C is for The Caring Curve

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What are the things you really care about? How can you translate this caring into action? What do you want to happen as a result of showing this caring? People often mention similar themes when answering these questions.

They care for their loved ones and want them to be healthy and happy.

They care for following their personal values, doing satisfying work and living fulfilling lives.

They also care for building what they believe will be a better world.

Looking at your own life and work, what are the important things that you really care about? What are the reasons why you care about these things?


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Great workers focus on a specific part of the caring curve when making decisions. They care about doing the proper things in the proper way.

Some people care too little. They are sloppy and fail to do the basics. Some people almost care too much and their emotions take over. They may become paralysed by empathy, overcome by sorrow, obsessed by winning a prize or whatever.

Environmentalists, for example, care deeply about the health of planet. This has both pluses and minuses. Being sensitive means they can get depressed about what is happening. They need to be calm and clear, however, to chart a positive way forwards.

People often make good decisions when they clarify what they can control and care for the things they believe are important. This often involves focusing on the principles they want to follow in a particular situation.

Good leaders, for example, aim to build a positive culture in which motivated people can achieve peak performance. They also encourage people to follow certain principles to reach the agreed goals.

They continually aim to maintain the encouraging culture. They may face challenges, however, if a person chooses to behave in an unprofessional way that hurts others people.

Such leaders then focus on what is important. They invite the person to decide if they want to behave in a professional way and follow the agreed principles. If not, the person is choosing to leave. It is vital to maintain the positive culture.

Good crisis managers also have their own set of principles for dealing with difficult situations. They return to their internal compass when arriving at the scene of an accident, helping people deal with trauma or tackle other problems.

When faced by a challenging situation, they often focus on clarity, creativity and concrete results. They explore the following themes.

Clarity – What is actually happening? What are the real results to achieve? What are the short, medium and long-term goals?

Creativity – What are the possible options for achieving the goals? What are the consequences of each option? What are the key strategies we can follow to achieve the desired goals? What is the route we therefore wish to follow?

Concrete Results – How can we deliver the required results? What is the specific action plan? What must be delivered by when – and who will do what – on the way towards achieving the desired results?

Looking to the future, can you think of a situation when you may want to care for the proper things in the proper way? You may want to do this when encouraging a person, dealing with a potential crisis or whatever.

You will have your own compass for making decisions in such situations. When faced by challenges, however, it can be useful to explore the following themes.

What do I really care about? What do I think is really important? What are the key principles I want to follow in life?

What can I control in this situation? What are the real results I want to achieve? How can I follow the principles I believe in and do my best to achieve the desired results?


Describe a specific situation when you may want to care for the proper things in the proper way.

Describe the specific things you can do then to follow these steps.

Describe the specific things that may happen as a result of caring for the proper things in the proper way.

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