Howard Ross is a lifelong social justice advocate and the founding partner of Cook Ross. He’s considered one of the world’s seminal thought leaders on identifying and addressing Unconscious Bias. Howard has delivered programs in 47 states and over 40 other countries to audiences including Fortune 500 companies and major institutions within healthcare, government and non-profit sectors. He authored the Washington Post best seller, Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in Our Daily Lives and ReInventing Diversity: Transforming Organizational Community to Strengthen People, Purpose and Performance. His new book, Our Search for Belonging: How the Need for Connection Is Tearing Our Culture Apart (Berrett-Koehler, May 8, 2018) describes how to bridge the divide in our increasingly polarized society.
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
When business started difficulties overcame:
“the first thing you need to do is understand yourself. This is the most important aspect of leadership that most people don’t get whether they are in entrepreneurial situation are whether they are running a department in a corporation that is leading from the inside out. What are the motivations we have as individuals? What are our personality strengths? What are our personality challenges that dominate the way that we lead? Because often we don’t even realise that often that’s where our leadership styles come from and that’s where our leadership methodologies come from”…[Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
- The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky and Alexander Grashow
- Ronald A. Heifetz Books
Favourite Quote:
“things ain’t about what they are supposed to be they are about what they is”
Recommended Online Resources:
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation
Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“don’t fall into the trap of having your success and particularly monetary success being the ultimate decider of your actions… When we stay mission focused, when we stay focused on the core of what we are trying to accomplish with our work and the passion that had as want to do that work to begin with and ultimately how well we do financially is a good measure how successful or effective we are doing that. That is very different than starting with the money because when you start with the money invariably make some mistakes based on decisions”…[Listen for More]
More About Howard Ross:
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
“You can’t make anything viral, but you can make something good.” Peter Shankman, founder of HARO
Other Quotes From the Chat with Howard Ross:
- “Be smarter than everybody else… Always be learning, always be looking for what there is to learn and stay ahead of the crowd in terms of that”
- “Work harder than anybody else. Be willing to do whatever you have to do to make it happen”
- “Be nicer than everybody else… Not in a saccharine way. Really try to understand people, really try to put yourself in other people’s shoes. Really try to bring empathy and compassion to the people not only that you are working with in your organisation but to the people you are working with outside”
- “at some point when you become successful everybody wants what you’ve done as opposed to what you want to be doing”
- “I was fortunate in my ignorance. It was one of those things where nobody said to me the number of small consulting firms that make it is like one in ten. Nobody said to me know this is really hard what you are doing. All I knew is wow this is interesting fascinating and let me see if I can make it happen”
- “we need to focus in on what do we want to do, how do you do it best… And then try to surround yourself with people as much as you can who are better than you are”
- “stay true to your values, be clear of the impact you want to have. Have that drive the business. Make sure that you are smart in terms of making financial decisions and making operational decisions in ways that are consistent with your values. But also secure the business in an appropriate way. Be trusting but also tie up the camels”
- “can very easily without even realising it miss the fact that that very skills that allow us to be successful also create blind spots”
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