On Positivity & Mindfulness: Working Out Loud
Ever wonder how empathy and collaboration fit into the workplace? Learn more about how Loring Kaveney has helped four startups make a business out of it!
WorkOutLoud is an enterprise collaboration software company focused on developing the most effective communication and collaboration tools that increase your productivity, effectiveness and help you find customers and keep them forever.
If anyone was ever born to be in the business of social collaboration, it’s Loring Kaveney. From the warmth of her introduction to the quiet excitement she demonstrates while showing me around Work Out Loud’s beautiful office space, there is something effortless about the positive aura Loring exudes. Once we start talking I realize that Loring is extremely collaborative in nature as well. I notice she likes to give examples when she talks and throws back every question I ask her, always making sure to maintain a dialogue.
With over 20 years of corporate experience and significant involvement in four startups, Loring has expressed a desire to reach out to others and teach them what she’s learned about entrepreneurship. Apart from her work as President of WorkOutLoud, she also promotes the work of her fellow entrepreneurs as the Director of the Startup Grind Minneapolis Chapter.
If you could time travel back to day one of your startup what would you tell yourself?
If I could travel back in time I would say enjoy the journey, never give up and listen more than you speak. You need to listen to what other people have to say and be mindful because if you’re an entrepreneur you’re building something that you want other people to want.
I like to explain entrepreneurship as a scientist would. In order to know if you’re doing things right or wrong, you have to start looking at events as data points rather than “successes” or “failures”. If a scientist tries something and it doesn’t give the results they wanted, that doesn’t mean the experiment was a failure. They need to try to understand why it happened and try something else. Same goes for an entrepreneur.
I wouldn’t say it gets easier over time. It’s always going to be complicated, you’re always going to feel a little stretched. But if you believe in your idea and surround yourself with people who challenge you and ask you questions then it at least gets easier to keep going.
Do you think college is essential?
I wouldn’t necessarily say college, but an education is essential. There are so many people who don’t have the opportunity to go to college but find ways to educate themselves through books, the web, people and experiences. I did go to college for a while but I didn’t graduate. You know we try to live the life that were supposed to: you graduate from high school, go to college, settle down, find a job, and have a child or not have a child. There are so many rules in life that realistically we can’t follow them all because there’s so much of it we can’t control.
So going back to the question, I think college is essential for the people that are looking for higher learning that supports where their goals are; say if they want to be a doctor. And I do think college is important, but it’s the education that’s essential — however you get it.
When you watch nature shows do you root for the predator or the prey?
It’s hard for me to say. I do feel sorry for the prey but I also feel sorry for the predator because the predator obviously has the hunger that needs to be fulfilled. The thing is I can be very aggressive or controlling, so I think that a lot of the time I am the predator. But I also have the empathy for the prey. But for any event you have to think about how that affects others. Hmm, that’s a really good question. I don’t know, I can’t say!
What is the most ultimate truth you want to know about the world?
L: I have one but I think I already know the answer. Will there ever be true peace, where a human is able to focus on the important things instead of things that fog your mind? But again that’s a deep question, and I think I already know the answer. The answer is people are evil.
N: You think so?
L: Well, I think that there are some aspects of people that are evil because I think a lot of people are selfish and self-righteous. They always think of themselves first. And I don’t think that I do or I try not to but actions are louder than words. So if I’m late for a meeting then I’m not being mindful, I’m being rude. But going back to your question…I think I’d want to know if there is ever going to be peace. Is there true peace anywhere, and if so, how did they achieve it?
What is something someone’s said that’s forever changed your way of thinking?
Well my mentor told me I had a gift. I didn’t understand what that meant at the time but he said I had a gift where my social IQ was over the top — that I could be very aware of people’s feelings based on their body language or tone. He said, “You are able to walk into the room and capture everyone’s attention with your positive aura”. And at first I didn’t know what to do with that but now I’m starting to — I’m not afraid of walking into a room and saying who I am and telling everybody what I believe in. And I’m not talking politics or religion, I’m talking about human behavior and being supportive and mindful of others. Just because someone is rude to you, you know you have no idea what they’re going through — maybe they had someone who hurt their feelings, or they may have lost a deal or a loved one. So this person told me I had a gift and he told me I had to be careful with it and not take advantage of it.
The 3-Must Have Rules ← P R E V I O U S
N E X T → Universal Truths & Pivots
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