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Behavior grooves is a podcast that explores human behavior through a behavior science lens. This week, we talk with cecile peer about her latest book, human centred leadership: awakening the choice within. She says it's not possible for us to actually control one another - what we can do is lead one another. And there were more really cool ideas during the conversation including how adaptability and resilience might be the two most important cultural foundations of a company.

Control is the opposite of caring. And a caring mindset is one of the most important things a leader can possess. In a caring workplace, workers experience lower absenteeism, less burnout and more productive teamwork.

“When we carry a mindset of control, we tend to shrink in our capacity, because we are likely to disconnect from our emotions, so we avoid what's happening with us and what may be happening with other people. There's really not a lot of room for us to express something beyond the cognitive.” ~ Sesil Pir.

Sesil Pir may not be a household name, we are delighted to bring you our rich conversation with her, which is sprinkled with gems from her 20+ years of championing humanity in the workplace. More recently, Sesil has authored the book “Human-Centered Leadership: Awakening The Choice Within” after years of longitudinal research with Stanford University to pull the data, analyze it, and package it so nicely for us to read.

“You can manage a task, you can divide it into pieces, you can time control yourself, or resource control yourself, but you cannot manage a human being…what we can do is lead one another.” ~ Sesil Pir

Not only is Sesil’s book packed full of incredible leadership insights, 100% of the profits from the book are going to non-profit organizations to benefit the education of young girls in emerging markets. So, we strongly encourage you to buy the book, read it, and share her work with others you know.

Topics

(5:46) Being successful vs being kind.

(8:41) We always have a choice in how we show up.

(12:57) The importance of going back to our purpose and being authentic.

(16:13) Control is the opposite of caring. Why a caring mindset is important.

(22:26) Leaders who are pessimistic about a caring mindset.

(26:59) The difference between sympathy, empathy and compassion.

(29:59) Why adaptability and resilience are vital in organizations.

(36:46) What part do self esteem and trust play in leadership?

(40:30) How to choose junior leaders in an organization?

(48:35) Grooving session with Kurt and Tim discussing the human part of leadership.

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