry out. “Patience,” she responds. “It's hard for leaders because a person who views themselves as a leader wants to run forward and go fast and get things done. You almost have to counterbalance that with that patience and say like ‘Who's on my team? What do they have to bring?,’ and ‘Let's not start running at a target before we know what we've got here.’” [26:32] It’s hard to be soft, Eva claims, which is why soft skills are so hard to grasp. “That's just something that we as leaders have to realize: that being soft, being human, and being down to earth and approachable is what's going to make our businesses perform the best.” [30:42] A special thanks to our sponsor, Duck Creek Technologies for making the episode possible. Built for insurance, by insurance. Duck Creek Technologies offers the vision and tools you need to drive your business in 2021 and beyond. Visit www.duckcreek.com to learn more. Resources Eva Huston on LinkedIn Duck Creek Technologies | LinkedIn | Twitter

Authenticity, Leadership, and Love with Eva Huston

Marcel Schwantes’ guest on this episode of Love In Action is Susan McPherson, founder, and CEO of McPherson Strategies. A renowned keynote speaker and facilitator at American Speakers Bureau, Susan is also a founding member of Kindred, and a board member at THE LIST and The 19th. She has over 25 years of experience in marketing, PR, and sustainability communications. Her most recent book - The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships - provides insights on how to forge lasting relationships and foster value-based connections.  Technology is a tool that helps us connect, but we tend to measure connection by clicks, likes, and followers, according to Susan. [9:06] Marcel shares his experience of seemingly genuine attempts at connection which turned out to be someone trying to sell him something. “When we reach out to others,” Susan advises, “lead with how you can be helpful; go as far as doing a little bit of research about the person before you reach out to them.” [12:49] We are now more wired than ever before, but somehow we're more disconnected from each other, Marcel claims. He asks Susan how we can address the current ‘loneliness epidemic.’ "I think intentionality has broken down the loneliness during this pandemic,” Susan replies. “One of the ways we can help ourselves be less lonely is by reaching out to the people that we know.” [19:05] “From a professional perspective, I learned early on that if you don’t have a seat at the table, you have to make your own. If you invite two people and ask them to bring two people, guess what: you're the convener, you're bringing the people together.  There’s joy, love, and power in that,” Susan remarks. [23:30] Research shows that friendships and meaningful connections at work directly impact an organization’s performance. Productivity skyrockets, turnover rates decrease, and people are more likely to recommend the company to someone they know and admire, Susan shares. [27:02] Marcel asks Susan how leaders can show love in the workplace. “I think we have to look inside ourselves and think about what our superpowers are, what our strengths are, and what we can do to help others. When we can find that, then we can share those with the people that we care about, the people that help us succeed,” she says. [31:59] Resources Susan McPherson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships

Learning the Lost Art of Connecting with Susan McPherson

On this episode of the Love in Action Podcast, Marcel Schwantes is talking to Helena Clayton, a researcher who focuses on the practical application of love in the workplace. Helena has been working as a coach and facilitator for 25 years, helping organizations through struggles and challenges from a foundation of love. They talk about what is possible in organizations when you lead with love – and what it looks like when you do. ·    Helena has found that as a coach, you get access and information about difficulties and pain that people usually keep to themselves – and when you approach them with love, and bring them to the group, healing can happen. She eventually asked: “How can the love in practice that happens individually find its way into organizations?” Marcel notes that this is critical because fear, pain and toxicity at work can lead to poor health outcomes for workers [03:25] ·    Marcel asks Helena what made her decide that her research was really needed now, and she shares that when she told her colleagues she was going to be focused on love, people were skeptical. Although the idea has gained more traction, there is still resistance to the concept. “The word love comes with connotations of religion, romance, inappropriate sexual conduct, or sentiment.” Different definitions are needed, and she has uncovered several high-level strands of how people think about love in the workplace: care, listening, holding strong boundaries, and acceptance. [06:00] ·    One of the questions Helene explored in her research was “What would it be like if love were present in the workplace?” She and Marcel discuss the responses to that question, noting that people believe they would benefit hugely if it was the case – bringing their best selves to work, being less fearful, being more able to collaborate, and ultimately be more creative and innovative. [12:10] ·    Getting down to brass tacks, Marcel points out that there are still many people who say: “This will never work for my company,” and asks Helena what she would say to those people about the difference that love can make. She says it’s a question of leadership philosophy, what are the assumptions we make about what work is? [18:40] ·    Helena and Marcel talk about masculine vs. feminine traits in leadership, and how they don’t really align with gender – all people have the capacity for all traits, even if they display some more than others. Helena reminds us that “Love is a core human need,” and Marcel adds that we have the capacity to love people at work – it’s only that modern workplace culture dictates we suppress it. [25:20] ·    If we talk about love, we might end up developing practices that are about empathy, compassion and nurturing. If we start with a big word like love, we end up with that, but if we start with a smaller word like compassion we get something watered down. This is why intentionally talking about love is so important. Helena recommends just start the conversations: “what we think about, we bring about.” [31:20] Resources: Twitter: @HelenaClayton HelenaClayton.co.uk

How Are You Really? Breaking Down the Data about Love in the Workplace with Helena Clayton

This week’s show is one of the best yet! Dr. Nate Regier gives Marcel Schwantes and listeners a new way to think about conflict, calling it the greatest untapped energy resource in the world. Considering that Gallup estimates that negative conflict costs the US economy $350 billion a year, Nate’s statement seems doubly shocking. He joins Marcel to discuss this counterintuitive idea as well as his new book, Conflict Without Casualties: A Field Guide For Compassionate Accountability. Dr. Nate Regier is the co-founder and CEO of Next Element, a global leadership training and certification company specializing in communication and conflict skills. He is an expert in positive conflict, social and emotional intelligence and leadership, neuropsychology, and group dynamics. [2:00] Conflict Without Casualties is a field guide that covers actionable techniques and strategies to deal with conflict, based on Nate’s years of research and experience. [4:42] Mediation, management and reduction are some of the most popular terms associated with conflict, Nate says. This implies that conflict is the bad guy. Quite the opposite, he believes that conflict is simply a gap between what we want and what we’re experiencing. It’s neither good nor bad. [6:45] Conflict is like the grain of sand in an oyster shell, Nate says. Without it there wouldn’t be a pearl. Conflict has a purpose and a reason so it can have a productive outcome. As such, conflict should be stewarded and leveraged. [9:19] Marcel asks Nate to talk about the drama triangle. Nate describes the three roles in the drama triangle and argues that it’s actually the rescuer who does the most harm. [12:52] Diversity is part of the grand design of the universe, and where there is diversity there will be conflict. Therefore, conflict must be by design as well, Nate posits. The only question is how are we going to use it. [17:35] Conflict is the energy source, but compassion is how we turn that energy into something positive. Compassion means to struggle with, to be with people in the suffering. Our purpose is not to alleviate suffering, but to struggle purposefully with others to create amazing things, Nate says. That’s when conflict can do miracles. [18:05] Compassionate accountability is the art and science of struggling with people in a spirit of dignity to create something amazing. Compassion drives inclusion and engagement, and coupled with accountability, it helps people achieve. [19:53] Compassion is a cycle of three interrelated skills that happen in order. These skills are openness, resourcefulness and persistence. The most effective strategy for communicating through conflict is the ORPO (open, resourceful, persistent, open) strategy. Nate describes the ORPO strategy and explains how it works in everyday practice. [21:50] Marcel comments that this approach to conflict is based on authentic communication. When leaders model it, it filters down throughout the organization and creates a positive culture. [28:00] Nate’s mission is to bring compassion to every workplace in the world through simple, elegant, powerful and scalable methodologies that anybody can learn and use. [31:05] One of the most powerful things leaders can do is to start at open by disclosing their motives. [34:46] Resources TheCompassionMindset.com Next-Element.com Dr. Nate Regier on LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[Replay] A New Way To Think About Conflict with Dr. Nate Regier

The Los Angeles Times describes Frances Frei as “the go-to woman for companies like Uber who are looking to improve their image.” Frances is a Harvard Business School (HBS) professor who is credited with making HBS more gender-inclusive. She also served recently as Uber’s first VP of Leadership and Strategy, brought in to turn around its toxic culture. Along with co-author Anne Morriss, she has written Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leaders Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You. She chats with Marcel Schwantes about her book and how to unleash the potential of those you lead by applying practical love. Marcel quotes Frances’ book: “Leadership is about empowering other people as a result of your presence and making sure that impact continues into your absence.” [5:46] Empowerment leadership can be represented by a target, the bullseye of which is trust. As a leader moves outward with each ring, they gain the skills to empower more and more people. The next ring is love: How can I set up one other person for success? Belonging is next: What can I do for a varied group? Influencing others is the next step, which entails combining strategy and culture to influence people even in your absence. [6:52] Frances recounts how she helped change the culture of Uber. [9:50] If your culture is broken, start with trust. [18:00] “The reason that people haven't been able to make much progress on trust is they kept trying to move to trust without understanding its very different but comprehensive component parts,” Frances explains. These components are authenticity, logic and empathy. She describes the role of each component in building a trustworthy culture. [18:40] Love is empowering people by setting high standards and revealing deep devotion to them. To bring out someone’s best, they have to feel your high standards as much as your devotion to them. Marcel comments that people often forget the leadership part of servant leadership: high standards and accountability are as important as caring. Both are necessary in a great leader. [23:20] Two practical ways to be more loving by setting high standards are: set better goals and celebrate wins. Two ways to show devotion are: proactively help, and fulfill people’s basic needs. [25:05] Marcel and Frances talk about how she helped make HBS more gender-inclusive. [28:39] “If there are demographic tendencies associated with who's thriving, your culture is broken,” Frances says. [30:54] “If you only give me an hour to diagnose whether the culture has a problem, I'm going to do two things. I'm going to listen to see if any of the cultural values are weaponized, and I'm going to look at the data to see if women and men are thriving at the same rates,” says Frances. Marcel asks, “One of the strategies that often fails in making a workplace more diverse and inclusive - especially for women looking to move up into the higher ranks - is the recruitment process. So what are some ways we can improve it to promote more diversity?” Frances responds with practical advice. [41:20] The most important thing to do for our employees during this pandemic, Frances says, is to enrich them by helping them develop. [46:48] Frances wants leaders to take away this point: if you notice something wrong, address it now. “Meaningful change only happens quickly,” she argues. “Meaningful change happens when the thing you want to change is your number one priority… So when you see something, address it; address it with all your might, close it, and move on to the next thing.” [51:06] Marcel walks listeners through the Leadership Performance Curve exercise from Frances’ book. [53:36] Resources Frances Frei on LinkedIn TheLeadersGuide.com Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leaders Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You  TED Talk: How to Build (and Rebuild) Trust MarcelShwantes.com 

[Replay] Unleashing Empowerment Leadership with Frances Frei

Marcel Schwantes calls this episode “one of the most authentic and real and raw conversations” he has ever had. His guest, JT McCormick, is the CEO of Scribe Media, a multimillion-dollar publishing company that has been ranked the number one Top Company Culture in America by Entrepreneur magazine, and number two Best Place to Work in Texas. JT is the author of I Got There: How a Mixed Race Kid Overcame Racism, Poverty and Abuse to Arrive at The American Dream. He joins Marcel to chat about his amazing life story - his journey from scrubbing toilets at a restaurant to becoming President of a million-dollar software company, and now CEO of Scribe Media - and to share the lessons he learned along the way. JT says, “If you wake up in the morning and your feet hit the ground, you’ve got to be excellent… Anything that’s not excellent in my life I’m the only one that can change it, so there’s no need to complain about it, just get to work.” [3:45] “My why is to be a phenomenal husband, a phenomenal father, a phenomenal CEO. And then I would say fourth on the list is to give back to the communities which I came from.” [5:07] Marcel asks JT how he overcame all the adversity of his early life. He replies that he refused to be a victim. He decided, at age eight, not to spend his time trying to get everyone to like him, because some people just would not. This early lesson spared him years of grief. Another fundamental lesson he learned was to believe in himself. [8:38] “I just tend to look at things from a positive standpoint… I choose to figure out, How can we make a positive out of a negative situation?” [10:20] JT shares his journey from scrubbing toilets to President of a software company. Two lessons he learned were to be the best at whatever he did, and the magic of compound interest. [12:22] When JT was promoted to President, it struck him that he was only as good as the people he surrounded himself with. As such, his focus shifted to finding the greatest people to surround the company and himself with. [17:03] “If you are in a leadership position, you're only a leader if you serve,” JT argues. He describes how the principle of putting people first is lived out at Scribe Media. [18:05] Marcel asks, “How does a company become number one in the category of culture?” JT responds that it’s a matter of the little actions taken every day to live out your principles. At Scribe Media, they work with each other, not for JT. They bring their whole selves to work: he doesn’t believe in a work self vs a home self. He shares several practices they adopt at the company that build the culture. [22:37] JT and Marcel discuss Scribe Media’s Culture Bible, which is freely accessible to the public. They talk about three of the principles listed in the Culture Bible:  Do right by people; Bring your whole self to work; Ask questions. [26:46] “A lot of times you can eliminate questions in transparency,” JT points out. [33:21] JT explains why he disagrees with the remote work trend. [35:37] “What’s your best advice for business owners trying to stay resilient during these crazy stressful times?” Marcel asks. JT advises leaders to put their people first, be transparent, be visible and let people know where they stand. Let people feel safe, he adds, and if you have to pivot or make other tough decisions, make them early and let people know so that you can set their expectations. [39:35] JT teaches through sharing his mistakes. [44:19] “I can't become something that I don't even know exists,” JT says. “...I believe if people just know what's possible they can strive to achieve that.” [46:19] “I live by a formula: Mindset, choices and hard work equals success.” [48:48] Resources JT McCormick on LinkedIn JT@ScribeMedia.com I Got There: How a Mixed Race Kid Overcame Racism, Poverty and Abuse to Arrive at The American Dream

[Replay] How I Got There with JT McCormick

Walt Rakowich is the former CEO of Prologis. He is a member of the Board of Directors at Host Hotels & Resorts, Iron Mountain and Ventas, Inc., and an Advisory Council member at Gender Fair. He is also an author, and a speaker at The Center for Heart Led Leadership. Walt joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss how he managed to keep his former company afloat during the great recession of 2008.  Walt’s book, Transfluence: How to Lead with Transformative Influence in Today's Climates of Change, is a practical guide teaching leaders how to overcome the obstacles that prevent them from having transformative influence in the workplace. [4:17] Leaders often wonder whether they are capable enough to lead and/or turn a company around from low to high success. However, Walt believes the real focus should be on how they can work with their fellow employees. “The most important thing you have to remember is that it’s not about you, it’s about the influence you have on other people.” [11:52] Marcel asks Walt about his experience with fear. Walt shares how his imposter syndrome impacted his professional life, and made his employees wary of approaching him. A coach he hired made him realize that he was taking on too much of the burdens of work by himself. [19:14] According to Walt, leaders must build a strong microclimate to set themselves up for success and destroy the fear and pride that hold them back. A strong microclimate consists of the three-H core: humility, honesty, and heart. [27:59] Walt shares how he managed to turn the organizational culture of Prologis around from toxic to uplifting. He comments that COVID-19 presents many challenges for leadership and managing that challenge starts from the heart. [38:11] “Consider this [crisis] your crucible moment and step up to become the best leader you can be,” Walt advises listeners. “I know it’s not fun, it never is, but make it about other people. If you do that, you will build trust in your organization.” [48:25] Resources Walt Rakowich on LinkedIn | Twitter WaltRakowich.com Transfluence: How to Lead with Transformative Influence in Today's Climates of Change

[Replay] Transformative Influence with Walt Rakowich

Hubert Joly is a senior lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and former Chairman and CEO of Best Buy. He is also a member on the board of directors at Johnson & Johnson and at Ralph Lauren. He has been recognized as one of the top 100 CEOs in the world by Harvard Business Review, one of the top 30 by Barron’s, and one of the 10 in the US by Glassdoor. His most recent book, The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism, is a playbook for facilitating the re-foundation of business and capitalism. It chronicles his journey turning Best Buy around from the brink of extinction to being ranked 75 on the Fortune 500 list. Hubert joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss what lies at the heart of business, and how to foster a good work environment. Marcel asks Hubert what he believes business is about. “At the heart of business… is the pursuit of a noble purpose, putting people at the center, embracing all stakeholders, and treating profit as an outcome, not the goal,” Hubert responds. [2:56] There are three imperatives to an organization and tackling them in the correct sequence leads to optimal outcomes:  a people imperative - having the right teams properly motivated and equipped;  a business imperative - having happy customers who you sell good products to; a financial imperative - about profit. [9:35] “The old model of leadership portrayed a leader as a superhero here to save the day, probably the smartest person in the room, and, unfortunately, too driven by power, fame, money or glory,” Hubert claims. “This [type of leadership] doesn’t work… [people] want to be part of the journey and the solution.” [15:45] Hubert debunks the concept of perfectionism as a key to success; he shares how demonstrating his imperfection actually helped create the right environment for optimal performance at work. “The quest for perfection is evil. Seeing imperfections as an obstacle to perfection, which was the goal, creates an inhuman environment that destroys the heart of your business,” he remarks. [19:04] Marcel asks Hubert about the formula for turning around a company in financial distress. Hubert breaks down his strategy for rescuing Best Buy. “Sometimes the approach to change management is to change [the] management,” he adds. [26:58] “Operational progress creates routine degrees of freedom, so sometimes you have to start with the basics before you think about creating an amazing future,'' Hubert advises. He describes the five ingredients for creating a fabulous work environment, which are: connecting dreams, developing authentic human connections, fostering autonomy, achieving mastery, and putting the wind at your back. [31:52] Marcel asks Hubert how he thinks a leader loves. “Work is love made visible… Business is about embracing all stakeholders… This is a beautiful friendship you’re building with all stakeholders, treating all of them, in a sense, as customers.” [45:15] Resources Hubert Joly on LinkedIn  The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism

At the Heart of Business with Hubert Joly

Kim Loh is a conflict resolution and negotiation specialist, leadership coach, and co-author of the book Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heart. Her book is viewed as the definitive guide to learning effective strategies for engaging in open and honest conversations about divisive issues. Previously, she worked in peacebuilding and mediation research for the United Nations, as well as writing and advocacy for international NGOs and academic institutions. A lawyer by profession, she is an expert in international arbitration and litigation. Her work today centers on serving conscious leaders to up-level their human relationships and harness the true power of their teams. She joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss what drives conflict and share strategies for peaceful resolution. Marcel asks Kim to unpack the term “difference equals threat.” Humans are surrounded by similarities and differences, and are constantly balancing between the two, Kim explains. “If, through our own limitations, we cannot accommodate what’s happening [around us], we are likely to perceive it as a threat, which activates the flight or fight response,” she comments. [6:25] Kim shares tips for peaceful conflict resolution and reduction. The first thing you need to do when faced with conflict is to be aware of your role in it. You must take responsibility for yourself and your actions before analyzing the external factors of the conflict that need to change. [10:34] “All conversations about differences should begin and end with what we have in common,” Kim advises. She briefly describes strategies for eliminating division in conversation. [14:12] ‘Talking straight’ is less about being blunt and more about having the courage to speak from the heart in goodwill and with good intentions, Marcel says. Kim believes that we are plagued by the things we don’t know how to say. When we listen well and talk straight, we create the freedom to be more truthful in conversation. [18:24] Though society as a whole is cognitively focused, our hearts are what will allow us to make sense of and peace with things that our minds cannot, Kim remarks. [20:34] Resources Kimberly Loh on LinkedIn | Twitter KimberlyLoh.com Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heart

Cultivating Compassionate Conversations with Kim Loh

Houston Kraft is CEO and co-founder of CharacterStrong, an organization dedicated to infusing character, empathy, and connection into education. He is an author, keynote speaker, and curriculum developer. A self-proclaimed kindness advocate, he is passionate about spreading it in meaningful ways. His most recent book, Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness, explores kindness as a skill set and competency that can bring revolutionary change. He joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss how kindness can improve our quality of life and shares actionable tips to help us be more kind every day.   Marcel asks Houston why he wrote his recent book. Houston explains that it’s because he appreciates how much words shape our lives. “Language is the vehicle to experiences, emotions, and memories inside our brains, so it stands to reason that the way we think about things is a huge indicator of how we act.” [6:52] Our culture views kindness as a nice-to-have instead of a must-have, according to Houston. We see it as fluffy, so we don’t see the need to develop it in ourselves as a skill. [9:14] “We are experiencing an increase in accountability. People are being seen, watched, exposed, listened to and critiqued more deeply than they have in the past,” Houston remarks. “The bridge that we are now tasked to cross is how to show loving accountability. Accountability without love is condescending; it creates friction without room for growth,” he adds. [15:45] Houston defines forgiveness and describes what it entails. “By extending forgiveness, you’re setting yourself free from holding on to anger and resentment while also setting clear boundaries around the behavior of [who you are forgiving] so it doesn’t violate you again,” Marcel comments. [18:19] Provide a specific constraint to make your goal of kindness more actionable. For example, asking ‘How do I be kind today towards my mom?’ may yield more actionable answers than simply asking ‘How do I be kind today?’ [25:08] “There’s power in scheduling time to worry,” Houston quotes. “Give yourself 15 minutes a day to worry and only do so during that time. So many of us let worry bleed throughout our day which makes the stuff in the background seem bigger and more monstrous.” [33:33] “My mom wrote notes in my lunchbox from kindergarten to 12th grade. They took her 2 minutes every day, and when I look back and add it up, [I realize] it’s the most profound action of love I’ve experienced. The little things are the big things,” Houston shares. [39:39] Marcel welcomes Tom Geraghty, the creator of the Psychological Safety Toolkit, to share insights about the importance of psychological safety in the workplace and why it’s good for business. Resources Houston Kraft on LinkedIn | Twitter HoustonKraft.com Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness Tom Geraghty on LinkedIn | Twitter PsychSafety.co.uk

Kindness is a Necessity with Houston Kraft

Love In Action is celebrating 100 episodes! In this 100th edition of Love In Action, four specially invited mystery guests join Marcel Schwantes. They share stories of their career development and give insights about workplace rituals, anxiety and happiness at work, and COVID-19’s impact on workplace culture. Marcel welcomes Erica Keswin, who was the very first guest in the pilot episode of Love In Action. She is a speaker and strategist and has recently written a new book, Rituals Roadmap: The Human Way to Transform Everyday Routines into Workplace Magic. She shares what prompted her to write the book and why she believes it needed to be written. [2:04] Workplace rituals give us a sense of psychological safety, an opportunity to connect to purpose and values, and a performance boost. Erica distinguishes the difference between a ritual and a routine and shares the three components of a ritual. [5:09] The second mystery guest is Chester Elton, who is an advisor, executive coach, mentor, and third-time guest on Love In Action. He is the co-author of Anxiety at Work: Eight Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done. Chester talks about anxiety and its effects in the workplace. [13:48] “Until you, as the leader, give your people permission to be vulnerable, they won’t be,” Chester claims. “The way you do that is to be vulnerable yourself. [When you say] ‘Hey, we’ve all been through a lot, and I am burnt out, I’m going to take a mental health day, and I encourage you all to do the same if you need to,’ you give your employees permission.” [19:19] Mystery guest number three is Richard Sheridan, who featured on the fifth episode of Love In Action. Richard is the CEO and Chief Storyteller at Menlo Innovations, and the author of Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear. Rich and Marcel discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. [24:54] The workplace rituals at Menlo have mostly remained the same since the pandemic, with modifications to accommodate remote work, Rich says. [27:53] Annie McKee is an advisor, executive coach, speaker, and author of How to Be Happy at Work: The Power of Purpose, Hope, and Friendship. Annie was the featured speaker on the 14th episode of Love In Action. She describes why happiness at work, especially currently, is so elusive. [31:40] According to Annie, the three key elements that must be present in order for there to be happiness at work are a sense of purpose in our work; a sense of hope and optimism about our lives and careers; and friends at work. [32:52] Marcel hosts a mini Q&A session with the four guests. Annie asks Chester how we can combat the lesser-known pandemic of stress and burnout. “I believe one of the cures [we need] is to bring civility back to the workplace and to our communities… we need to be kinder to each other,” Chester responds. [40:26] “I honestly believe this movement for a kinder, gentler, more meaningful, purpose-driven workplace is not just a better way to work; it’s a better way to live,” Chester remarks. “This isn’t something you leave at work, it's something you carry with you in every phase of your life.” [49:33] Resources Erica Keswin on LinkedIn | Twitter EricaKeswin.com  Rituals Roadmap: The Human Way to Transform Everyday Routines into Workplace Magic Chester Elton on LinkedIn | Twitter ChesterElton.com Anxiety at Work: Eight Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done Richard Sheridan on LinkedIn | Twitter MenloInnovations.com Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear Annie McKee on LinkedIn | Twitter AnnieMcKee.com How to Be Happy at Work: The Power of Purpose, Hope, and Friendship

Come Celebrate the 100th Episode with Us!

Eryn Eddy is a social entrepreneur, author, speaker, and the founder of So Worth Loving, a lifestyle clothing brand and community of passionate and original individuals that exists to embrace the past and empower the future. She and her work have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, and even the Oprah Magazine. Her book, So Worth Loving: How Discovering Your True Value Changes Everything, is a reminder that to be human is to be imperfect. She joins Marcel Schwantes to share insights about her personal struggle, community, empathy, and the power of honest conversations. She talks about entrepreneurship and the impact of self-doubt on our ability to work and lead others. Marcel asks Eryn to describe the big idea behind her book. “[My book] is not a memoir or a self-help book… it’s an invitation to learn that struggling is human, doubt is human,” Eryn shares. “It’s a matter of [learning] how to face those things and [surrounding yourself with the right people] to help walk you through that.” [6:01] Introspection is necessary for the process of self-discovery, Marcel claims. It’s important for people to look inside themselves, honestly inspect their hearts, and address their blind spots, because that’s where the work begins. [12:29] Imposter syndrome can be a serious hindrance for a leader. “Believing [in your imposter syndrome] will cause you to disqualify yourself to lead. You’ll have that conversation in your head... which will hold you back from stepping in and stepping up to do what is required of you,” Eryn explains. [15:24] Many people in positions of leadership often experience failure and setbacks. Marcel asks Eryn how leaders can bounce back from this, especially if they are experiencing it for the first time. We rarely give ourselves permission to be still in our failures, she responds, but we must learn how to. Failure is an excellent teacher and understanding why it happens can prepare us for the future. [21:04] “It’s very easy to be a destructive critic of yourself,” Eryn remarks. “Treating yourself with patience and kindness, constructive criticism can be hard, but once you learn how to do it, you will naturally know how to treat your team the same way.” [29:02] While self-care is important, it is equally important to avoid overindulgence in activities that feel good in the moment but are more harmful than good over time. There must be a balance between relaxation and discipline, Eryn comments, even when discipline feels draining. [33:29] “The lines of work and [personal] life are now blended because of the pandemic,” Marcel says. “Now more than ever, you should start meetings with your employees and team members by checking in with everyone… Someone may be struggling [with something] that the community at work can help with, which would lead to better business outcomes.” [37:38]  Eryn advises leaders to give themselves permission to rest for a day. [44:22] Resources Eryn Eddy on LinkedIn  ErynEddy.com | SoWorthLoving.com So Worth Loving: How Discovering Your True Value Changes Everything

We Are So Worth Loving with Eryn Eddy

Deep and authentic conversations with the world's top business thought-leaders, authors, executives, and scholars with one clear aim: To educate and inspire leaders to act on seeing people in the workplace as real human beings, and not as objects in a transaction. The dynamic is radically different when humans come first. Fear is driven out and love in action creates real competitive advantage.

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Love in Action

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