Work Worth Doing

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summary || Work Worth Doing: How Beauty and Awe Elevate Leadership and Culture

Beauty and awe are powerful leadership forces that sharpen thinking, deepen trust, and elevate workplace culture. They foster creativity, strengthen ethical clarity, and support pro-social behaviours like empathy and psychological safety.

Grounded in neuroscience and psychology, these self-transcendent experiences shift perspective, reduce stress, and strengthen connection, making them practical tools for leadership and culture-building.

When leaders intentionally cultivate awe through mindset, rituals, design, and humility, they unlock greater clarity, resilience, and belonging across their teams. From biophilic environments and awe walks to moral leadership and storytelling, awe can be woven into how teams think, collaborate, and make decisions.

Far from soft, beauty becomes behavioural, transforming strategy into something human, meaningful, and built to last. The result? Organisations are grounded in trust, purpose, and long-term resilience.

  • noun

    1. a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.

      "I was struck by her beauty"

    2. a beautiful woman.

      "she was considered a great beauty in her youth"

    adjective

    1. good; excellent (used as a general term of approval).

  • noun

    1. a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.

      "they gazed in awe at the small mountain of diamonds"

    verb

    1. inspire with awe.

      "they were both awed by the vastness of the forest"

  • noun

    1. what is meant by a word, text, concept, or action.

      "the meaning of the Hindu word is ‘breakthrough, release’"

    adjective

    1. intended to communicate something that is not directly expressed.

      "she gave Gabriel a meaning look"

 

9min read

What is Beauty and Awe in Business

In a leadership context, beauty isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about the values, environments, and decisions that elevate people. It might be the clarity of a vision, the courage of an ethical choice, or the resonance of a well-designed system that just feels right.

Awe, meanwhile, is the expansive feeling we experience when something vast or meaningful shifts our understanding of the world. In business, awe might arise from innovation, purpose-driven work, or moments of human connection. These are the goosebump moments, the ones that remind us our work can matter.

Far from being soft or sentimental, beauty and awe are practical leadership forces. They activate what psychologists call self-transcendent emotions, opening the door to clearer thinking, deeper trust, and more resonant decision-making.

Why Do Beauty and Awe Matter in Our Work?

Modern neuroscience and psychology show that beauty and awe deliver tangible cognitive, emotional, and cultural benefits. These forces help leaders think more clearly, lead more ethically, and build workplaces where people thrive.

Sharper Thinking and Creativity

Awe expands mental horizons. Research indicates that it fosters curiosity, openness, and greater cognitive flexibility. Leaders who regularly engage with awe-inspiring experiences tend to cultivate more innovative and resilient teams. By embracing awe, leaders can shift from a competitive mindset to one that values collaboration and shared purpos e (Wharton@Work, 2023).

In one study, three days immersed in nature, free from digital distractions, led to a 50% boost in creative problem-solving. The “Three-Day Effect” (Strayer et al., 2012) suggests that mental restoration through awe increases insight and idea quality. This effect is echoed in practices like shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, a Japanese ritual of mindful immersion in nature proven to reduce stress and restore clarity.

Better Collaboration and Big-Picture Thinking

Awe shrinks the ego and strengthens connection. It often triggers the “small self”, a perspective shift that fosters cooperation and collective purpose. Teams exposed to awe collaborate more easily and align around shared goals (Greater Good Science Center, 2020).

Leaders who inspire awe through purpose, moral clarity, or vision increase team cohesion and deepen trust. At its best, awe doesn’t just connect individuals, it synchronises them. Émile Durkheim called this collective effervescence, the uplift we feel when gathered in shared meaning, purpose, or celebration.

Pro-Social Behaviour and Team Engagement

Awe and moral elevation (the uplift we feel when witnessing goodness) spark pro-social behaviour. Studies show awe makes people more generous, empathetic, and loyal (Greater Good Science Center, 2020).

Even small interventions, like sharing a powerful story or leading a 15-minute “awe walk”, can boost positive emotion and reduce stress (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020). When leaders build this into culture, it deepens belonging and motivates discretionary effort.

Ethical Leadership and Moral Clarity

Moral beauty, the expression of fairness, courage, or compassion, elicits awe in the form of “elevation” (Haidt, 2003). This physiological response activates the vagus nerve, creating a warm, expansive sensation that fosters safety, admiration, and trust.

When leaders demonstrate ethical excellence, studies show it increases follower commitment and ethical behaviour (Vianello et al., 2010). Integrity creates emotional resonance, and employees want to rise to meet it.

Better Decisions Under Pressure

Awe helps regulate stress and shift focus away from trivial concerns. It enhances critical thinking, reduces impulsivity, and restores time perception, helping leaders make wiser, slower decisions in fast-paced environments (Greater Good Science Center, 2020).

Even simple practices like listening to moving music, reflecting on inspiring stories, or spending time in nature can recalibrate perspective and improve judgement.

Real-World Leadership Examples

Hamdi Ulukaya – Chobani
Chobani’s founder, Hamdi Ulukaya, leads with moral clarity and compassion, rejecting shareholder primacy in favour of people-first principles. From hiring refugees to sharing company ownership with employees, his decisions elevate dignity over convention. In The Anti-CEO Playbook TED Talk, he calls on leaders to measure success by care, not profit. His quiet conviction and values-driven actions evoke awe, not through scale, but through humanity (Ulukaya, H. 2019).

Satya Nadella – Microsoft
From the start of his tenure, Nadella placed empathy, purpose, and curiosity at the centre of Microsoft’s culture. His “learn-it-all” mindset replaced hierarchical control with humility and collaboration. Employees felt respected and seen, and performance soared. His leadership reminds us that empathy, far from soft, is a core innovation skill (Grant, 2018).

Yvon Chouinard – Patagonia
Patagonia’s founder exemplifies moral beauty. His lifelong commitment to protecting the planet culminated in donating his $3 billion company to fight climate change (Good Good Good, 2022). The move stunned the business world and reinforced Patagonia’s values-led culture. Inside the company, purpose is lived, not just stated, fueling deep loyalty and awe.

Beauty becomes behavioural. And the ripple effects, clarity, courage, and care, are anything but soft.

How Leaders Can Cultivate Beauty and Awe

Cultivating beauty and awe as a leader begins with intention, a deliberate choice to infuse leadership with meaning, wonder, and emotional resonance. Below are six ways to begin:

1. Adopt an Awe Mindset

Awe doesn’t require grandeur. It can be cultivated through small, intentional moments. Psychologist Dacher Keltner recommends starting each day with five minutes of reflection on one of his Eight Wonders of Life: moral beauty, nature, music, visual design, big ideas, spirituality, life and death, and collective movement (Keltner, 2023).

These micro-moments, watching a sunrise, listening to music, recalling an act of courage, steady the mind and nurture emotional resilience. A regular awe practice helps leaders show up with greater presence, openness, and intention.

2. Bring Awe to the Team

Shared awe builds trust and deepens connection. Simple rituals can invite collective reflection:

  • Awe Walks – Take a short walk, notice three things that spark wonder, and invite the team to share one.

  • Wonder Wednesdays – Create space for teammates to share something that sparked their curiosity or admiration.

  • Beauty to Begin – Open meetings with a meaningful image, a short story, or a moment of stillness.

These small rhythms surface meaning, slow the pace, and renew emotional resonance within the team.

3. Design Awe into Workspaces

Environments matter. The spaces we occupy shape how we think and feel. Design choices can elevate creativity, calm, and connection:

  • Biophilic design, natural elements like light, plants, and texture, boost productivity by 6% and creativity by 15% (Human Spaces, 2015).

  • Fractals, repeating patterns found in nature, can reduce stress by up to 60% (Hanley-Dafoe, 2025).

  • Quiet zones support decompression, reflection, and focused thinking, especially important in high-intensity environments.

Even small cues, a living wall, calming artwork, soft light, signal care and invite calm.

  • When you can’t control the walls, shape the weather.

    In the age of remote work, contract teams, and fractional roles, leaders may not always shape the physical space — but they do influence the emotional and cultural climate. Here’s what they can still design for:

    1. Emotional Tone
    Start with presence. How you listen, speak, and show up (even briefly) leaves a lasting imprint.

    2. Shared Meaning
    Connect the work to something larger. Purpose is portable — and doesn’t require a boardroom.

    3. Micro-Rituals
    Start meetings with a moment of stillness, a quote, or a team “awe share.” Rituals don’t need a venue.

    4. Storytelling and Recognition
    Highlight acts of curiosity, care, and courage. Elevate moral beauty wherever it appears.

    5. Experience Design
    Design meetings, onboarding, or async collaboration with clarity and calm. Beautiful design lives in intention, not just space.

    6. Curiosity and Humility
    Model the “small self.” Ask questions. Stay open. Lead through learning, not control.

    Even without walls, leaders can still invite awe.

4. Lead with Story and Purpose

Stories emotionally anchor strategy. Leaders who regularly surface meaning foster deeper connection:

  • Share stories of courage, transformation, and values in action.

  • Connect everyday work to human impact: “Here’s who we helped.”

  • Prompt regular reflection: “When did you feel most aligned this week?”

These practices shift attention from output to outcome, and reawaken a sense of shared contribution.

5. Model Curiosity and Humility

Awe thrives in cultures that welcome the unknown. Leaders who embrace the “small self”, through openness, questions, and curiosity, create space for psychological safety and discovery.

Satya Nadella’s shift from “know-it-all” to “learn-it-all” remains a masterclass in humility and cultural renewal.

Robin Dunbar’s research suggests humans naturally maintain meaningful social bonds within groups of around 150 (Lindenfors et al., 2021). Leaders who protect this relational depth, especially as organisations scale, create cultures where connection and trust can flourish.

6. Use Awe as a Strategic Tool

Awe unlocks perspective and improves decision quality. Leaders can apply it deliberately in strategic contexts:

  • Nature-based retreats boost creative reasoning by up to 50% (Strayer et al., 2012).

  • Purposeful framing before strategy sessions primes expansive thinking.

  • Calm, inspiring physical environments elevate cognitive clarity and ethical discernment.

These interventions shift work from transactional to transformational, creating what astronauts call the Overview Effect: a renewed sense of awe and perspective that transcends the day-to-day.

Bringing It All Together

Beauty and awe aren’t luxuries. They’re levers.
They expand thinking. They nourish trust. They elevate performance.

Leaders who design for awe create organisations that hum with alignment, curiosity, and care. They remind people why the work matters. They shift culture from pressure to purpose.

That is the quiet power of awe. To lead with beauty. To lead with care. To make work worth doing.

 

Written by Rebecca Agent, with credit to the following AI tools for assistance in producing this content:

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REFERENCES

Key Concepts: Awe walk, moral beauty, moral elevation, self-transcendent emotions, the three-day effect, the small self, collective effervescence, eight wonders of life, biophilic design, fractals, dunbar’s number, overview effect, shinrin-yoku (forest bathing).

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Embedded Change, Strategic Innovation, SustainabilityRebecca AgentComment