What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

By Marshall Goldsmith

"Your hard work is paying off. You are doing well in your field. But there is something standing between you and the next level of achievement. That something may just be one of your own annoying habits. Perhaps one small flaw - a behaviour you barely even recognise - is the only thing that's keeping you from where you want to be. It may be that the very characteristic that you believe got you where you are - like the drive to win at all costs - is what's holding you back. As this book explains, people often do well in spite of certain habits rather than because of them-and need a "to stop" list rather than one listing what "to do".

14 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Display Human-centric Leadership

By Forbes

"As business leaders around the world rethink the future they had imagined for their companies, some may use this time as an opportunity to help their organizations to become more human-centric. In a recent Gallup survey of human resources executives regarding the internal changes COVID-19 has prompted their companies to make, researchers found that employees need four things to succeed: trust, stability, hope and compassion.

Keeping team members as healthy, happy and productive as possible, especially in trying times, means embracing a more human-centric leadership model that values employees more than profits." To help, 14 members of Forbes Coaches Council offer their best advice for entrepreneurs making this shift within themselves as leaders as they try to foster cultures that serve the needs of their people.

The X FACTOR: Why Fostering Employee Motivation Should be Every Company’s Goal

By Demi Gray, Ph.D.

"The principles shared in this book can be applied in both virtual and in-person work environments. Amidst the increasing acceptance of remote work, well-being, and motivation are vital foundational roots that demand a pH-balanced soil (i.e., a healthy work environment, employee engagement) and water (i.e., employee management, effective leaders) to thrive.”

Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling.

by Edgar H. Schein & Peter A. Schein

As I think about this month’s newsletter topic – human-centric leadership – I’m reminded of Edgar Schein, who passed away in January. He was 94. Professor Schein taught at MIT Sloan School of Management for over 60 years and made notable contributions in the areas of organizational culture, organizational change, and humble inquiry and leadership. For example, he proposed that organizational culture can be analyzed on three levels: underlying assumptions, espoused values, and artifacts and behaviors.

Schein authored dozens of books and a good place to start is Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling. “Humble Inquiry is the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not already know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in another person. Humble Inquiry is not just asking questions; it is a total attitude that includes listening more deeply to how others respond to our inquiry, responding appropriately, and revealing more of ourselves in the relationship building process.”

“Start by asking questions like - tell me more, can you elaborate, or tell me a little bit about yourself. These questions reassure the person that they’re ok, that they’re being heard, that they’re being accepted, and that they’re going to be listened to. Humble Inquiry makes them feel better about themselves, more trusting, and more likely to reveal what is really on their mind.”

Schein believed it’s the highest-ranking leaders who most need to learn this skill.

The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich

by William L. Shirer

William Shirer was born in America. After college he moved to Paris to explore the broader world before settling down. While in Paris, he worked simultaneously for the New York Herald, The Universal News Service, and the Columbia Broadcasting System.

During the period of Hitler’s rise to power, Shirer was spending much of his time in Berlin. To that end, he had the catbird’s seat observing how the evil man found his way, though Shirer didn’t publish his book until 1960, 15 years after the end of WWII. The audio book is 52 hours long. If I had 52 hours to listen straight through, I would do it. It’s captivating and goes into amazing detail.

It’s appropriate that I reference this book in a month we are addressing Human-centric Leadership. Hitler’s evil genius was certainly ego-centric, but it was also human-centric as he slowly interlaced his web of deceit with a population that was hungry for a feeling of self and collective worth, with a fervent desire to rid themselves of the shame they felt at the end of the first world war. Until reading this book, I was under the assumption that the German population was mixed on the direction and the power Hitler brought to bare. Excluding the throngs being persecuted, at least in his early years as the Fuhrer, over 90% of the population was supporting his vision. Some feared reprisals, so one can’t be sure of his support at the height of his journey. I equate the population following him in mass to the “Boiling Frog” syndrome. The premise is if a frog is put in a pot of boiling water, it will jump out to save itself but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The German people were put in tepid water as the Nazi machine grinded slowly at first, and surprisingly there were some positives occurring at first. For example, following the depression, employment and other human-centric enhancements were on the rise. By the time many knew what hit them, the water reached a boiling point and Hitler and millions of others didn’t survive.