Unlocking the power of empathy through stoicism

In a world where achieving results takes center stage and things may not go as planned, leading with empathy is absolutely crucial. But here's the thing: genuine empathy means not being absolutely certain about how someone else feels or what really motivates them. We can never fully know what someone else is going through.

Let's face it, most of us have no clue what it's like not to have enough food to put on the table for our families, or to see 11 pounds (5 Kg) of food go to waste every single day. We have no idea what it feels like to live in a slum or to walk 9 kilometers to school every day (18km roundtrip.) And no idea what it's like to spend US$100,000 on a weekend to rent a superyacht.

But empathy isn't about feeling sorry for someone. It's about trying to understand why they behaved as they did. We can make our best effort to be empathetic, but we have to admit that we can never be completely sure. The truth is, we really don't know how someone else feels or what truly drives them.

In the words of Seth Godin, "Dismissing actions we don't admire merely because we don't care enough to have empathy is rarely going to help us make the change we seek. It doesn't help us understand, and it creates a gulf that drives us apart." Those words hit home and remind us that empathy isn't just a bridge to cross; it's an expansive ocean that connects us, fosters understanding, and propels positive change.

Let's dive into this journey of leading with empathy and draw inspiration from some timeless Stoic principles: 

1. Get to Know Yourself: The Stoics believed that self-reflection and self-awareness were crucial for personal growth. By understanding your own emotions and reactions, you'll gain a better understanding of others. Take a moment to reflect on your own biases, beliefs, and triggers. This self-awareness will help you cultivate empathy toward those around you.

2. Embrace Our Shared Humanity: Stoicism emphasizes that we all share a common nature and face similar challenges. As a leader, remember that your team members are human beings with their own struggles, dreams, and vulnerabilities. Recognize their humanity and treat them with kindness and understanding.

3. Step into Their Shoes: Empathy flourishes when we try to imagine ourselves in someone else's position, experiencing their emotions and perspectives. The Stoics encouraged the practice of imagining the hardships others might be facing. By putting yourself in their situation, you'll gain a deeper understanding of their needs and concerns.

4. Watch Your Reactions: Stoicism teaches us that while we can't control external events, we have control over our own judgments and reactions. As a leader, this means responding to pressure and challenges with composure and empathy. Instead of reacting impulsively, take a moment to pause and consider how your words and actions might impact others. Respond with kindness and understanding, even in tough situations.

5. Listen Up: Listening is a powerful tool for cultivating empathy. When engaging with your team, practice active listening. Give them your full attention without interrupting or judging. Seek to understand their perspectives, emotions, and underlying concerns. Show genuine interest in their well-being and create a safe space for open communication.

6. Lead by Example: Stoicism highlights the importance of leading by example. If you want to promote empathy within your team, show empathy yourself. Demonstrate kindness, understanding, and compassion towards others, and chances are they'll follow suit.

7. Keep Things in Perspective: Stoicism reminds us to maintain a broader perspective on life. When faced with challenges or conflicts, remind yourself of the bigger picture and the long-term goals. This perspective will help you approach difficult situations with empathy and understanding, steering clear of reactive and shortsighted decisions.

Embracing empathy as a guiding principle in your leadership journey holds immeasurable transformative power. Let empathy be the compass that fosters understanding, compassion, and unity in a world yearning for genuine connections. Through empathy, we transcend barriers, bridge divides, and inspire the change that will shape a brighter tomorrow.

10 Best Practices to Build a Successful Company Culture

In today's dynamic business landscape, organizations increasingly recognize the power of a great culture to create a positive work environment, drive performance, and achieve organizational goals. But what exactly culture means, and how can companies create one that stands out?

There are many definitions of culture, but I like Gallup's definition: "Culture is about how we do things around here -- the unique way your people live out your company’s purpose and deliver brand promises." Every workplace has a unique work culture that reflects its history, values, and goals.

According to Gallup, culture can seem elusive because it’s rooted in patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors -- in the abstract, not the concrete. As a result, many leaders assume that shaping or influencing culture is HR’s responsibility -- or worse, turn a blind eye to culture despite knowing that culture matters. It matters to employees and customers alike, affecting outcomes for organizations every day.

Great company culture doesn't happen by accident. As leaders, we have the immense responsibility of shaping the culture within our teams and organizations. The culture we foster determines the outcomes we achieve and the impact we make. However, as Marshall Goldsmith emphasizes, culture is not just about what leaders say or do; it is reflected in the everyday actions, attitudes, and interactions of everyone within the organization.

Building a strong and positive culture within an organization is a continuous process that requires deliberate effort and thoughtful implementation. Here are some best practices that can help you create a remarkable culture that fosters engagement, collaboration, and success:

1. Lead by Example: Your actions speak louder than words as a leader. Demonstrate the values and behaviors you want to see in your team. Be authentic, transparent, and consistent in your approach. When your team witnesses your commitment to the culture, they are more likely to embrace it themselves.

2. Define and Communicate Core Values: Clearly define the core values that will serve as the foundation of your culture. These values should align with your organization's mission and vision. Communicate effectively and frequently to ensure that everyone understands and embodies them in their daily work.

3. Hire for Values: During the recruitment process, focus not only on the skills and qualifications of candidates but also on their alignment with your culture. Look for individuals who share your values and have the potential to contribute positively to the team dynamics.

4. Foster Open Communication: Encourage open and honest communication at all levels of the organization. Create platforms and channels for employees to voice their opinions, concerns, and suggestions. Actively listen to their feedback and demonstrate that their input is valued. This inclusive approach promotes trust, engagement, and innovation.

5. Recognize and Reward Behaviors: Acknowledge and reward behaviors that align with your desired culture. Celebrate big and small achievements, and publicly recognize individuals and teams who exemplify your values. This reinforces the importance of cultural alignment and motivates others to follow suit.

6. Promote Learning and Growth: Cultivate a learning culture where employees are encouraged to develop their skills and expand their knowledge. Provide opportunities for professional growth through training, mentorship programs, and ongoing development initiatives. Supporting employee growth demonstrates your commitment to their success and fosters a sense of loyalty.

7. Encourage Collaboration and Teamwork: Foster a collaborative environment where cross-functional collaboration and teamwork are valued. Break down silos and encourage information sharing, idea generation, and joint problem-solving. Create opportunities for teams to collaborate on projects and initiatives, fostering a sense of camaraderie and collective achievement.

8. Embrace Diversity and Inclusion: Actively promote diversity and inclusion within your organization. Embrace different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences as they enrich the culture and contribute to innovation. Create a safe and inclusive environment where every individual feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique talents.

9. Provide Development and Well-being Support: Invest in your employees' development and well-being. Offer resources and support for their professional and personal growth. Implement wellness programs, work-life balance initiatives, and mental health support to foster a healthy and productive work environment.

10. Continuously Evolve and Adapt: Cultures are not static; they evolve and adapt over time. Regularly assess your culture, gather feedback, and make necessary adjustments. Stay attuned to the needs and aspirations of your team members and be open to incorporating new ideas and practices that align with your core values.

By implementing these best practices, you can create a culture that inspires and engages your team, drives innovation, and sets the foundation for long-term success. Remember, culture is a journey, and with consistent effort, you can create an environment where everyone thrives and contributes their best.

Choosing to Embrace Change

Change is a constant force in our lives. There are changes that can be exciting, while there are moments that can also create anxiety and fear about the future. Changes can impact us mentally, emotionally, and physically. And, of course, there are changes that we don't pursue, even though some are inevitable in life.

In today's fast-paced world, change occurs more frequently than ever before. What truly sets us apart is our attitude towards it.

What a gift we have today when instead of focusing on what we used to have, we put our energy and intention into focusing on what we have and the things we can do.

What a gift we have when we focus our attention on doing things well, when we make the decision to walk away from things we cannot do anymore, and we decide to work hard, add value, and be graceful in what we do have.

It is important to acknowledge that many changes are beyond our control. However, the way we approach them can significantly impact our experience. By choosing a positive and energetic attitude, we enhance our ability to navigate through the waves of change with resilience and grace. Our attitude becomes the rudder that steers our ship amidst the stormy seas.

As the ancient philosopher Epictetus wisely noted, some things are within our control while others are not. We have the power to control our opinions, pursuits, desires, aversions, our actions. By embracing this truth, we empower ourselves to respond to change with purpose and intention.

Dare to embrace change with an extraordinary attitude. Recognize that change is an inevitable part of life and that it is within your power to shape your response. Focus on what you have, what you can do, and the value you can add. Approach change with a positive and energetic mindset, and let your attitude be the driving force that propels you towards extraordinary possibilities.

Talent is overrated

Talent is something we are born with. On the other hand, skill is something we acquire. We need to work hard to earn it.

Talent, by definition, is general intelligence, the ability to understand. It is associated with the innate ability to aptitude. Being brilliant is a talent, a gift. However, more important than talents is how we use them. 

Being smart is a gift, but it doesn't guarantee success if we don't use it correctly. There is no short path in personal and professional development. The separation between talents and abilities is still difficult for some people to understand. We have gifts or talents by nature; we are born with them. Instead, we develop skills only with the investment of hours of effort. No matter how talented we are, talents won't be enough if we don't care about developing them and spending time making them better every day.

It is my belief that talent is overvalued. Talent undermines and diminishes the effort that people put into developing a skill. As Seth Godin says, don't call someone talented because they are not, they are skillful.

Playing tennis is a skill in the sense that you work on it to get better every day. And also being creative, positive, enthusiastic, and someone who looks for opportunities. These are skills. You can get better, and you can choose to put work into it.

Don't confuse talent with skills because you could be blind to the first impressions and take out the real power of resilience, consistency, and commitment.

In the end, we are our choices...

Building Bridges: The Power of Human Connection

In today's hyper-connected world, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the multiple interactions, requests, and information coming at us from all directions. It might seem a paradox, but in a hyper-connected world, what we see are many disconnections. We observe silos and people living in bubbles. Sometimes even indifferent to each other. People are moving so fast that they can miss each other.

However, the complexity of our world requires more collaboration than ever. If we want that our community flourishes, we need multidisciplinary approaches. People from different backgrounds and experiences, with a wide range of needs, working together for a common goal. What we need are more human connections. Human connection is a deep bond that's formed between people when they feel seen and valued.

Connections give us a sense of belonging and community. It makes people heard and understood. When we feel connected to others, we feel less alone and more supported. Connections also allow us to learn and grow. By connecting with people who have different experiences, perspectives, and expertise, we can expand our own understanding and knowledge. This can help us become more well-rounded and open-minded individuals and lead to new opportunities and collaborations.

Finally, connections are also key to building and maintaining relationships. Whether it's with friends, family, colleagues, or even strangers, building and maintaining connections allows us to build trust and deepen our bonds with others.

Individuals and organizations need to make an effort to connect and break down silos in order to reap the benefits of collaboration, innovation, learning, and a positive culture. So next time you feel overwhelmed by the demands of the modern world, remember that the solution isn't to disconnect but rather to seek out and cultivate meaningful connections with others. By doing so, you'll not only improve your well-being but also contribute to the well-being of those around you.

Why Simplicity is a Competitive Advantage

We often hear the adage "keep it simple," but as business leaders like Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs know and have proven, simplicity is often much harder to achieve than it seems. However, it's a competitive advantage.

On the surface, the idea of simplicity seems straightforward. After all, who doesn't want to make things easier and more efficient? But when it comes to running a business, simplicity is often harder to achieve than it appears.

Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon has spoken extensively about the importance of simplicity in business. In a letter to shareholders, Bezos wrote, "Complexity is your enemy. Any time you spend energy on something that is not your core business, it's complexity. Any time you spend more time on a process or communication than you need to, it's complexity. This comes up in all sorts of areas. One common example is when you see a company with a complicated, hard-to-use website. That's complexity."

Bezos goes on to say that simplicity is a key component of Amazon's success and that the company works hard to eliminate unnecessary complexity in all aspects of its business. He believes that simplicity allows a company to be more agile and responsive to change and to focus on what is truly important.

One reason why simple is hard is that it requires a deep understanding and mastery of a subject. To be able to distill complex information down into its simplest form, one must have a thorough understanding of the subject matter. This can be difficult to achieve, as it requires a lot of time and effort to gain such a deep understanding. If we talk about business, it also requires a profound knowledge of your customer and their needs. As Bezos has stated, "We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better." This means that in order to create truly simple products and experiences, you have to have a deep understanding of your customers and what they want.

Another reason why simple is hard is that it requires a willingness to cut out the unnecessary. This means being willing to let go of features, processes, and even entire products that don't directly contribute to your customer's experience. It can be difficult to make these tough decisions, but they are necessary in order to create a truly simple product or service.

Additionally, simplicity often requires a level of discipline and restraint. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of adding new features and trying to please everyone, but true simplicity comes from making tough decisions and sticking to a clear vision. This can be difficult for business leaders, as it often means sacrificing short-term gains for long-term success.

In summary, achieving simplicity can be difficult due to the abundance of information available, the influence of our own biases and preconceptions, and the desire for perfection. However, with effort and the right mindset, it is possible to overcome these challenges and achieve simplicity in our thinking and our solutions.

The Power of Engaged Employees: Improving Business Outcomes

Employees make decisions and take actions every day that can make an impact on your customers, suppliers, and inside the workforce. Your culture, even more than your policies, will define what is allowed and what behaviors are rewarded.

Based on over 50 years of employee engagement research, Gallup shows that engaged employees produce better business outcomes than other employees -- across the industry, company size, and nationality, and in good economic times and bad. However, according to this study, only 15% of employees worldwide fall in the "engaged" category.

Gallup analyzed the differences in performance among business/work units, and they found clear benefits of employee engagement in business outcomes:

• 81% less absenteeism

• 43% less in turnover for low-turnover organizations

• 41% fewer defects in quality

• 10% higher loyalty/engagement among customers

• 18% higher productivity in sales

• 23% higher profitability

From these results, 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager.

Managers' main responsibility should be to ensure that their team knows what work needs to be done (communicate the main priorities), support and advocate for them when necessary, and explain how their work connects to organizational success.

Something that Gallup corroborates in this study is the common mistake that is to approach engagement as a sporadic exercise. So these are the critical drivers that they identified in employee engagement:

• Purpose. People want to know that their work has a higher purpose and that they can be part of it.

• Development. People want to grow and can count on their manager to coach them to the next level.

• A caring manager.  People want someone who has a genuine interest in them and listens, supports, and advocates for them when needed.

• On-going conversations. Gallup found that employees who received daily feedback are 3x more likely to be engaged than those who receive feedback once a year or less.

• A focus on strengths. Focus on those skills and what makes them unique.

The most significant cause of a workplace engagement program's failure is this: Employee engagement is widely considered "an HR thing." It is not owned by leaders, expected of managers, nor understood by front-line employees.

Where to start?

There are no quick solutions when it comes to human connections. You need to invest time and develop them. As with any human relationship, it occurs on a daily basis. You need to be honest and show real caring. There is no manual or checklist to follow. We can only affirm that you don't know anything about what people are dealing with. So, be kind, and try to be empathic. 

Michelangelo is often quoted as having said that inside every block of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within. If we apply this concept to how we see and treat people, we'll start to see, listen and accept people as they are. It's appreciating their differences and wanting to help them grow and become what they are capable of being.

Unreasonable Hospitality: Turning Ordinary Transactions into Extraordinary Experiences

Restaurateur Will Guidara's life changed when he decided to serve a two-dollar hot dog in his fancy four-star restaurant, creating a personalized experience for some out-of-town customers craving authentic New York City street food.

In his TED on September 2022, he shared a part experience that helped him and his restaurant partner to be recognized twice as the most important restaurant in the world. The principle that guided them was "unreasonable hospitality," They took ordinary transactions and turned them into extraordinary experiences.

As he says, currently, we're a service economy. Service industries drive more than three-quarters of our GDP. Globally, it's more than 65 percent. So that means that whether you're in real estate, retail, construction, finance, insurance, or computer services, you are in the business of serving people.  

You can see this new year full of challenges, or you can start to look deeply enough to find opportunities and give people experience and service beyond their expectations.

He affirms that making good products is no longer enough. Bringing an efficient service is no longer enough. It's how we make people feel they matter. He believes that we are on the precipice of becoming a hospitality economy. And he made that part of his culture. Their purpose is to give people that sense of belonging and make them feel seen and heard, creating experiences they will remember forever.

Unreasonable hospitality gave me a lot to think about. When we want to create a positive impact and the right culture, it's not the cost of the gesture that matters. It's how it makes people feel, and it’s about the leadership to make that happen consistently because you create a deep connection and make an impact with your people and your customers.

Real kindness

Everyone has the superpower to make a difference in someone's life... You don't need to travel far; just start around yourself.

To a new year with more kindness.

Planning the New Year

When was the last time you felt truly fulfilled? When your life felt meaningful and rewarding or aligned with some deeper purpose or motivation?

According to Cortland Dah, few things are as central to our physical health or psychological well-being as a sense of purpose. He said that our sense of purpose shapes how we feel about ourselves and our lives.

Creating a compelling vision of the life you want is actually one of the most effective strategies for achieving the life you want to pursue. It is like a compass that will guide you to ensure that your actions and choices are aligned. It gives us the strength to persevere when we start to lose hope and to find meaning in the meaningless details of our daily routines.

For every new year, one of my favorite planning sources that I use is the one shared by Taylor Pearson, an Antifragile Planning: Optimizing for Optionality. Planning timelines continue to be shorter and shorter. More than ever, we need to adapt faster, in an agile way, and show flexibility in a constant change environment. For these cases, optionality, a concept explained by Nassim N. Taleb in his book Antifragile, gives us an open door to embrace these opportunities.

If you “have optionality,” you don’t have much need for what is commonly called intelligence, knowledge, insight, skills, and these complicated things that take place in our brain cells. Because you don’t have to be right that often. All you need is the wisdom not to do unintelligent things to hurt yourself (some acts of omission) and recognize favorable outcomes when they occur.
— Nassim N. Taleb

Asking yourself the right questions can give you clarity for your long-term goals and what you really want to accomplish.

Understand that anything worthwhile can take a long time. In a world where we have more and more distractions, focusing is increasingly essential.

What are your goals for this new year? Asking yourself the right questions is a good start.

The courage to show up

The courage to show up when you don't need anything but because you know you can contribute. The courage to show up knowing that you could be criticized, but not by those whose opinion matters to you. Any fool can criticize, complain, and judge, and as Dale Carnegie says, most fools do. But it takes courage and character to show up for work that matters, even when you can't control the outcome.

On the other hand, if your work has never been criticized, it will be very hard to perform at your best. So you have to discern between useful criticism—that is a gift for those who care—and everything else you should pass over.

Every day is unique. Every day is an opportunity. You decide how you want to live it.

 “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
— Theodore Roosevelt

What we call progress

Over the last 500 years, there has been an incremental improvement over time. However, most of the progress is about what does not happen. It’s about all the things that could have happened that didn’t happen today. It’s about a two-year-old child who did not die of smallpox. However, these stories don't make the headlines.

Steven Pinker, the cognitive psychologist and bestselling author of upbeat books about human progress, shows that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are on the rise, not just in the West but worldwide. According to Pinker, “People tend to approach challenges in one of two ways—as problem-solving or as conflict.”

So, Why are so many people pessimistic?

Bad things happen faster than good things. Good things take time.

The causes of progress, Pinker posted, are reason, science, and humanism. “When people deploy their brainpower to try to make their fellows better off … then you can see increased human well-being. And that’s what we call progress.”

Dear Prudence

Virtue is a Greek term meaning “character excellence” or “excellence in being.” When translated into Latin, the word is “virtus,” meaning “effectiveness in action.” Virtue is how we can cultivate good character because it provides us with a moral compass and is the key to unlocking human flourishing and fulfillment.

Prudence is the first of the cardinal virtues (the others are justice, fortitude, and temperance).  It guides the other virtues and guides the judgment of conscience.

Prudence enables us to choose good means to a good end. It guides our practical decision-making in individual, concrete circumstances and provides for effective execution once a decision is reached. With the help of prudence, we learn from our experiences and correctly apply moral principles to real-life situations (Catechism, no. 1806).

Some notes I found about prudence that I like:

• St. Augustine says: "Prudence is the knowledge of what to seek and what to avoid."

• "The virtue of prudence is the mold and “mother” of all the other cardinal virtues, justice, fortitude, and temperance. In other words, none but the prudent man can be just, brave, and temperate, and the good man is good in so far as he is prudent." — Pieper, Josef. Four Cardinal Virtues, The (p. 10). University of Notre Dame Press. Kindle Edition.

• The three stages of prudence for acting properly are deliberation, judgment, and decision.

• Errors in judgment can creep in through defects of prudence or through “false prudence.” Defects include thoughtlessness, rashness, negligence, indecisiveness, and inconstancy in execution.

• True prudence isn’t only concerned with a good end but also good means to that end.

Prudence is something we develop with practice; it builds on what we have learned through earlier experience. Aristotle taught that "...virtue is both originated and fostered by teaching; it, therefore, demands experience and time." Although it may be difficult at first, Prudence becomes easier as we incorporate what we have learned into the mental processes by which we make our choices. Any act—good or bad—becomes habitual, or "second nature," through repeated practice. The value of the good habits we call virtues is that they make self-mastery and the joy of leading a morally good life easier. 

Compete with the future version of yourself

We live in a world of continuous comparison to others, measuring our self-worth by someone else's standards.

In an interesting interview by Oz with Jordan Peterson, Peterson says that it's not a fair race to compare yourself to someone else because you don't know anything about the people to whom you're comparing yourself. You only can scratch the surface, but you really don't know anything about what these people are dealing with, and almost everyone is dealing with some serious problem. You create a relative status and a not helpful illusion.

How can we cultivate acting better today for a more successful tomorrow?

First, you need to start with humility. You have to be humble enough to ask yourself who you are and where your flaws are. What small things could you do to improve it? Second, humility to recognize that you need to start small.  Above your level of competence, something that challenges you, but you have a reasonable probability of succeeding so that you can continue with the small improvement process.

 The best person to compare yourself to is your yesterday self and not someone else today. You could be better than you are and make incremental improvements. Small improvements compound, and you can start moving ahead with the consistency of small improvements.

Everybody is a volunteer

In a recent interview with Seth Godin by Rohan Rajiv from LinkedIn Series Speaker, Seth came up with the concept that at work, "everybody is a volunteer."

Now a day, organizations that want to make a real impact, that want to create a positive change, are the ones that are treating their employees like trusted, respected volunteers. These organizations decided to lead and not manage. This is a path for those who want to make things better.

The important and real work doesn’t come with a recipe. If you want someone committed, accountable, willing to go beyond their job description, and who wants to solve interesting problems, you need to show trust. If you want people to lead, make a creative contribution, to produce something that might not work, but that might be worth pursuing, you need to trust them. 

I love this concept. In the end, everyone has to make a choice. We can choose to volunteer to go further if we really care and want to make a meaningful contribution.

Make your growth a priority

Increasing your effectiveness is critical to overcoming the challenges we face today.

That's why you need to be in the driver's seat when we talk about development and guide your growth. You don't need to wait for someone else to provide you with resources, tools, or opportunities. You have to take responsibility for it. Nobody is going to be as interested as you in your own development. This is a personal commitment. You can decide when, how, and why you want to grow. You'll need to be proactive.  

Building your personal effectiveness is a complex process that requires a thoughtful development plan that you need to put into action. It involves reflection on the process, evaluating successes and learnings, and the impact of our decisions. Jerry Colonna, a personal coach, says that growth is painful; that is why so few choose to do it. Growth and comfort rarely co-exist.

A study of highly successful managers showed that 70 percent of what they learned about how to be good managers they did from experience. So, learning by doing, when these assignments are high-challenge experiences, is the one that would promote maximal learning.

In her book The Power of Flexing, Susan Ashford shared some ideas on how the experience could be your best teacher:

1. Taking on unfamiliar responsibilities. An experience that involves unfamiliar responsibilities usually offers significant potential for personal challenge and growth.

2. Leading change. It has long been said that if you want to understand something truly, try to change it. Taking steps to create that change will require you to dive deeply into the nature of the status quo and its reasons. It will also require you to understand and deal with the psychological and emotional reasons why some team members will support the change while others resist it and to explore how you can be most influential with them.

3. Addressing a high-stakes challenge.  Not all job assignments are equally important. Some involve levels of risk and reward that are unusually high, with potentially significant implications for the future of the entire organization.

4. Crossing Boundaries. Work across organizational or professional boundaries. Leading an initiative requires both support from top management and cooperation from colleagues in other departments of the organization. To succeed, you’ll need to learn how to influence people and groups over whom you have no direct authority and who may even have strong reasons to oppose your plans.

5. Working with Diversity. Anytime you have to work with people who differ from you and each other in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, culture, background, values, and perspectives, the potential for misunderstanding and conflict increases —while at the same time, the potential for creative exchange and fruitful discovery also increases.

6. Facing Adversity. Usually, the most important lessons learned came from career lows, not the highs. It’s ironic since we spend most of our lives trying to avoid those lows. Of course, we often discover the lessons from adversity only later, after the adversity has been overcome, reframed, or resolved.

An important conclusion about how experience could be a good teacher is that experiences themselves don’t teach. Growth and learning don’t “just happen” automatically. People need to want to learn. That means that people need the right mindset and the motivation to learn.

But from another perspective, it’s profoundly empowering. You don’t need to wait around for others to choose you. You don't need to wait to be selected for a corporate program or special initiative, or assignment. Instead, you can use your current experiences, whatever they are, to begin growing yourself. You only need the commitment to learn.

You cannot lose another life than the one you're living now

From Meditations book 2, by Marcus Aurelius:

Even if you’re going to live three thousand more years or ten times that, remember: you cannot lose another life than the one you’re living now or live another one than the one you’re losing. The longest amounts to the same as the shortest. The present is the same for everyone; its loss is the same for everyone, and it should be clear that a brief instant is all that is lost. For you can’t lose either the past or the future; how could you lose what you don’t have?

Remember two things: i. that everything has always been the same and keeps recurring, and it makes no difference whether you see the same things recur in a hundred years or two hundred, or in an infinite period; ii. that the longest-lived and those who will die soonest lose the same thing. The present is all that they can give up since that is all you have, and what you do not have, you cannot lose.

Something simple but worthy to have always present. We could be distracted thinking about the future or be slaves of our past. It's our choice, but remember, we can only live right now. We decide how we want to live.

Increase your well-being: The three-minute approach

Several studies have found that people who consciously count their blessings tend to have higher well-being.

A critical factor is to make the decision to actively write down two or three good things that happened to you during the day and explain why you enjoyed it. Explain what decision or action you took to make that happen.

A 2005 study published in American Psychology found that the combination — of three good things and the cause for each — leads to long-term increases in overall happiness.

One important factor of this study is the focus on the active decisions to make things happen instead of focusing on things that just happened to you. You are the person responsible for working day by day to change your perspective, your approach, and the way you interact and respond to your different circumstances. With time you can find ways to increase your well-being and be happier.

The process is simple but not easy. You need to adopt a new habit, incorporate a new strategy, and be constant. However, if you make the commitment to do it, it can completely change the way that you choose to see your life. You can define proactively how you want to act, respond and make conscious decisions on those things that you find valuable and will make you happier.

Embrace our differences: Talking about disabilities

It’s normal that we all are different. Why is it so hard to create an inclusive environment?

What is to be inclusive?
Inclusion is a human right. The meaning of inclusive is that everyone is understood, appreciated, and able to participate and contribute meaningfully.

It shouldn’t be so difficult, but it is.

Now imagine how the world is for someone with disabilities.

Do you know that, according to the World Bank, one billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability? Also, the Disabled Living Foundation found that 80% of disabilities are acquired between the ages of 18 and 64, that is, the workforce age.

Other Key Facts:

• The number of people with disability is dramatically increasing. This is due to demographic trends and increases in chronic health conditions, among other causes.

• Almost everyone is likely to experience some form of disability – temporary or permanent – at some point in life.

• 1 in 2 disabled persons cannot afford treatment;

• People with disabilities have a more fragile general health;

• Disability increases dependency and limits participation in society.

These gaps are due to barriers to accessing health, education, transportation, information, and work services – things many of us take for granted. 

If we focus on children with disabilities and their access to education, the observation is quite dreadful: according to UNICEF, around 240 million children worldwide have disabilities, that is to say, one child out of ten. They are 49% more likely to have never attended school than children without disabilities.

Depending on their disabilities, situations, and country, they are more or less included in society. The inclusion that we now set up will positively impact their adult lives and our own.

Knowing all these facts, what are we doing to have a more inclusive world? Sometimes we forget to recognize the importance and impact of inclusion in our lives. What would happen if we recognized that all beings are essential?

We tend to overestimate the role that genetics plays in shaping our identities. I'm not saying it's not important, but sometimes we forget that it's only a component of the things we really value, and we assume that it really determines our destiny. Your DNA is not your destiny.

Diversity enriches our humanity and makes us better. Our sensitivity, our humanity, and our compassion make this world better. The world needs people who care.

Do We Have It Wrong about Rights?

Can we talk about rights if we don't consider the well-being of others? In human rights, the only qualification of relevance is being human. And no matter who we are, we all have the same rights as humans.

What is a right?
Understanding what a right relies on the concept of justice. Human rights are norms that aspire to protect all people everywhere from severe political, legal, and social abuses. Examples of human rights are the right to freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial when charged with a crime, the right not to be tortured, and the right to education.

What happens when we claim a right to do something at the risk of harming or disadvantaging others? Human rights might be our species' most incredible invention. They are the base of our culture and represent incremental progress toward respect, opportunity, and dignity.

However, sometimes people perceive them as inconvenient. And that's why we need to stay vigilant and remind each other that it's worth defending them. Our culture, based on respect and dignity, should not have setbacks.