Defining values is one thing, living them is another

This is how companies can better align with the values they claim to uphold.

  • Defining corporate values is increasingly important to organizations and society—which is why consulting firms are making millions of dollars helping organizations define their values. What we're seeing consistently, says social innovator Aaron Hurst, is this is not working.
  • You can print values on posters and talk about them at conferences, but these values often fail to become part of the fabric of the organization. They remain upper-management-speak.
  • You could start to fix that problem in one hour, says Hurst. Try his recommended exercise: Connect your employees in pairs and ask them to talk about how a given value has shown up in their career, what does it mean to them? Values are only legitimate if everyone in your company can tell genuine stories about how those values have shown up in their daily jobs.
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Is the end near? Podcaster Dan Carlin discusses his new book.

The host of Hardcore History has written his first book, The End Is Always Near.

Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images
  • In his debut work of nonfiction, Dan Carlin discusses the last 6,000 years of apocalyptic moments.
  • The podcaster talks about the choices we're collectively facing in view of the historical record.
  • Carlin warns against judging past deeds on current standards, as we're setting a bad precedent on future generations.
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On writing: What illuminates a story?

Don't be afraid to have the very experiences you aspire to write about — they will help you write more vividly, and from a genuine place of wonder.

  • When it comes to writing a story, it's important to find a way to have an experience that will illuminate the narrative for readers — that is, an experience that fills you, the writer, with wonder and gives you a fresh take on things.
  • A good way to make a nonfiction story rich is by tackling the subject with different lenses, by circling it from different points of views.
  • Good storytelling is about taking readers on a journey. This said, instead of leading with your conclusion, begin from the time when you were naive about the subject at hand, and, as you relay the different things you learn, you will help your readers, in a down-to-earth way, move toward knowing more, too.
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How we view our environment impacts our wellbeing, says Australian philosopher

In his book, Earth Emotions, Glenn Albrecht coins "psychoterratic."

Photo credit: Frédéric Soltan / Corbis via Getty Images
  • Australian environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht has written the manual for understanding how societies must grapple with climate change.
  • Language not only reflects reality but produces it, prompting Albrecht to coin several new words.
  • Among them is psychoterratic, which relates to how our view of nature impacts our wellbeing.
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Can you use narrative to shape your life?

Storytelling has been a human tradition for thousands of years and for good reason: It holds a powerful influence over our psychology.

Photo by Mike Erskine on Unsplash
  • Some researchers argue that humans have been telling stories for tens of thousands of years.
  • Because it's so deeply embedded in our psychology, the stories we tell about ourselves and others can have a major impact on our minds.
  • How can we use storytelling to improve our lives?
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