Lead From the Heart

What if the way most companies are run today—chasing short-term profits, cutting corners, exploiting customers, and ignoring employee well-being—is actually the opposite of what creates lasting organizational success?

Eric Ries, author of the bestselling The Lean Startup and in his new book, Incorruptible, has spent decades studying how organizations can thrive over the long term while genuinely improving the lives of employees, customers, and communities. In Incorruptible, he argues that the most enduring, high-performing companies are guided by a mission that advances human flourishing and a principled ethos that shapes every decision and action. These organizations resist shortcuts, prioritize employee well-being, and refuse to squeeze customers—proving that ethics and excellence are inseparable.

Eric brings these ideas to life with vivid examples. He examines 3M, where a strong corporate ethos fueled groundbreaking innovation like Post-it Notes, and shows what happens when organizations like them abandon their guiding principles. He highlights Sol Price’s Price Club, a discount retailer which built extraordinary success by treating employees and customers with care, and how that culture carried forward when Price Club merged with Costco, where Jim Sinegal continued the same principles at an even larger scale.

The conversation dives into why so few companies pursue this “road less traveled,” the perils of short-term thinking, and how leaders, boards, and investors can embrace principled, long-term leadership. Eric also shares actionable insights for individual leaders who want to build an incorruptible culture within their own teams—even when systems often reward the opposite.

For anyone who cares about creating workplaces where employees thrive, where all people are treated with respect and dignity, and where long-term success doesn’t come at the expense of human well-being, this episode is packed with insights and practical lessons.

Listen now to discover how incorruptible organizations are built, why they matter, and what it takes to lead with principles, purpose, and care in a world that too often values the opposite.

The post Eric Ries: Why Most Companies Are Built to Fail appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

Beliefs are one of the most powerful—and least examined—forces shaping human life.

They determine what we notice, what we ignore, what we attempt, what we avoid, and ultimately what we believe is possible for ourselves and for others. Long before we act, long before we speak, long before we even consciously choose, our beliefs are already organizing our perception of reality.

In this conversation, Shawn Achor brings us into the deeper architecture behind that idea.

Shawn is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of positive psychology and human performance. He is widely known for his bestselling book The Happiness Advantage, which challenged a long-standing assumption in psychology and business: that success leads to happiness. Instead, Shawn’s research shows the reverse is often true—our level of happiness, optimism, and mindset significantly influences our ability to succeed in the first place. His work has reached millions through his writing, research, and one of the most widely viewed TED Talks of all time, The Happy Secret to Better Work.

In his newest book, The Power of Belief, Shawn turns his attention to a question that has fascinated philosophers, psychologists, theologians, and scientists for centuries: why do beliefs exert such an outsized influence over human behavior, performance, resilience, and well-being?

At the center of his work is a deceptively simple idea: beliefs are not passive thoughts we hold about the world—they are active filters that shape the world we experience. They influence how we interpret stress and opportunity, how we respond to setbacks, and even whether we see ourselves as capable of growth or constrained by circumstance.

Some beliefs expand us. Others quietly constrain us.

Beliefs such as “I matter,” “my behavior has impact,” or “I have something to contribute” tend to unlock motivation, resilience, and connection. Meanwhile, more limiting internal narratives—“I’m not ready,” “I can’t do this,” or “it’s safer not to try”—can quietly narrow ambition and diminish possibility long before external circumstances ever get in the way.

What makes Shawn’s approach particularly compelling is that he grounds these ideas not in philosophy or motivational thinking, but in research across neuroscience, behavioral science, and organizational psychology. His work explores how beliefs become self-reinforcing systems that shape attention, interpretation, decision-making, and ultimately outcomes.

This conversation goes beyond individual mindset. It touches something deeper about leadership, culture, and human flourishing. Because every organization is, whether intentionally or not, a belief system. People are constantly asking themselves questions like: Do I matter here? Does my work matter? Am I supported? Are problems solvable? Do I belong?

The answers people perceive—often unconsciously—shape everything from performance and engagement to resilience and well-being.

At its core, this episode is about the invisible narratives that run human life. The stories we repeat to ourselves become the boundaries of what we believe is possible. And if we can learn to see those narratives more clearly, we may also learn how to expand them.

This is a conversation about perception, possibility, and the quiet power of belief to shape not just what we achieve—but who we become.

The post Shawn Achor: The Power of Belief and the Hidden Architecture of Human Performance appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

In an era marked by remote work, digital convenience, and a documented 24% decline in everyday social interactions, many leaders are noticing a subtle but significant erosion of human connection — both in their personal lives and across their organizations.

Our guest is Dr. Gillian Sandstrom, associate professor of psychology at the University of Sussex and author of the new book Once Upon a Stranger: The Science of How Small Talk Can Add Up To a Big Life.

Sandstrom has spent 16 years researching the often-overlooked power of brief conversations with strangers — what she calls “micro-social interactions.” Her work reveals that these small moments are far from trivial. Talking to strangers can meaningfully improve mood, reduce anxiety, strengthen our sense of belonging, spark curiosity, and even lead to surprising insights or unexpected opportunities. Yet most people dramatically underestimate these benefits and overestimate the discomfort involved.

For leaders, the implications extend well beyond personal well-being. In workplaces where belonging remains a fundamental human need — sitting near the top of Maslow’s hierarchy after basic security — fostering even these tiny moments of genuine connection can elevate employee morale, combat isolation, and help create cultures where people feel truly seen and valued.

The conversation explores practical ways leaders can apply these insights: from how they start meetings and interact with team members to the everyday environments they shape that make natural human exchange more likely.

The discussion also examines the real psychological barriers that hold people back — including fear of rejection, which research shows is far rarer than we predict — and offers practical steps for building comfort over time. A memorable statistics class experiment involving simple greetings provides direct, actionable lessons for anyone in a leadership role.

Sandstrom’s research, recently featured in The New York Times, challenges the modern habit of moving through our days in relative silence. It invites a gentler, more connected way of showing up — both as individuals and as leaders. As the episode makes clear, meaningful improvements in well-being and organizational health often arise not from grand gestures, but from the cumulative power of many small interactions.

Tune in to discover why reintroducing these everyday moments of connection may be one of the simplest yet most powerful levers available to leaders today — and how small talk (yes, small talk!) can add up to a bigger, richer life and a more humane workplace.  It is a really cool and uncommonly insightful conversation!

The post Gillian Sandstrom: How Talking to Strangers Boosts Well-Being and Leadership Impact appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

Leaders who care about employee well-being are facing a hidden challenge that most aren’t talking about enough: widespread disconnection.

Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Brigham Young University and Director of the Social Connection & Health Lab, has spent more than two decades showing how human connection — or the lack of it — directly shapes our physical and mental health. Her groundbreaking research helped shape the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on loneliness and isolation, and she is currently leading the landmark Social Connection in America survey, a 25-year national study tracking the true state of social connection across the country.

The early data paints a concerning picture. 41% of American adults report feeling lonely at least some of the time. Nearly three-quarters get together with close relationships only twice a month or less. Many have surprisingly small social networks, and participation in groups or community life has dropped sharply. These patterns matter deeply for organizations because disconnection doesn’t stay at home — it follows people into work.

In our conversation, Julianne explains how weak social connections contribute to higher burnout, increased mental health struggles, lower energy and focus, and greater challenges with retention and performance. She makes a clear case that strong relationships and a genuine sense of belonging are not nice-to-have perks. They are foundational to human health and resilience — and therefore to healthy, high-performing teams.

We explore why disconnection has become so common in modern life, how it quietly affects people at work, and — most importantly — what leaders can actually do about it. Rather than treating connection as an occasional team-building exercise, we discuss how to make building close, supportive relationships and real belonging a consistent part of daily leadership practice.

This conversation offers fresh insight and practical ideas for any leader who wants to create a workplace where people feel truly seen, supported, and connected. Because when individuals feel strong social ties at work, both their well-being and their contribution improve in meaningful ways.If you’re committed to the well-being of your team — and recognize that your own well-being is also tied to the quality of your relationships — this discussion with Julianne will give you new and uncommon perspective, and tools you can put into practice right away.

 

The post Julianne Holt-Lunstad: Connection Is the Most Powerful Tool Leaders Are Ignoring appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

A photographic portrait of Julie Claeys

When a global professional services firm decides that employee well-being deserves C-suite ownership — complete with metrics, guardrails, and consequences — it signals a major leap from perks to strategy.

To that end, Frank Giampietro serves as the Americas Chief Well-Being Officer at Ernst Young (EY), leading well-being strategy across dozens of countries and tens of thousands of employees. His role reflects a deliberate decision by EY to treat well-being as a business imperative — not an HR initiative, not a benefits package, and most certainly not a feel-good campaign.

Post-COVID, EY identified a series of operational realities that couldn’t be ignored. Client demand accelerated while teams operated in hybrid and remote environments. In many areas, workloads intensified, teams grew leaner, and leaders lost the informal visibility that once helped them detect burnout or disengagement early. At the same time, employee expectations fundamentally shifted. Flexibility, mental health support, and humane leadership became baseline expectations — not differentiators.

The risks were clear: attrition, presenteeism, disengagement, and burnout threatened client delivery, institutional knowledge, and long-term growth.

Frank explains how EY responded by building systems to identify overload sooner, redefining leadership expectations, and introducing measurable insight through tools like its Vitality Index — combining employee feedback with operational data to give leaders real-time visibility into how their teams are doing.

He also addresses the question many organizations struggle with: what does managerial accountability actually look like. What authority does a Chief Well-Being Officer have? How are leaders expected to show up differently? And what happens when even high-performing leaders fall short or even harm their teams’ well-being?

For leaders who want to move beyond aspiration and embed well-being into the way work truly gets done, this episode offers a concrete, candid and compelling blueprint.

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