By Derick Carter, HBI Board Member
Last night I had an opportunity to hear John Mackey, Co-Founder and CEO of Whole Foods speak on “Leading with Love.” The event was hosted by the Washington D.C. Conscious Capitalism Chapter and drew over 500 people, which I later learned was the nation’s largest Conscious Capitalism event ever.
At the meet-and-greet, I joked with a few people about how pleased I was by the name of the event – “Leading with Love” – because it felt like businesses are finally “coming out” and letting Love out of the closet.
That joke however soon turned into reality as John himself, in one of his slides, talked about today’s imperative to let “Love out the Closet.”
Here are some key takeaways from the event that can help conscious leaders begin their shift toward “Leading with Love.”
- Follow your heart to find your purpose
- Know and lead yourself first
- Develop empathy to know and understand others
- Practice gratitude regularly…it will lead you to “your happy”
- Practice showing authentic appreciation to employees/colleagues regularly…it helps others to open their heart
- Develop your Emotional IQ
- Develop your Spiritual IQ (e.g., Yoga, Tai Chi, Meditation, Chanting, etc.)
- Only promote people with High Emotional IQ
- Find the bullies and weed them out
- When your culture is strong enough it will act as an immune system and reject people who don’t fit into your culture
- Open your heart to listen better
- Leaders must model all of the above to spread the culture
Over the last 10 years, I’ve attended many gatherings and events and I’ve never seen the “L” word so boldly expressed in business and resonate with so many people in the room.
John’s talk was not only inspiring and educational but delivered a timely and critical message for today’s corporate leaders. With his heart and authenticity clearly shining, his “Love” focused call to action was felt by us all.
Great job Conscious Capitalism DC Chapter for an outstanding event. Looking forward to the next one…
Derick is the founder of Heart-Centered Coaching and a board member of Heart Based Institute. As a heart-centered coach, meditation guide, facilitator, and consultant, Derick works with organizations and individuals to integrate heart-centered values, growth and transformation into work and daily life. Previously, Derick worked as the Chief Community Builder for a Human Workplace , Well-Being Officer for a government contractor, and as a management consultant. and Management Consulting.