Making Goodness Attractive through our Leadership and Service to Others

Fred Rogers influenced generations of children and families through his television program, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Now, over 50 years after the first nationwide broadcast of the Neighborhood, Fred Rogers’ legacy lives on through his enduring commitment to kindness, compassion, and service to others. Fred Rogers was once quoted as saying, “There are three ultimate ways to success: the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind.” However, Fred’s message of kindness is often reduced to just “being nice” to one another. Instead, Fred saw kindness as a far greater effort, something rooted in true compassion and empathy for “the other.” So, how do we, as leaders and future leaders, advance this ethos of kindness – of looking to the foundation of what it means to be kind, to see others as more than one thing, and evoke this in our leadership? This type of leadership begins with identifying the root of the word kind, which is “kin,” or to see another as brother/sister, neighbor. By focusing on the power of human relationships and how we can strive to “make goodness attractive” in all that we do in our work, we can continue to extend the legacy of Fred Rogers.