We’re looking forward to introducing you to Gregg Ward MCEC, BCC. Check out our conversation below.
Gregg, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
People tend to think that we here at the Center for Respectful Leadership just want everyone to be nicer to each other. Nope, that’s not it. Nice, is a nice-to-have, but resect is an absolute business imperative.
Look at it this way, if you’re my boss and you’ve found out that there has been a death or serious illness in my family and you brought me flowers and a condolence card, that would be really, really nice of you.
But, if you have issues with my performance or behavior at work and you don’t tell me about your concerns, or you sugar coat them when you talk to me about it it, that might be nice of you, but it wouldn’t be helpful to me, you or the company.
Sometimes you have to give someone feedback very directly and in ways that no one would say was “nice,” but if you do it respectfully, that’s what matters. So being “nice,” to people is great. Being respectful is much more important.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I often tell people I feel like I’ve lived 4 or 5 different lives while I’ve been on the planet. My first life was as a professional theater actor, writer, director and producer in New York and London. My second life was as a trainer for the NYPD, using live theater and improvisation as training tools for police officers. My third life was as a journalist on assignment throughout Europe for BBC Radio and other UK media – I even got to cover the fall of the Berlin Wall. And my latest life is what I do now, serving as an author, speaker, consultant and coach on respect and respectful leadership for industry and government.
I’m the Founder/Exec. Dir. of the Center for Respectful Leadership and our mission is to support leadership and organizational transformation through the positive power and measurable impact of respect. I’m the author of the bestselling, award-winning business fable “The Respectful Leader,” and the developer of the “Coaching for Respect Process” which I’ve detailed in my latest book, “Restoring Respect: a ten-step process for supporting the repair of broken work relationships.”
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I was 18 years old, I had a car accident in which my high school sweetheart was killed. It changed my entire perspective on life, my work, and my relationships. Eventually, after decades of struggle with guilt and shame and attempts to figure out how to move forward in this new harsh reality, I learned about something called “moral injury” and was able to shift into a way of being that is more positive, productive and empowering. In February, I shared my story, key learnings and insights in a TEDx Talk in San Diego called “Confessions of an Accidental Killer.”
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There have been two times.
1. Shortly after my car accident as a young man, I did consider giving up my life completely. But that was only for a moment – I realized that that would be dishonoring the legacy of the person who died, and causing even more pain to my family. I decided instead to dedicating my life to doing good works and making a positive powerful difference in the world. But only in the last ten years have I realized that those good works should be in service to her legacy and not my own.
2. Recently after the November 2024 election when I realized that there were more voters who supported authoritarianism by someone with a deeply questionable character and personal history than there were voters who cared about democracy, decency and respect, I thought about finding another place to live out the rest of my life. As they say, “If you don’t like it, leave.” I don’t like authoritarianism, dictatorships, and fascism – I prefer freedom, democracy, decency, and justice for all. And so I thought about giving up the struggle and leaving. To be honest, it’s still on my mind. But there’s a voice in the back of my head saying, “Don’t give up. Fight for what’s right.” So, for now, that’s what I’m doing.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Oh absolutely it is. If I can’t be respectful, decent, empathetic and caring in private (which I always try to be), than me doing so in public is fake, false, and fraudulent.
But do I get upset sometimes and behave disrespectfully? Yes. But I’m very quick to recognize it when I’ve cooled down, to own it and apologize sincerely for it.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
My hope is that when I’m gone, the work we’re doing on creating respectful leaders and cultures will be valued, talked about and put into practice by someone, or people, willing to pick up the reigns.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://centerforrespectfulleadership.org/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggward/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWuJRj2Y7MPIrC1TUB8WonjSmSfsDVjYw
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