Meet Rasmus Hougaard:

Rasmus Hougaard is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Potential Project. He is the author of “The Mind of the Leader,” “One Second Ahead,” and recently published “Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way.” Rasmus is also a contributor for the Harvard Business Review, Forbes and Business Insider. He received a Master’s degree in Organization and Behavior Studies from Roskilde University.

Key Insights:

Rasmus Hougaard is on a mission to create a more human world of work.

• Rethinking Leadership. The idea of a leader single-handedly saving a company is outdated. Rasmus shares that leadership today is about motivating teams of people behind a shared vision. Leadership is through influence and communication, rather than commands and mandates. (14:05)
• Wise Compassion. Rasmus’ research found that the most effective leaders combined a caring attitude with business acumen and the courage to do difficult things. Good leaders can do hard things in a human way. (19:38)
• Relearning Being Human. Leadership in the 21st century is about unlearning management and relearning being human. Leaders should enter conversations with vulnerability and honesty. They should put aside traditional prescriptions for leadership, and rather focus on the individual, unique employee in front of them. (23:12)

Relevant Links: 

• Learn more about the Potential Project
• Check out Rasmus’ book “Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way”
• Read Rasmus’ contributions to Forbes on Leadership Strategy