Lead with Heart
There's
something
funny about
heart...
Nathaniel
Nathaniel
There’s a tendency in our culture to talk about our minds and hearts as opposing forces. We are either thinking or we are feeling. We are either passionate or we are analytical. This month, we challenge that assumption. We’re getting data-centric about the mushy stuff—and giving scientifically-backed hugs.
Here’s how we lead with heart.
CH. 1 PASSION
“Care about what you do and make your passion for it dictate the final product.”—Nick / Development
“It’s about that spark—that pure, unquestionable devotion to something; that gleeful blindness to rationality; that ache in your belly and brain when you’re unable to let heart take you where you know it must go.”—Nathaniel / Content
“Having a stake in what you’re doing or creating. Consciously making space for your values and morals to play a role, not just getting the job done… Inspiring by doing.”—Laurel / Data Insights
“I try to work on what I believe in. If it’s important to you then it’s important.”
— Megan / Design
“… make sure the choices you make reflect your conscience…”
— Ricky / Design
“Leading with heart is about taking risks.”
— Matt / Design“Find what you love and let it kill you.”
CHARLES BUKOWSKI
“To set an example to those around you by being motivational and intentional, not only to achieve the best results of a goal but to facilitate meaningful relationships.”—Amanda / Operations
“Everything we do is designed for people so it all has come from the heart..”—Geoff / Design
“To lead with heart is to use your intuition as your compass. Leading with heart is ignoring the bullshit and allowing your innate creativity to pave your path forward. To lead with heart you have to be brave and unafraid.”—Hilary / UX Design
#001
Passion means doing what you love. But also bringing love to anything you do. Both change how you live. People who feel they have a purpose have a lower risk of heart disease.
“Life is adapting to change. I live every day trying to enjoy the growth that comes as we adapt and, hopefully, inspire others to see work and life that way too.”—Dan / Development
“When I get the chance to work on things I truly stand behind, I find great enjoyment in throwing myself fully into them no matter how long it takes.”—Brittany / Design
#032
Did you know?
The blue whale has the largest heart,
weighing over 1,500 pounds.
The human heart is ~.75 pounds.
CH. 2 EMPATHY
“I believe a kind gesture can affect how someone’s day goes.”—Amanda / Operations
“Stay curious. Starting with questions instead of statements. It means finding magic in the everyday.”—Ali / Content
I give a sh!t about things.
Dave
Dave
“Heart is where inspiration comes from.”
— Geoff / Design
“It means infusing empathy, experience, and emotion into all you do.”
— Brittany / Design
“If my heart tells me its the right thing to do I typically will do it.”
— Steve / Business Dev.
“…by listening, observing, trying not to judge and proactively stepping in when I think I can help.”
— Jen / UX Design
“I try to think of people.”
— Ali / Design
“I try to make decisions based on impact in terms of people and how they will feel.”
— Justine / Project Mgmt.
“Be flexible.”
— Ananya / UX Design“Everyone has a different story, different background, and different way of working… if I try to understand someone else’s perspective it will broaden my understanding of a situation or project and may even lead me to a solution I had not thought of before.”—Courtney / Project Mgmt.
“In my career, I lead my work with a passion for design. In my personal life, I try to be empathetic to those I love and always be grateful for my relationships with them.”—Amanda / Design
#084
And empathy isn’t just for humans. Leading with heart isn’t just a nice to have in life—it has become a business imperative.
Design is linked to profit, and for every $1 spent on design, businesses see a $5 increase in net operating profit.
In addition, businesses reported boosts to confidence, strategic thinking, brand and business identity.
CH. 3 SINCERITY
“You can tell when you don’t have heart. It doesn’t connect. Having heart makes you bold.”—Dave / Content
“I feel people can sense when you are genuine and when I lead with my heart…”—Steve / Business Dev.
“I try to build a personal connection with clients, understand the moment they are in… I want them to like us as people and not just our work.”—Justine / Project Mgmt.
When the heart isn’t there, clients & colleagues smell it...
Scott
Scott
“I make sure I’m passionate and excited about the work I am doing – that it’s more than just creating for creation’s sake, but trying to find ways to solve meaningful problems.”—Matt / Design
“You can't quantify things like delight or wonder…these things happen in your soul…they happen in your bones…they happen when you ignore ceilings and reject restrictions, even if that exercise is temporary just to allow yourself space to feel and room to wander.”—Hilary / UX Design
#261
Your heart is automatically authentic. It’s vulnerable. When companies expose that part of their brand, they resonate more. Because we’re all just looking to connect on some level.
“I can provide the proper work environment and supplies to generate creativity as well as get to know the employees on a deeper level over time to best cater to their daily needs at Tank.”—Amanda / Operations
“Leading with heart means doing what’s right. Sometimes that means tackling global issues, sometimes it means getting your typography f@cking perfect.”—Geoff / Design
“Let your gut inform decisions, and stay focused on/motivated by the human impact of those decision.”—Brandon / Project Mgmt.
CH. 4 ROLE MODELS
“My father was an Assistant Principal before he retired. He inspired everyone he met to achieve a greater future than they themselves imagined.”
— Dan / Development
“Chelsea Handler. She doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks and just puts it all out there in a super authentic way.”
— Hilary / UX Design
“Tom Brady. Good Parents. Almost everyone from Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation.”
— Scott / Business Dev.
“…My parents…They make it a point to treat their employees well through higher pay, free employee lunches, seasonal employee parties, etc as well as helping those employees who have had a tough time.”
— Amanda / Operations
“Barbara Kruger– I think she's a great example of a woman in a male-centric world who uses her work as a platform to talk about issues that matter to her.”
— Brittany / Design
“Andy Lo… found a way to connect his work expertise with a personal mission of finding a cure for cancer.”
— Laurel / Data Insights“...any coach or captain that understands that the team is greater than any individual—and because of that, you put your own fears, ego, doubts aside and push harder to make others better and to strive together.”—Jen / UX Design
“Everybody, in some way, shape or form [leads with heart]. It's one of the things that makes us human.”—Jess / Design
“Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated.”
FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT
“It is impossible to pick one person or even one type of people. We all have the ability to lead with our hearts.”—Nathaniel / Content
CH. 5 ACTION
