You never know where the seed of our message of Truly Human Leadership will take root.
But maybe it’s not so surprising. We keep hearing about the many who work in environments where they do not feel valued and cared for. As I recently wrote, a Gallup report says that only 25% of people feel their organization cares about their wellbeing
and only 33% would describe themselves as thriving at work, while 55% would say they’re struggling.
When the message of Truly Human Leadership is heard, it resonates. Our message—and change--are needed.
Recently, Jay Gopinath, one of our leaders in our BW Design Group company sent me an interesting video. One of our team members in India, many of whom are within Jay’s span of care, shared it with him.
It is from a recent discussion by Gaur Gopal Das at Business Today’s Mindrush 2023, one of India's premier conferences on entrepreneurship and business transformation, that took place at the Taj Lands’ End in Mumbai.
Gaur Gopal Das is an author, speaker and life coach who became a monk after leaving a career in electrical engineering. Though not as well known in the U.S., he is very popular in India and internationally. His content on social media has received more
than 500 million views. Learn more about Gaur Gopal Das here.
In the video, which you can watch below, in talking to some of India’s top CEOs and business leaders, he references Barry-Wehmiller’s response to the 2008-2009 economic crisis:
Before talking about Barry-Wehmiller, Das said something that aligns with our thinking:
We are not leading humanoids. We're not leading machines. We're not leading robots. We're not leading stones… we are leading sentient emotive human beings who are feeling. Who feel bad. Who feel good. Who feel appreciated, valued. Who feel completely
demotivated. Who feel motivated one day and demotivated another. Who are in a great mood one day because things have gone well and in a terrible mood the other day just as much as we are and that's precisely why I feel empathy is so crucial. Compassion
is so crucial. Not just as a human virtue but even as organizational performance to be boosted. Because when people are treated well, when people are valued, when people are dealt with empathy and compassion, they walk the extra mile by doing more
than what is expected of them…
People are fed up of leaders who just know. We want leaders who don't just know but who care and when leaders care out of sensitivity compassion and empathy, it's not just a human virtue it's an incredible boost to organizational performance and productivity.
We are not leading machines or robots or stones. We are leading somebody’s precious child.
That’s the power of leading with empathy. When you see the people within your span of care as somebody’s precious child and not as a function that you use for your success, it changes everything, the way you view things, the way you choose
words.
And that’s the power at the heart of our message of Truly Human Leadership and why it resonates.
We’re always happy to hear other voices who are sharing our story and delivering messages in alignment with ours. We hope the CEOs and business leaders in the BT Mindrush audience pay heed to the words of Gaur Gopal Das.