James Rhee: Lead with Kindness

A parable for our times shines light on important personal and professional life lessons we could all benefit from refocusing on. Bestselling author James Rhee joins On Leadership to discuss his book, Red Helicopter, which thoughtfully blends personal memoir, business lessons, and a philosophy for navigating life's complexities with kindness, wisdom, and a systems-based perspective. James shares his unconventional background, from teaching high school to working in private equity, and how those experiences shaped his approach to leading the once-struggling retailer Ashley Stewart. He emphasizes the value of pattern recognition, the need to question conventional systems and assumptions, and the importance of leading with both kindness and a mathematical, systems-based mindset.