Profitability with Social Responsibility: Deb Crowe on a New Approach to Leadership
Dr. Chris Stout
LinkedIn Top Voice | Best Selling Author | Adventurer | Startup Whisperer | (Accidental) Humanitarian | APA's "Rockstar" Psychologist | éminence Grise
Leaders come in a variety of types and approaches. There are the proverbial Chainsaw Al’s - those tough-talking executives who are aggressive in their turning around troubled companies by laying off workers and closing factories.
There are the Jack Welch types who at first seem like geniuses, but are later found to not have created sustainable change. There is a litany of heroes and scoundrels, crooks and kings of all stripe, throughout various areas of work-life and the world.
But what if there was a more heart-centered style of leadership? Something that binds the power of compassion, empathy, and authenticity together in making decisions and informing relationships with those we work and collaborate with?
Well, there is, and Deb Crowe literally wrote the book on it, or should I say the Playbook, as she is the author of the newly published Heart-Centered Leadership Playbook.
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Deborah Crowe is an entrepreneurial leader with a wealth of experience coaching individuals at all levels, as well as consulting, training, and teaching, as a college professor. She also hosts the popular podcast imperfect and companion Substack newsletter, How to Master The Art of Heart .
With a deep passion for making a positive impact, Deb has dedicated her career to creating ventures that prioritize people and the planet. Drawing from a diverse background that combines business acumen with a compassionate approach, she strives to create a harmonious balance between profitability and social responsibility. She is a graduate of Brock University and the Richard Ivey School of Business for Entrepreneurship.
Deb has navigated the entrepreneurial landscape for more than 30 years, and possesses a keen understanding of market dynamics, customer needs, and innovation. Coupled with her diverse life experiences, she is an out-of-the-box and innovative thinker. Her visionary leadership style fosters a collaborative and inclusive work environment, where employees thrive and contribute their best.
Before we got into Deb’s book, she shared a bit more about her coaching, podcast and newsletter. This was a good segue into discussing her newest book, but before we did, I wanted to start with its description:?
The Heart-Centered Leadership Playbook is a transformative guide that redefines the traditional approach to leadership by emphasizing the power of compassion, empathy, and authenticity. In this groundbreaking book, author and heart-centered leader Deb Crowe delves into the core principles of heart-centered leadership, providing practical tools and strategies to inspire individuals and organizations to lead with purpose and passion.
She describes how embracing vulnerability, active listening, and fostering meaningful connections can unlock the true potential of both leaders, and their teams. Drawing on a wide range of research, real-world examples, and personal experiences, Deb offers a comprehensive roadmap to cultivating self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and ethical decision-making as she provides practical solutions rooted in the principles of what she defines as heart-centered leadership.
The Playbook is a must-read for aspiring leaders, seasoned executives, and anyone seeking to create positive change in their personal and professional lives.
And I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Deb has co-authored four other books, but this is her first “solo” book, and it had some flavor of memoir as well as playbook as she relates and references a number of personal experiences that shaped and informed her work, and thus writing. And, no surprise, I had to start with the classic question, what spurred her to write it.
From there we were off! We covered what heart-centered leadership is, Heart-Centered Leadership Qualities - what they are along with some examples, and some simple and easy methods to integrate heart-centered leadership into one’s life and work.
Deb shared how to transform grief memories into learning moments in her leadership journey—such as experiences of the loss of her father which she shared. We talked about her having a corneal ulcer in her right eye which she believes caused her to think differently and how that affected her development. Additional challenges for her in her youth included frequent moves and associated traumas of bullying from being the “new-kid” and wearing an eyepatch.
Some of the more memoir-aspects of her writing included a number of lessons from her Irish Nana on aligning life and leadership with morals, values, and core beliefs. The examples Deb shared were touching. Other aspects of her book include an entire chapter devoted to forgiveness, along with chapters on “Intuition Management” and the “Beauty of Imperfection.”
Our conversation also covered how empathy and compassion are essential elements of heart-centered leadership, ways in which values and purpose of heart-centered leadership can be reflected in an organizations culture, how trust is a fundamental aspect of heart-centered leadership, and the importance of self-care, the well-being of one’s team/staff, and the community.
Empowerment is a core aspect of heart-centered leadership and involves understanding and respecting the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of team members and is a critical organizational tool, especially during times of growth or change. Heart-centered leadership often involves going beyond the conventional scope of business to make a positive impact on the community and society as well. And Deb shared, how she as a heart-centered leader, personally recharges and maintains her own well-being to sustain her effectiveness as a leader.
As always, when I have a book author on the podcast, I have to also nerd out on the more mechanical aspects of book writing and design. Deb shared her working with two cohorts of authors that helped in the conceptualization and crafting of her book. She discussed the roles and collaboration she had with her developmental editor, structural editor, and revisions editor, and discussed what each of those editors’ jobs were and how they worked together.
I really appreciated the structuring of her “Full Circle Life Moment” at the end of chapters along with her “Self-Reflection Questions” and the helpful and actionable Resources section that includes her Manifesto, Bill of Rights, Affirmations, 20 Qualities (also available in 25 languages) and Heart-Centered Model, are as helpful as they are inspirational.?
Deb is an amazing and heart-centered leader who sincerely walks-the-talk in her work and life, and is the epitome of how one can live a life in full, and in service to others and the world. ??
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Fractional Chief Heart Officer | Certified Executive & Leadership Coach | Global Keynote Speaker | Award-Winning International Best-Selling Author | Podcast Host | College Professor
11 个月Thank you Dr. Chris Stout for the amazing opportunity to be on your podcast! I absolutely loved our conversation! ??
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11 个月I'm intrigued by the concept of heart-centered leadership. How can we implement it in our organizations?