A simple way of discovering, achieving, and measuring success
What is red helicopter?
red helicopter is an operating system and a community—for those leaders and organizations who have the courage to apply Kindness and Math to the life of business and the business of life.
The pure, commonsense things we intuitively knew to be true as children are central to understanding who we are and how we should treat one another as human beings. The world often seems like it would prefer that we forget these truths and blur them with new rules and norms of behavior contrary to the ones we all know deep down are right. Flying a helicopter is a really good metaphor for entrepreneurship. You might not fly as high or as fast, but you can land in difficult terrain, lift off without a runway, and change directions. You discover true agency.
The path to true success centers around balancing life, money, and joy through the creation and measurement of goodwill, and all of the connectedness that comes with it.
To begin your journey,
start reading red helicopter,
and earn your license to true freedom.
“My hope is that you learn, or relearn, a few valuable lessons about how to create a more sustainable balance between life, money, and joy for both yourself and others.”
—James Rhee, red helicopter
Life
Along the way, you and your fellow travelers will face challenges as individuals and as a collective. There are often only glimmers of hope and strands of truth in a sea of chaos and hardship.
Money
Before choosing a direction, it’s essential to understand and name the systems undergirding capital-L Life and that place we call work. To do so, you need to learn and integrate the basics of accounting, finance, behavioral science, and civics.
Joy
Celebrate the true value of friendship and human connectedness by exploring alternative ways to measure the success of a person, an organization, and even a society. Unleash yourself from arbitrary conventions and FLY.
Read and Watch More
James Rhee - TED Talk
Kindness can go a long way when it comes to reshaping a business. Having saved a fashion company from the brink of bankruptcy, entrepreneur James Rhee shares the value of investing in a culture of compassion at work -- and shows why we should all lead with our hearts.
Brené Brown - Podcast with James Rhee
This is a conversation about how a simple act of generosity can put someone on a new, groundbreaking course. I’m talking with James Rhee—acclaimed impact leader, entrepreneur, educator, investor, and goodwill strategist—about why kindness matters.
Simon Sinek - Kindness with James Rhee
What started out as a six month project to help a company avoid liquidation turned into a seven year passion filled with new friends, compassion, and lots of goodwill. And the results were profound. It turns out intangibles can be measured and kindness is good for business.
About James Rhee
James Rhee is a former high school teacher and Harvard Law School graduate who became a private equity investor and unexpectedly an acclaimed CEO. He bridges math with emotions by marrying capital with purpose, while composing systems that bridge peoples, disciplines, and ideas. His transformational leadership has been recognized by leading civic and business organizations.
In addition to his private sector activities, James teaches at Howard University (where he was appointed the John H. Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship), the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Duke University School of Law. His TED Talk and Dare to Lead interview with Brené Brown have captured the imagination of millions. He lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts.
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