Beyond Yourself

“We shape our world by leading ethically and responsibly. As stewards of our enterprises, we take the longer view in our decisions and actions. This often means putting the collective good above our own interests”.

The fourth and final of Berkeley Haas’ Four Defining Leadership Principles: Beyond Yourself – is a call to look both inward and outward and ponder our current role in the larger picture. It reminds us to take a more considered approach to what we stand for and to maintain a broad perspective on the downstream effects of our actions as organizations, leaders, and individual contributors.

This principle moves us away from taking personal, short-term approaches to problem-solving and implores us to recognize the opportunities (and risks) accompanying our ever-increasing ability to influence our collective trajectory – for better or worse.

Cultivating the Mindset

There are a few key traits shared by many who exemplify the Beyond Yourself spirit:

• Empathetic & Compassionate
• Altruistic
• Value-Driven

Individuals who demonstrate these traits tend to more easily view themselves and their actions as a part of a greater whole and consistently generate a positive impact.

Empathetic & Compassionate

Both empathy and compassion play a large role in extending Beyond Yourself. Empathy is an awareness for other people’s experiences and an attempt to under- stand where they are coming from. It allows us to connect with one another on a deeper level, which in turn helps us identify with the challenges that they face. Compassion literally means “to suffer together”. It generates feelings of altruism and motivates us to respond to needs outside our own.

Our Empathy & Compassion Tipsheet contains helpful practices to help foster and deepen these attributes.

Altruistic

Empathy, compassion, and altruism are closely related, though they don’t always go hand-in-hand. Compassion can generate ‘feelings’ of altruism, but expressing altruism means taking real action that benefits others or a larger cause at a cost to oneself (time, resources, energy, money, etc.).

An altruistic attitude rooted in selflessness allows us to act from the heart more often—rather than self-interest. Those looking to understand and enhance their altruistic motivations and actions might look to “Effective Altruism” (EA). This movement promotes evidence-based ways to improve the world and provides a practical community and resources to aid in doing so. However, it’s not the only approach.

Our Effective Altruism Infosheet is a helpful resource to learn about the movement and where we can have a greater impact.

Value-Driven

Those who exemplify the principle of Beyond Yourself are often very aware of their values. Values can be defined as those things we hold to be most important. Organizational values can help clarify vision and align people and actions. When we are aware of and act from our core values, we are often more effective and feel more fulfilled. We can also understand why we desire change when these values are threatened – not only for ourselves, but on behalf of others.

For example, when ‘freedom’ is a core value, we might be inspired to protect the freedom of others when it’s under threat. When ‘truth’ is a core value, we might be called to seek the truth in a situation and then communicate it. When ‘family’ is a core value, we may desire to spend more time with our loved ones and ensure that others have the ability to do the same.

Living the Principle

Going Beyond Yourself can be very individual, with some people drawn toward activism while others contribute in less obvious but no less effective ways. No matter what your brand of 'going beyond' looks like, the following approach can provide a framework to harness our ability to positively impact the world around us.

Understand Yourself

Our ability to go beyond ourselves largely depends on recognizing what's important to us and what we can personally bring to the table. It helps to set aside time to get clear on what you value, what you are passionate about, and what skills and traits you can marshal.

Identify How You Might Contribute

Once you take stock of what you have to offer and what matters most (to you), identify possible ways to contribute and where you might want to focus. What opportunities make the most sense for you? How much time, energy, and resources are you willing to sacrifice? Does your contribution take the form of a simple habit or attitude change, or is it a larger initiative requiring a significant or ongoing dedication?

If you are unclear on your core values or simply need to revisit them, our Living Your Values Worksheet is a tool to explore and re-establish them.

Make a Commitment

As life progresses, it's common to slide back into a myopic view, centering around our personal desires and needs. For our own benefit and that of others, it's crucial to maintain a more expansive view of the world and continuously practice the underlying attitudes of going 'beyond yourself.'

Start Slow

It's great to be moved toward action and see our contributions' positive impact. However, many find they bite off more than they can chew and experience burnout. An ongoing dedication toward living the principle takes balance. Be sure to honor your own needs and goals and approach any endeavor with responsibility for your well-being.

Inspire Others

Inspiring others to embrace a 'Beyond Yourself' attitude is one of the best ways to embody the principle. An effective way to do this is by modeling what you want the world to look like. How else might you encourage a 'beyond yourself' attitude in those around you?

The Big Picture

Going Beyond Yourself doesn’t require a massive undertaking. A simple approach doesn’t diminish the nobility of our efforts if we come from a place of empathy and compassion, when we seek and recognize new ways to contribute, and when we are driven by our core values and a genuine desire to have what we do matter to ourselves, others, and the world.