Michael welcomes returning guest Lars Kure Juul, author of The Happiness Sweet Spot and his new book Compassion in Action, to discuss why leaders gravitated most to the compassion chapter and how it led to deeper work on self-compassion and implementation.
Lars argues compassion is active (beyond empathy): interest in others’ difficulties plus a desire to act, building trust, psychological safety, and high-performing teams.
They explore leadership challenges amid rising burnout, declining engagement and belonging (citing Gallup), and why strong leaders aren’t loud.
Practical themes include presence and deep listening, avoiding distractions like phones and laptops, asking better questions (“tell me more”), and servant leadership as serving others and the future by downplaying ego.
They critique leaders hiding behind complex systems, emphasize belonging (seen, able to contribute, proud), and frame compassion and humanity as the next leadership revolution.
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