Read. Be inspired. Go love.
Is it really possible to create a way of working based on love not fear? Yes. It’s not only possible. It’s essential. Learn more from this collection of more than 100 posts to inspire and guide you.
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Thoughts From The Desk of a COO (Compassionate Operations Officer)
Rick explores a new lens of operations. He challenges the traditionally cold and impersonal view of operations and imbues it with compassion and warmth. Rick introduces readers to his new role as the first Compassionate Operations Officer and the monthly blog series that will outline this unique and powerful take on operations. By rejecting the scarcity mindset and focusing on unleashing human potential, Rick aims to redefine operations in a more compassionate manner. Join Rick as he embarks on this transformative path to infusing work with compassion and humanity.
Can You Hold Love and Anger at the Same Time?
Denise Miño recounts a recent story with her son at a local family fun center in which confusion over a pizza turned to public berating and belittlement of an employee. Denise shares her experience and thought process to actively choose love and compassion towards the victim, rather than fury or contempt towards the persecutor. She aptly speaks to one’s ability to hold both love and anger simultaneously while still choosing to act with intention for love.
It starts as children
I love poetry. I love it when a handful of words chosen and assembled “just so” say what it might take pages or hours to say otherwise, if ever. A few lines of poetry can make all things clear in an instant, or can join us as humans around universal understanding, or can challenge all that I thought was real, in moments. I love that.
Do I have to say “love”?
Organizations and teams choose the words that resonate for them. Sometimes that word is “love” and sometimes it is a synonym like care, trust, respect, belonging, inclusion, empathy, compassion, or forgiveness, but always it is more human.
Everywhere I go: on a train from Nice to Ventimiglia
The 2nd class train from Nice, France, to Ventimiglia, Italy, is overflowing on this sunny weekday morning in September. Commuters heading to work mix with tourists like me on holiday. Luggage fills the aisles. Children sit on laps. Passengers stand in the vestibule between cars, sweaty and crowded.
Most workplaces are not awesome. A little awe can help.
Think of a time when you felt a sense of wonder. Perhaps you marveled at the grandeur of a towering mountain. Or maybe you suddenly sensed the vastness of the universe as the Aurora Borealis spiraled across a winter sky. Were you caught off-guard? Did you lose your sense of time but gain a sense of mystery? Then you probably experienced awe.
Learning to weave in Olympia
My last post described our need to weave together a stronger social fabric that both honors our common humanity and respects and values diversity. At A Human Workplace: Olympia on June 22, we took a first step by exploring and learning about empathy and diversity. Here’s what we did and what happened. But first, what seems most essential.
Start your week with love
After I began to research, write, and speak about love at work, I happily found many others talking about love too. Sometimes the love they talk about takes the form of empathy or safety or respect. But these are all expressions of love, one of two primary human emotions.
A love story about work: caring for Cindy during cancer
During these initial days after her diagnosis, Cindy’s leader and team were there for her in all kinds of practical ways. They helped her arrange transportation, fill out paperwork, and apply for FMLA. They helped her navigate it all. And as her situation unfolded, they continued to help.
A love story about work: Carol's social services team
Work in social services, and especially work in direct services to the most vulnerable people in society, is by its very nature a human endeavor. People often choose this field because they are compassionate and motivated to care for others. But social services can be some of the most physically and emotionally demanding work there is.
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