'Kindness is the highest form of intelligence'

At ConantLeadership, we're committed to lifelong learning and continuous improvement. In service to your leadership growth, each month we curate this digest of resources to:

Share actionable advice from top leadership luminaries
Celebrate a range of viewpoints (inclusion is not an endorsement)
Contextualize workplace trends through a leadership lens
Support your personal development in life, leadership, & beyond

Want to work with us to lift your or your team's leadership to new heights? Drop us a line or talk to Emma Anthony, our Director of Leadership Programs.

New from ConantLeadership

Quotes That Inspire Greater Commitment

"Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed.” – Wayne Dyer

We first published this quote roundup in 2015 and it has remained so popular that we were inspired to update it with brand new content and quotes in honor of the Olympic athletes and their commitment to excellence on the world stage this past month.

Let these quotes about the power of commitment inspire you to meet life and leadership's challenges today, whether you're in the boardroom, the classroom, or on the slopes. Read all the quotes here.

Founder's Corner: What's Doug Reading & Watching?

A new feature in our newsletter where we highlight resources that our Founder & CEO, Doug Conant, has recently found insightful and/or inspiring.

1. QUOTE: 'KINDNESS IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF INTELLIGENCE.'
From Doug: "While it's murky to confirm the provenance, this quote is most often attributed to author Wayne Teasdale and I wholeheartedly endorse its sentiment. Kindness is an essential leadership attribute, especially in a world where callousness seems to be on the rise. I believe smart leaders must be compassionate, unconditionally considerate, and generous in spirit. If the anxiety and perceived cruelty of the world increases, a leader's kindness must expand in equal measure."

2. ARTICLE: "Jacinda Arden Has Much to Say about Kindness" by Candice Helfand-Rogers
From Doug: "In this coverage of former prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Arden's leadership story, you can find this quote from her memoir: 'Kindness has a power and strength that almost nothing else on this planet has . . . I'd seen kindness do extraordinary things. I'd seen it give people hope. I'd seen it change minds and transform lives.' And a new documentary also explores how she champions 'the importance of empathy in tough times.' Arden is right: If we hope to lead people to higher ground, we too must lead with kindness."

3. VIDEO: "Colin Powell Speaks about Trust and Leadership"

From Doug: "Recently had an opportunity to revisit this fantastic clip of Colin Powell answering the question, 'How would you define the key characteristics of effective leadership that allow you to go and be an advocate for good?' Powell doesn't skip a beat as he answers quickly, 'Trust.' He continues, 'The longer I have been in public service and the more people have asked me about leadership over the years, leadership ultimately comes down to creating conditions of trust within an organization. Good leaders are people who are trusted by followers.' I recommend watching his entire answer here, it's short and sweet, under two minutes long, and very insightful."

The 5 Core Mindsets of Personal Growth

In this excerpt from their new book, How to Live a Meaningful Life: Using Design Thinking to Unlock Purpose, Joy and Flow Every Day, co-authors Dave Evans and Bill Burnett share their research-backed insights for how to create a personal and professional existence that is filled with meaning. Among the many key takeaways, they impart the five core mindsets they call "The Designers Way," which they define as "a powerful way to think about your life and your place in the world," and which used together constitute a powerful recipe for personal growth. The five mindsets, in the authors' words, are below.

1. Wonder (the main character of mindsets) = curiosity + mystery.
2. Availability = showing up with a "yeah, let's see what happens" attitude.
3. Radical Acceptance = fully acknowledging what is, not what you wish it was.
4. Fully Engaged & Calmly Detached = "I'm giving this my all, but I won't freak out about the outcome."
5. Create Your World = You're not stuck with the default settings. You're not just letting life happen to you—you're actively co-creating it with the people around you.

Get the full story here.

100 Years of Black History Month

"2026 marks a milestone of both progress and persistence in the United States, the 100th anniversary of federal recognition for Black Americans," writes Doug Melville in this Forbes coverage of the history of Black History Month. This anniversary is an opportunity for reflection, "not only on what has been accomplished, but also on why this work continues to matter," says Melville, who notes that the month "is often associated with familiar icons - Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman - yet the deeper intention is about uncovering thousands of stories once ignored: scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, academics, inventors, policy leaders, soldiers, and everyday citizens who shaped the nation." He says that engaging with Black history is essential for leaders in particular and is a crucial way of "building cultural competency, learning from systemic injustice, and developing the leadership skills required in an increasingly diverse world." Above all, writes Melville, "Black history is American history. And remembering it strengthens us all." Get the full story here.

Lessons from Olympic Gold Medalist Alysa Liu

In this SmartBrief piece, Michael Lee Stallard writes, "Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu teaches leaders that task excellence, without human connection, is a recipe for burnout." He points to a quote from one of Liu's post-victory interviews where she shares, "human connection is what I'm all about." Liu's journey to gold was not a straight line. As a teen on the rise to the top, she suffered from profound burnout. So she announced her retirement from the sport, only to return years later, healed from connecting with the people who mattered to her most, and ready to conquer the world-stage on her own terms. Stallard explains that what propelled her to gold this time around was the perfect recipe of competence, interpersonal depth, and joy in her craft. He writes, "for superior performance to be sustainable, you need an ongoing combination of task excellence and relationship excellence. Without the relationship piece, individuals risk burnout, and results suffer." Get the full story here.

**For more on this, find out why one CEO says leadership is "a voyage of joy" in our coverage here.

What's Your Leadership 'Love Language'?

"If you haven’t read the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, you’re probably at least familiar with the idea behind it: that people give and receive care in different ways. Some value words, others actions. Some want quality time; others want gifts or closeness," writes Chris Ball in the introduction to this Fast Company piece. Understanding these languages is helpful in communication because, "even the best intentions don't land if they're expressed in a way the recipient doesn't recognize." While these 'love languages' are widely understood as a tool to improve romantic relationships, Ball says "I've also seen a version of it play out between leaders and their teams," and trouble can arise when "what leaders see as performance issues are really a mismatch in 'leadership languages.'" Using the framework of love languages, Ball identifies five common leadership languages that "all have their advantages, but they also all have the potential to be misunderstood by people who work best with a different leadership language." And it's likely some leaders communicate with a combination of the five. Here are the first three in the Ball's words.

Direction and control

Characterized by: Centralized decisions, detailed guidance, and close involvement.

How it’s received: For some, this creates clarity and confidence; for others, it feels like micromanaging.

Inspiration and vision

Characterized by: Emphasis on purpose, narrative, and momentum over day-to-day execution.

How it’s received: Motivating for mission-driven teams, but frustrating for those who want clear direction.

Empathy and presence

Characterized by: Leading through listening, availability, and emotional attunement.

How it’s received: Builds trust and a sense of belonging but can slow decision-making.

Get the full story, including all five leadership love languages here.

The STEPS Leadership Course for Administrative Professionals
Inspired by Doug’s Executive Assistant, Diana Hansen, and taught by Doug himself, a Fortune 500 CEO, this groundbreaking leadership course teaches the same 6-step BLUEPRINT process we use to train senior executives, customized for the true engine of the C-Suite: Administrative Professionals and Executive Assistants.

This is leadership training powerful enough for the boardroom, but optimized for every room you’re in. No more gatekeeping leadership skills. We’re taking elite-tier leadership training out of the corner office and into your living room, with accessible, self-paced, online programming built for real life.

>>Learn more about the course
>>Use code WELCOME10 for 10% off registration

LinkedIn Learning Course: Finding Your Leadership Vocabulary with Doug Conant
In this follow-up to our first LinkedIn Learning course, Finding Your Leadership Purpose with Doug Conant, (which has reached over 88,500 learners), join Doug in this new learning pathway as he guides you through the important work of articulating your leadership beliefs and crystallizing them into a Leadership Vocabulary that you can use to influence others more effectively. Check out the new course here.