Olivia McIvor, McIvor & Company
by CATHERINE TSE, photo by Jaime Kowal
During her first performance review as a human - resources specialist, Olivia McIvor was told she would never succeed if she continued to wear her heart on her sleeve. Today, her heartfelt approach is her trademark. Working in the human - resources field for 19 years, and now president of her own consulting firm, McIvor & Company, Olivia is a leader in incorporating the values of kindness, compassion, and wellness into sustaining a healthy work environment, where people actually thrive.
Twenty years ago heart, inspiration, and soul weren’t words that were part of her profession’s lexicon. Now, entire conferences are devoted to these concepts. Likewise, McIvor is confident that a mere two years ago, her recently published book, The Business of Kindness, would never have piqued interest. Now, however, she finds businesses are hungry for new techniques that teach them how to treat each other with kindness. It’s about doing the right thing, not doing things right.
“Kindness is a quality valued by all individuals, regardless of age, creed, belief, or culture,” says McIvor. “Businesses need to see kindness as a standard for decision-making.”
As a core value appreciated by everyone, McIvor says kindness is the ideal emotional benchmark because it’s a quality we all inherently appreciate. Early in her career, during a period of self-doubt over her hands-on, non-conformist techniques, McIvor was given some advice about staying true to her heart. To this day, she asks herself three questions before speaking or taking action: Is it truthful? Is it necessary? Is it kind?
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