Fostering Moral Leadership | Ira Bedzow, PhD

In today's world, the idea of “identifying your values” is so ubiquitous, appearing from corporate mission statements to self-help books, that it can seem trivialized to the point of meaninglessness. But in this episode, Ira Bedzow, PhD reminds us it does not have to be this way—explorations of personal values can be an inspiring, holistic, and thought provoking process that transforms everything that we do, from finding joy in work to building fulfilling relationships. 

Bedzow is the executive director of the Emory Purpose Project, an initiative at Emory University that provides opportunities for students to develop a capacity for reflection on purpose and meaning. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, a core faculty member of Emory's Center for Ethics, a senior fellow in Emory's Center for the Study of Law and Religion, and an Orthodox rabbi. 

Over the course of our conversation, Bedzow discusses how he helps people discover their life purpose, how he teaches moral leadership, how he wrestles with questions of moral relativism, the connection between a loss of purpose and burnout, how he counsels clinicians on resolving ethical quandaries, and more.

In this episode, you will hear about: 

2:21 - The varied roles that make up Dr. Bedzow’s current career

8:06 - What “values” mean

15:53 - The principles Dr. Bedzow employs when counseling students on their career and life aspirations

19:07 - Applying ethical thinking to medical scenarios 

27:36 - How Dr. Bedzow counsels leadership at an organizational level

31:02 - The connection between a loss of sense of purpose and burnout

 39:01 - How organizations and individuals can proactively foster a sense of mission 

42:05 - The deep meaning that Dr. Bedzow finds in his religion 

45:23 - Truths that Judaism can offer the world  

Ira Bedzow is the author of the essay How Purpose and Employee Empowerment Can Stop Burnout.

Ira Bedzow can be found on Twitter/X at @ijbedzow.

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