The Compassionate Achiever: How Helping Others Fuels Success

Going for the jugular is a popular technique in the business world—but it’s usually not the best, says professor of political science and social science Kukk in this astute but repetitious guide. A former U.S. Army counterintelligence agent, he is a firm proponent of practicing compassion in all areas of life. We live in a time of unprecedented incivility, and the narrative of success as being diametrically opposed to kindness and ethical behavior is a poisonous one. Having found compassion to be an “underappreciated but consistent” trait of high achievers in many different fields, he urges replacing “survival of the fittest” with “survival of the kindest.” Pointing to examples from the natural world and neuroscience, Kukk argues that people are “hardwired for compassion” for a reason—they accomplish goals more easily, and the achievements are more rewarding, when they take an empathetic approach. He advocates becoming proficient in the LUCA skills: listening, understanding, connecting, and acting. Bolstered with concrete advice and encouragement to nurture emotional intelligence, this is a needed reminder that compassion isn’t a passive characteristic but requires us to actually act to help each other. However, once this premise is accepted, there’s not much content here beyond repeating it, and the result feels slim. (Mar.)