Quote · On Purpose with Jay Shetty
John Mackey: Not Sure You're on the Right Path In Your Career? (Use THIS Framework When You Feel Lost About What's Next)
Where this was said
Responding to Life's Greatest Challenges
At 39:16 · chapter starts 39:10
Shetty asks how Mackey translated his inner spiritual commitments into the day-to-day reality of leading a massive corporation — not in words but in actions. Mackey is quick to dispel any notion of perfection: he got angry, fearful, and judgmental like anyone else. Whole Foods was his ashram, the place where he got to practice [1] — John Mackey "I always said Whole Foods was my ashram. That was the place where I got to practice." 39:16 . But one practice stands out above all others: ending every meeting, at every level of the company, with genuine appreciations. This is not flattery, Mackey insists — people can feel the difference. When someone authentically appreciates you, it becomes very hard to keep your heart closed to them. Over time, the practice spread love through the organization organically [2] — John Mackey "End meetings with appreciations to shift culture: Mackey's single most powerful leadership practice: ending every meeting with genuine appr…" 39:55 . Shetty mirrors this, recalling how the monastic tradition of publicly honoring each person's individual contribution became a ritual in his own company — and how natural it felt to him even as it surprised his team.
Whole Foods ended every single meeting — at every level — with genuine appreciations. Mackey says it's nearly impossible to stay in a judgmental state when someone has authentically appreciated you. This one ritual, more than any strategy, shifted the consciousness of the entire organization.
Mackey's single most powerful leadership practice: ending every meeting with genuine appreciations, which he says makes it nearly impossible for people to stay in a judgmental mindset.
