Interview with Moe Rock on the Holistic Approach to Business
Recently we’ve had the opportunity to sit down with Moe Rock, an eclectic figure with a unique background – he was once a teen pop music producer that reinvented himself as a force in leadership & Business.
He’s been on a roller coaster journey achieving great success during this pandemic (Forbes Magazine called him the “Media Maverick” of 2020).
In a time when most businesses have shut down, Moe Rock has managed to scale and adapt. Tune in as Moe reveals his secrets to rising through this pandemic as well as some timeless principles on leadership.
Moe, you have a very holistic approach to how you run your business – I wanted to ask you how do you define happiness?
Happiness is a subjective sense of well-being. By nature, it is subjective…and everyone perceives or feels happiness differently. So there is no ready-made one tablet fits all solution.
However, people are happy if they are living according to their values and perceiving a fair balance between what they are putting in and what they are getting out in all areas of their life.
In short, we feel uncomfortable and unhappy when we do not perceive a fair balance. The only problem is that many of us are not clear about our own values, or let limiting beliefs dictate so that we give up on living according to values.
Also, we can be very biased and our perception can be far from the objective – so that we can feel unsatisfied, unhappy, ripped off, or feel resentment when looking at the situation more objectively, there really is no need to feel that way.
The kind of leadership I speak about can assist people to increase their self-awareness, clarify their values, identify vision, set appropriate goals, and keep focused and motivated to achieve those goals and ultimate vision – leading to an increased sense of well-being and happiness in general.
What are some of the things entrepreneurs can do to make sure that we have a happy and motivated company?
There are many things companies can do to create a happy workplace where employees are motivated. The most important thing would be the commitment from the management (if you are an entrepreneur, then it would be YOU). The management needs to be totally committed to workplace well-being and happiness.
And yes, it starts with YOU – you need to be committed to being happy and well. Walk the talk before implementing anything or it will not have a maximum positive impact. Other tips I can provide would be to align the company vision with an employee’s personal life vision and to provide work/life balance.
Lots of people decide to leave a job to start their own business so that they can be happier because they are their own boss, does it work?
It can work for many, but it does not work for many at the same time. It all depends on how realistic the expectation about being your own boss is. You first need to know what makes you happy and what you think you will gain by being your own boss and make sure that there is congruence.
You then need to do a reality check to ensure your expectations are realistic and achievable. Just beware – what you think will make you happy does not necessarily make you happy in reality.
It is also important that you put in place policies and procedures that will get you what you want. For example, I have a policy of no more than twice a week outside hour commitments (meetings, coaching sessions with a client, attending seminars and workshops, etc.).
An outside hour means before 9 am or after 5 pm on weekdays and all weekends. This ensures that I keep a work/life balance and also forces me to prioritize my commitments, and assess importance based on longer-term goals rather than short-term or emotional/impulsive decision-making.
I also build strategic partnerships with other like-minded leaders and have always ensured that I have a network of experts who can assist me which I am blessed and grateful for.
Does money make us happy?
There has been a big interest in finding the answer to your question, and there has been much research conducted internationally. The studies indicate that money does affect our level of happiness in that we tend to be happier if we are not living in poverty (surprise!).
However, once we reach the level of comfortable living (as in not living in poverty), then the positive impact money has on our happiness diminishes. Rich people are not happier than people with an average income. So…there you go!
One interesting research…several studies have found that employees who felt they were being paid “too much” were actually less motivated and showed less satisfaction and decreased level of happiness compared to employees who were paid less but felt they were being paid “fairly”.
Isn’t that interesting? It is all matter of perception…That balance mentioned in the first question is very important!!! So make sure you are compensating your employees “fairly”!
What are you most excited about in the coming year?
The Quantum Leap event from the Los Angeles Tribune is going to be one of the most transformative and powerful events of the year, the work that is going on behind the scenes to change lives around the world is breathtaking. Everyone reading this should mark their calendars and expect to be blown away!
