“Try to understand men, if you understand each other, you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love.”
~Author John Steinbeck, 1938
Yes, VIM Executive Coaching understands that if Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, was written in 2025 and not 1937, the title would have probably read Of Mice and People. For to know the sentiments of the famous author, is to understand his lifelong passion for equality, inclusivity and fairness. Hence, the quote above reflects notes from Steinbeck’s diary.
In our view as business coaches, it is clear that in addition to being a magnificent writer, Steinbeck would have clearly made a fantastic executive leader. In his early work life, before award-winning writer was spoken with his name, he was a laborer. He worked alongside the same people he wrote about and elevated as humans.
Of understanding and mindfulness
Liz Ryan, a management consultant and contributing writer for Forbes business magazine a few years ago said:
“I hope you have a manager who trusts you and whom you can trust...You deserve to work for someone who wants to see the real you at work, not a fake, subservient version of you — but many of us are not that lucky.”
A common worker complaint these days is that their executive leadership neither understands them nor what it is they do. In-person or virtual, leaders who are unaware treat their subordinates not as people but more like mice required to produce reports, meet ill-defined goals or essentially to do an expected task that is outside of skill-set, available tools or reasonable timeframe.
In brief, the executive leader may lack even the slightest idea of who the employee in front of them, and may be avoiding any human connection other than the minimum. Not surprising, it may be a company-wide problem. Mid-level managers may not understand the challenges of those at a level below them; however, their bosses are not understanding of them either or by those above them.
Why does such miscommunication exist? It reverts to Steinbeck’s words in his writer’s diary about understanding. In the corporate rush to technology and all-things “AI,” people are frequently thrown on the discard heap.
It can be changed
Is there any way back from misunderstanding and contention? Is corporate America resigned to ever greater emotional distances between employees and management? The road back cannot follow technology, but a much more ancient route: mindfulness.
How can executive leadership ever hope to rediscover Steinbeck’s plea of knowing and understanding their employee’s? By looking to actively knowing themselves. Before any executive leader can effectively manage others in the workplace, it is doubly-wise to examine how they manage their own lives.
Most executive leaders are so overwhelmed these days, they try to construct a script that they feel obligated to follow, even if that script is outside of how they, themselves view the world.
Psychologist Eric Solomon, writing for Psychology Today (March 10, 2025) stated:
“The world is unstable. Your support system doesn't have to be. Study after study confirms it: When life gets messy, the strongest predictor of resilience isn't wealth, talent, or even optimism. It's connection—the web of friends, family, mentors, and colleagues who remind you who you are when everything else feels shaky.”
Mindfulness helps the executive leader connect with those around them. If the executive leader feels overwhelmed, it is a good guess their employees do as well. No one should be burdened with following a script but allowing compassion and connection to elevate themselves and everyone around them.
Mindfulness ultimately leads to love and knowledge. There is nothing more powerful than to cultivate that connection.