A cornerstone of global wisdom is the principle of Yin and Yang, hard and soft, war and peace, triumph and defeat. When asked about this, Confucius answered that all are necessary. What he meant was that all are needful at some time in Life. He did not reject war for the same reason he did not reject water. All are needful in their time.
Where people struggle is knowing what’s needful now and what isn’t. The struggle comes from picking what’s not needful.
Thank you, Rishad! It's so important to talk about these hard "soft" skills, as both Tom Peters and Alan Mulally (two of my management heroes) have done for years.
I'll add one additional element of grace that I think is important: resilience. The OED defines grace as “the divine influence which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify, to inspire virtuous impulses, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptation.” Grace is what allows us to persevere, even amid defeat or setbacks. It requires reslience.
It's no mistake that my youngest child is named Grace.
Thank you for sharing these valuable insights & lessons. Humans have evolved to have the intelligence to learn how to be graceful in challenging times even when our survival instincts may persuade us to act aggressively. That's why it's important to ensure wise humans are always in charge as we deploy collaborative AI agents to autonomously plan and perform many tasks that require human skills, like customer support, healthcare, etc.
Soft skills have long been undervalued in hospitality, where the brigade system built on hierarchy and rigidity has dominated for decades. But the industry is evolving, and the ability to listen, adapt, and lead with empathy is now just as essential as technical expertise. Running a restaurant isn’t just about execution—it’s about building trust, retaining talent, and fostering an environment where people want to show up and contribute their best work. The leaders who embrace this shift will be the ones who create sustainable, thriving businesses in an industry that desperately needs them.
A cornerstone of global wisdom is the principle of Yin and Yang, hard and soft, war and peace, triumph and defeat. When asked about this, Confucius answered that all are necessary. What he meant was that all are needful at some time in Life. He did not reject war for the same reason he did not reject water. All are needful in their time.
Where people struggle is knowing what’s needful now and what isn’t. The struggle comes from picking what’s not needful.
Thank you, Rishad! It's so important to talk about these hard "soft" skills, as both Tom Peters and Alan Mulally (two of my management heroes) have done for years.
I'll add one additional element of grace that I think is important: resilience. The OED defines grace as “the divine influence which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify, to inspire virtuous impulses, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptation.” Grace is what allows us to persevere, even amid defeat or setbacks. It requires reslience.
It's no mistake that my youngest child is named Grace.
https://open.substack.com/pub/scottmonty/p/resilience-and-grace?r=bx&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Could not be better timing for this message - thank you, Rishad!
Thank you for sharing these valuable insights & lessons. Humans have evolved to have the intelligence to learn how to be graceful in challenging times even when our survival instincts may persuade us to act aggressively. That's why it's important to ensure wise humans are always in charge as we deploy collaborative AI agents to autonomously plan and perform many tasks that require human skills, like customer support, healthcare, etc.
Very Zen … a good reminder.
Absolutely loved this.
Nice read .
Soft skills have long been undervalued in hospitality, where the brigade system built on hierarchy and rigidity has dominated for decades. But the industry is evolving, and the ability to listen, adapt, and lead with empathy is now just as essential as technical expertise. Running a restaurant isn’t just about execution—it’s about building trust, retaining talent, and fostering an environment where people want to show up and contribute their best work. The leaders who embrace this shift will be the ones who create sustainable, thriving businesses in an industry that desperately needs them.