There are hundreds of Insights to explore that we hope raise people’s consciousness and elevate the conversation by exploring today’s world through the lens of The HOW philosophy.
Apologies can and should be hugely important actions and mechanisms, blessed with enormous power and lasting impact. But they must be two-way exchanges of trust and healing that are open and transparent.
The 2025 State of Moral Leadership in Business report is the latest in an ongoing study of the presence of moral leadership and how, when present, it inspires elevated behavior in people, shapes values-based organizational cultures, strengthens performance, and builds stronger links to society and communities.
Nothing is more corrosive to a vibrant democracy and healthy communities than “when leaders with formal authority behave without moral authority."
The 2024 State of Moral Leadership in Business report represents our ongoing effort to specifically study the presence of moral leadership and how, when it is present, it inspires elevated behavior in people, shapes values-based organizational cultures, strengthens performance, and leads to deeper relationships with communities and society.
Dov Seidman, who runs the HOW Institute for Society, has a new survey out assessing the “State of Moral Leadership in Business.”
"This remarkable group of student winners, who are already making a difference in the world by writing essays that prod the conscience and consider issues through an ethical lens, embody the hope that a new generation of moral leaders will rise to meet the challenges before us," said Seidman.
Remember when leaders could sidestep taking a stand on sensitive political or social issues by saying, “The business of business is business”? That aloof neutrality no longer cuts it, says Dov Seidman, founder and chairman of The HOW Institute for Society.
Remember when leaders could sidestep taking a stand on sensitive political or societal issues by saying, “The business of business is business”? That aloof neutrality is no longer acceptable.
Moral leaders connect us in very deep places—values, principles, purpose, hope and aspirations!! . Dov Seidman author of the best-selling book, How, discusses the important role of Moral Leadership- the craving people have for this and the gaps we have in business from the How Institutes’ latest survey of Moral Leadership. This is part 2 of a 2 part podcast with Dov- last week we covered the importance of morality and moral philosophy in how we do things—in our society and in our businesses.
Dov Seidman, Founder and Chairman of The HOW Institute for Society, joined Harvard as a Hauser Leader in the Fall of 2022. Throughout his time on campus, Dov drew students into deep, provoking conversations about frameworks and models of leadership and explored with students their own leadership journeys and how they can be guided by their deepest beliefs. Dov spoke with us about his experience engaging with students at CPL.
The 2022 State of Moral Leadership in Business report represents our ongoing effort to specifically study the presence of moral leadership and how, when it is present, it inspires elevated behavior in people, shapes values-based organizational cultures, strengthens performance, and leads to deeper relationships with communities and society. This year’s report confirms our hypothesis that while some leaders have risen to the occasion of late, especially since the pandemic, there still aren’t enough moral leaders to go around.
Best-selling author and Chairman of The HOW Institute for Society, Dov Seidman pairs with Gregg Berhalter, head coach of the United States men’s national soccer team. Berhalter’s intentional build of team culture can be seen through the lens of Seidman’s best-selling book: How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything. Explains Seidman: “Self-governing cultures both inspire alignment and eject elements that don't fit in.”
For our second annual study, we sought to more deeply understand the current evolution of connections at work by comparing states from March 2020 to today. We found that moral leaders continue to disproportionately cultivate the cultures that encourage meaningful human connection.
Speakers: - Dov Seidman, Founder & Chairman – The HOW Institute for Society & LRN; Author – HOW - Zeev Klein, General Partner – Landmark Ventures
Dov Seidman gives the keynote address at Salesforce exploring the imperative of living, working, and leading with morality in a world radically reshaped by the forces of technology.
The HOW Institute undertook the research to understand how human connection in the workplace has evolved since the onset of the pandemic. The Human Connection in the Virtual Workplace report found human connection was strained for all employees but for some more than others, particularly women and younger workers. Yet, the findings also showed workers feel more meaningfully connected when their supervisors exhibited and embodied behaviors and attributes associated with moral leadership.
Human systems can’t function without formal authority, whether it’s the President of the US, a CEO or a school principal, but what makes organizations really work is when leaders occupying those formal positions have moral authority too. While formal authority can be seized, won, or bestowed; moral authority must be earned by who you are and how you lead.
In addition to presenting The Institute’s definition of moral leadership, this report provides a wide variety of data on how moral leadership manifests in the business world today—the presence of moral behaviors among managers and executives, the demand that employees express for leaders with moral authority, and the variety of benefits that stem from moral leadership. The report also offers valuable advice to those who aspire to become moral leaders.
Dov Seidman, founder and chairman of The HOW Institute for Society spoke at the opening session of the UNGA 75 Private Sector Forum on September 22, 2020. Dov shared his thoughts on what it means to lead with courage in our rapidly reshaped world.
Dov Seidman chats with Rob Cox to discuss the importance of moral leadership, an issue that has taken on increased importance during the Covid-19 crisis.
The coronavirus exposed massive inequality in the US in such a stark way that leaders couldn't turn a blind eye.
American workers are looking for moral leadership in CEOs more than ever, according to a new survey, as the U.S. is confronted with the worst health crisis and economic downturn in decades, and widespread protests against racial inequality.
Dov Seidman sits down with Scaling Up Founder and CEO, Entrepreneurs’ Organization Founder and author Verne Harnish speaks at the Bloomberg Breakaway CEO Summit in New York.
Dov Seidman sits down with Scaling Up Founder and CEO, Entrepreneurs’ Organization Founder and author Verne Harnish speaks at the Bloomberg Breakaway CEO Summit in New York.
"Who are America’s moral leaders?" USA Today asked in a recent headline. At a time when businesses are increasingly thrust to the forefront of complex issues such as racial bias, gender equity and privacy rights, an overwhelming majority of employees feel adrift. They do not believe their organizations are run by moral leaders.
The animating spirit of business has always been an ambition to do big things—to build something valuable, to solve a difficult problem, to provide a useful service, to explore the frontiers of human possibility.
In the face of rampant technology and automation (including warnings about jobs being lost to robots), Seidman points out that we must cultivate trust, truth, values, passion, and other human-related qualities. He notes that numerous companies tout the word human in their slogans. In many cases, these companies do exemplify human-centered values. However, “though these efforts are likely earnest attempts to embody human values, companies get into trouble when they don't fully and completely instill these values in their organizations.” Citing the example of Nelson Mandela, Seidman writes: “When you demonstrate moral authority, people follow you not because they have to, but because they want to.”
A new president will be inaugurated this week. In the aftermath of a divisive election season, how can the United States be reunited?
Are the world views, frameworks, and tools that leaders use to chart their course sufficient to compete today and tomorrow? We believe the answer is “No.” Our conclusion is supported by the results from one of the most ambitious, long-term research projects in the fields of organizational effectiveness, behavior, and leadership. The HOW Report suggest a clear roadmap for how organizations can simultaneously build resilience and deliver growth in today’s global economy.
People see that many of the companies where they have put their time, money, and faith are not actually working for them. Many employees and customers have adopted mistrust as a way of life, assuming that every big mainstream business will sooner or later fail to live up to their expectations.
“What behaviors do you want to see more of from your employees? What would help you win more customers and grow your business?”
What, exactly, is “greatness”? This is a question very much worth asking. After all, if we’re going to aspire to greatness together, we should have a common understanding of what we’re talking about.
Marking the UN Global Compact’s 15th anniversary, Global Compact +15 brought business and civil society to the United Nations to show how the private sector is taking action and partnering to advance societal priorities, with an emphasis on the United Nations global agenda for sustainable development (i.e. the Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs). The General Assembly Session was a unique gathering of all participants and special guests in the UN General Assembly Hall. Together participants aimed to demonstrate to Governments the private sector’s critical role in solving our world’s greatest challenges and show how the Global Compact’s work is at the heart of the United Nations agenda.
Dov Seidman keynotes the 2015 ASU GSV Summit.
Fortune’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list provides useful insights into how we collectively view corporate culture. Most of us flip through the pages or click through the screens hovering over pictures and blurbs highlighting gourmet chefs, nap rooms, yoga instructors and other signifiers of “great” workplaces.
Over the course of the 20th century, the mature economies of the world evolved from being industrial economies to knowledge economies. Now we are at another watershed moment, transitioning to human economies—and the shift has profound implications for management.
Over the course of the 20thcentury, the mature economies of the world evolved from being industrial economies to knowledgeeconomies. Now we are at another watershed moment, transitioning to human economies—and the shift has profound implications for management. What do I mean by the human economy? Economies get labeled according to the work people predominately do in them. The industrial economy…
What does it mean for a company to be human? For starters, it means we want our companies to embody the best – not the worst – human capacities and qualities. Peter Drucker’s distinction between “doing the next thing right, and doing the next right thing” nails a profound difference between humans and machines.
We are in troubling times for the business community, and your work is greatly appreciated by it. Trust of American business is at an exceedingly low level, perhaps the lowest since the Great Depression. The actions of a few, spectacular malfeasants have sullied the reputation of business as a whole and exposed the need for greater vigilance, and greater penalties for failures of compliance and ethics.
Dov Seidman shares insights from his keynote speech at the Arthur W. Page Society's 2013 Annual Conference.
Tomorrow, I’ll be addressing chief executives from around the world at the U.N. Global Compact’s triennial Leaders Summit in New York.
The very idea that we can out-behave the competition, that we can be excellent and excel in our behavior, that behavior is the source of advantage is a brand new idea.
Being principled gives us the strength to do the right thing, the connecting thing, to enlist others in our endeavors even when it’s inconvenient, unpopular, dangerous and seemingly unprofitable in the short term.
Dov Seidman presents "HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything."
THREE years ago, in front of my 300 colleagues, I ripped up our organizational chart and proclaimed that none of us would report to a boss anymore. From that point on, we would all “report” to our company mission. Literally. No one would experience life at LRN as someone else’s subordinate. In short, we would strive to become a self-governing company.
Dov Seidman kicks off the Reinvent Business Hackathon. This inspirational keynote conveys the urgency and importance of reinventing business.
How would a global company build a big enough bureaucracy to ensure that all 100,000 employees in its operating companies worldwide follow each and every law and regulation? Even further, how could the CEO of that company be assured that his or her people were acting according to the even higher standard of behavior demanded by its stakeholder community?
Leadership is going from being command-and-control to connect-and-collaborate; from inspecting for trust to giving it away; and from discussing success towards significance: "If we make a difference for our consumers, our people, and the world, success will find us."
It happened again. And it likely will keep happening until JetBlue and other airlines get their HOWs in order.
Dov Seidman on values in today's world from HOW audiobook.