Leading with Kindness: The Power of Goodwill with James Rhee, Owner, Red Helicopter, TEDTalk Speaker
All of us probably know the term “goodwill” from an accounting context:
In this capitalistic world in many ways; this value is decided by the buyer.
Now our next guest argues that in reality, goodwill which should mean a whole lot more than an accounting concept, is earned and cannot be bought; and that if done correctly — can be worth a whole lot.
True to the saying 'nice guys finish last'; so many of us have accepted that as in the case of Steve Jobs, 'abrasiveness' was part of his genius.
But what if there was another way?
What if leaders could be kind; and that there is a tangible value to kindness in business?
This as he saw in his tenure as the unlikely “least qualified CEO” of Ashley Stewart, a popular plus-sized clothing brand serving and employing predominantly Black women: where he reinvented the co from the brink of bankruptcy: with what he argues was a recipe of “kindness” that shocked the world.
Here are some key takeaways from our conversation with James who shocked the world with a recipe of kindness:
1/ “Kindness is one of the things you never have to hedge. It's never wrong to be kind.”
“Is there ever a scenario where it's okay to be unkind?” Rather calling it as “woke”, James called it humanism - it’s about honesty, integrity, decency and so much more as a human.
Kindness is often overlooked. Even so, it makes up the most valuable asset in business, in ventures and in life. As James said, “Kindness creates goodwill; and goodwill, that's an asset, isn't it?”
“The world is going to want to put you into a box… and I'm going to be a friend that says to you, ‘you're good, try that’, ” And that’s what goodwill looks like, sounds like.
2/ “You don't make money with just zeros and ones.”
“You don't create societal change with zeros and ones. You create new paradigms.”
Personal or financial success does not come from machine-like zeros and ones. Indeed, from the reinvention of Ashley Stewart to today’s eminence, James’ played a fair game handling the numbers and the ethos.
Quoting James, “To me, the ethos was friendship. It was dignity. “
3/ Appreciate the quiet leaders.
James’ mother and the women from Ashley Stewart alike, James called them the “quiet leaders”. They are the ones who never get credit, and partly because they never asked for it. James’ role was simply translating their voices for the world to learn about how firm, resolute, and thoughtful they are in their leadership.
4/ “I'm more proud of the way we did it than what the result was.”
Saving Ashley Stewart from the brink of bankruptcy, James gave credit to his vision in investing on women. “Why wouldn't I want to put money there? There's more arbitrage. Not just fairness and justice, but also as an investor, why wouldn't I want to invest here?”
Above all that, the reason behind their reinvention of the company was sincere, fully-driven by trust and faith. “We were right, the world was wrong. We showed the world, there was value here.”
5/ The decathlon and range of life.
Seeing life or business as a sprinting competition could be the biggest pitfall; the spirit of winning lies in the competition against yourself. Knowing that it’s a long fight, almost decathlon-like, the range of life and the ability to generalise across domains of life are the keys to winning in life.
red helicopter
Partner with James Rhee and the red helicopter movement to better your life and the lives of those around you.
red helicopter is an operating system and community for those leaders and organizations committed to creating value in a sustainable, human-centered way. Our processes and curricula are taught in the leading academic centers and implemented by the most innovative public and private sector entities. By valuing the intangibles, through kindness and math, we create agility and balance, and thus organic innovation.
Learn more About Red Helicopter: https://www.redhelicopter.com/
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James Rhee
Teacher, Producer, Investor, Author, Goodwill Strategist
James Rhee is an acclaimed impact investor, founder, CEO, goodwill strategist, and educator who empowers people, brands, and organizations by marrying capital with purpose. He is an award-winning thought leader on topics such as multidimensional transformation, the intersection of capital, race, and gender, the future of capitalism, and values-based investing and leadership. The story of the remarkable transformation and re-imagination of Ashley Stewart, one of the country’s largest clothing brands serving plus-sized Black women, under James’s enlightened leadership as chairman, CEO and investor (2013-2020), has served as proof to millions of people, as well as the world’s leading businesses and organizations, that one can do better by being better.
James bridges seemingly unconnected people, communities, and industries under an inclusive and innovative umbrella. James serves as a member of the Advisory Council of JPMorgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways, a Founding Member of Ashoka E-to-E, and the Advisory Board of CEO Action for Racial Equity. He is a Strategic Advisor to start-ups creating the world in which we want our children to live, and formerly served as Chair of the Innovation Committee of the National Retail Federation, and a board member of Conscious Capitalism and the American Repertory Theater. He is a client of both UTA and LGR Literary.
As an investor, James helped manage billions of dollars of growth and distressed capital at two leading Boston-based institutions before ultimately founding his own impact platform called FirePi… Read More