I write about human sustainability and “in-betweens” — managers, caregivers, service workers, educators…
I write about and for the shock absorbers of society.
Those who care for others, such as middle managers, education professionals, caregivers, and parents. I am or have been one.
People who are constantly reminded of their humanity and frailty and not reminded enough of their value, impact, and responsibility.
Without them, our lives would be so much worse. But their impact could be better if they felt more supported and informed by insights from different disciplines such as business, neuroscience, and the humanities.
I also write about and for people who don’t belong, probably because I was born in Mexico to a German Protestant lower-middle-class father and a French Catholic upper-class mother. We moved a lot, and I never really fit in but always found a home and a way.
Growing up in an intelligent but belligerent environment, I was often interrupted because of a speech lag. So, I turned to writing to have greater control of my thoughts and pacing and to help others not waste their precious human capital and that of others.
Finally, I write about and for people who go beyond the obvious, challenge assumptions, and try to cut through the bullshit, including their own. Who don’t take things and themselves too seriously. And who wish to dig deeper.
This might explain why I set up and led the Harvard Business School Case Research & Writing Group. The case method relies on respectful and productive disagreement in pursuit of deepened understanding.
In the past three decades, I have managed and developed dozens of researchers and collaborated with leading management experts. I co-authored hundreds of case studies on managers and leaders and listened to their business and personal challenges.
To improve their lives and those they touch, I co-authored a 2018 Springer book on Compassionate Management of Mental Health in the Modern Workplace (with Dean John Quelch, Herbert Business School, University of Miami) and developed Harvard Business Publishing modules and course collections on Well-being and Mental Health at Work (article, collection explorer, webinar, and module.)
These interests and experiences fuel my interest and ground my expertise in human sustainability in the digital age. Truly an age of in-between, in which some of us feel lost.
We all play a role in making the workplace more human-friendly and maximizing the value of human capital by making the workplace more people-focused and compassionate without adding unnecessary complexity.
Please join me in advocating for human capital sustainability with your ideas, stories, comments, and collaborations. It takes a village to keep our humanity amidst the digital transformation of society.
