The Humane Mindset

It’s great to achieve, do wonders, compete effectively and reach the zenith of your ambitions and goals. Usually once someone has achieved all that one aimed to achieve, Maslov’s hierarchy of needs kick in and you find yourself sitting on top of the pyramid, looking for societal recognition and contribution to society. World over the success of business organizations is measured by how much the organisation has contributed towards creating positive social impact. Just profiteering does not make the organisation iconic. Corporate social responsibility has become a way of life for firms across the world. Then what about the individual? Is society and community not a reflection of the mindset of individuals?

With the disruptive social media revolution, it’s the person we are that gets amplified. Let’s look at leaders. It’s trendy today to be a ‘cool leader’ who- knows the way, shows the way and goes the way! Who works alongside teams shoulder to shoulder and then takes them to a bowling alley to have fun. A company is all about its culture with its CEO as the Chief Culture Custodian. That’s what brings outstanding outcomes. Therefore what you are becomes much more than who you are. It’s not just fashionable to be humble and people friendly. Today it’s the core pivot for you to not only do it well, but do it right. Here are some tips taken from my University of life.

So let’s demystify the humane mindset. How do you develop this important frame of mind as your natural trait?

Are you kind and considerate?

Of course we are all self oriented and rightly so. But are we wired to care for others and what they feel? While it’s the season for empathy, human beings can easily detect fake kindness. An alarm bell just goes off in their minds as soon as they trace out this deception and the fuse blows forever on their trust for you. If you are ruthlessly selfish, you will need to change yourself drastically. Start by appreciating people in your life who matter. You could even start with your family or best friend. Be kind. Be considerate. You will be surprised at the results!

Do you put the needs of others before yours?

Are you capable of sacrificing your needs for someone else? Have you been with friends and each one orders their customized burger and when the order is delivered one friend wants to eat what you have ordered and you let him take it and take whatever else is available? It’s good to want for your own self and pursue your dreams but whether with your family, friends and community when you don’t only think of your own self but others you become outstanding as a human being. At work, such leaders are admired and followed. If you are built in a way that you are a hardcore self centered person  you will need to change drastically to adopt a humane mindset. Thinking of others and being sensitive to their needs is the cornerstone of this mindset.

Do you have an entrenched sense of empathy?

The word humane comes from being able to understand others and feel their pain or difficulties. The core of a humane mindset is being compassionate. To develop this incredible mindset you must have an inbuilt sense of empathy to literally be in the other person’s shoes. This leads to great leadership and followership. Once others know that you empathize with them they will feel more comfortable and naturally aligned with you. Over time they will lean on you and have a deep sense of connect with you. This automatically results in trusted relationships, whether with friends or at work

To evolve to a humane mindset

You will need to work towards this mindset, especially if you are naturally not inclined this way. Once you have a humane mindset, you will see better progress and more effective leadership. Above all you will feel a deep sense of real achievement!

“The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane” Mahatma Gandhi


The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Amitesh Banerjee
Amitesh is a seasoned positive integrated communications disruptor with several years of multi- country/multi- domain experience. He has worked for reputed organisations in senior leadership positions including JWT, ITC, New Zealand Dairy Board, Seychelles Marketing Board, Perfect Relations, Genesis BCW, Adfactors, Della Group, H+K Strategies among others. Amitesh is Senior Vice President of Beanstalk Asia- a leading Integrated Marketing Communications firm.

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