Thinking about Sustainability or a Flourishing world

I agree with the position that states, ”For businesses to be flourish in service of a flourishing world, more attention needs to be paid to personal well being. The notion of personal flourishing centers on the basic of feeling of being connected with one’s complete self, others and the world. It can be developed through mindfulness and other reflective practices, which are becoming essential to effective leadership.”

This past summer I was a resident counselor for the Summer Institute of General Management. Daunting and overwhelming as I thought this job was, it was a great learning experience for me. Just after the grueling and intoxicating first week, all the students surprised me by applauding me for being the best counselor in the program. Not only did this stimulate me, it also made me feel more connected to the students. This led me to be more invested in my work and deliver even better, which was followed by more praise and recognition by not just the students but also my supervisors. The feeling of being valued and appreciated for all the hard work, even at the expense of sleep, was unparalleled. This Stanford experience among others, has led me to believe that positive encouragement, appraisal combined with impact jobs that tend towards corporate sustainability is the best way for personal flourishing.

We see many top-level executives trying to understand and implement this strategy of personal well being for flourishing businesses. Dr. Nelson, a clinical psychologist, a best selling author and business trial consultant suggests that, “When you put compassion first, profits will follow.” Another great example is when the CEO of Alcoa, world’s leading producer of aluminum, Paul O’Neil realizing the major concern of h...

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...the break I had in the summer, working at Stanford and in Denver, refreshed and motivated me to try again. And this time around, I finally feel connected with myself and the people here, I am relishing the classes I am taking, and loving the school environment again. Suddenly, the weather doesn’t seem harsh and the location not depressing anymore. This has made me more engaged in my classes and is helping me perform better. Moreover, I am grateful for my education and find that there is purpose to it.

To conclude, while thinking about sustainability or a flourishing world, I think from my personal experiences as well as research that a sense of purpose and joy makes one perform a lot better. One should definitely remember that people are the most valued assets. Managing them and making sure they are flourishing is challenging but important for a flourishing world.