Authentic & Gentle: What Chadwick Boseman’s Life and Career can teach us about meaningful professional contributions.

Sometimes plans don’t work out the way we plan but if we stay flexible we can experience something beautiful through the interruption. This weekend, we lost the beloved Chadwick Boseman; the iconic actor who played Black Panther. It was a devastating loss. It took me some time to think about why it hit me so hard beyond the fact that death is finite and his talent was immeasurable.

Deep down, the thing I mourned the most about Chadwick was the loss of such an unapologetically authentic human being. The stories about his commitment to his craft, his professionalism, leadership, and sensitivity to showcasing the respect and dignity of African American characters were remarkable. We could see it on display through the execution of his leading roles in films. So over the weekend following his passing, the stories shared by his colleagues about his professional commitment came as no surprise. He cared about making this world better through his professional contributions. That’s what I mourn the most.

In the realm of business, there is no question that profitability is an essential priority. Still, must profitability and professional authenticity live apart? Are they mutually exclusive? I think Chadwick’s body of work proved…