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Entrepreneur and author James Rhee chats with Manning School of Business students during his recent visit to Coburn Hall.
At a time when technology, markets and global change often dominate conversations about the future of business, 51Ƶ students were invited to consider a different approach: kindness.
Entrepreneur, investor and educator James Rhee, author of “red helicopter: a parable for our times,” visited Coburn Hall recently to share how compassion, creativity and courage can coexist with financial success. His talk, hosted by the Manning School of Business, explored what he calls “the economics of kindness” — a philosophy based on empathy and purpose.
“Kindness is the highest form of being human,” Rhee told students. “It’s an investment in someone else’s agency, and it’s the rarest, most valuable kind of leadership.”
The son of Korean immigrants and a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Rhee became widely known during his unlikely seven-year tenure as a first-time CEO with Ashley Stewart, a plus-size women’s fashion retailer with roots in the Black community.
Image by Ed Brennen
As a first-time CEO with plus-size women's fashion retailer Ashley Stewart, James Rhee used a "Kindness and Math" operating system to turn the company around.
Following his work at Ashley Stewart, Rhee was appointed the Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship at Howard University and later became a senior lecturer at Duke Law School and MIT Sloan School of Management. He now also serves as entrepreneur-in-residence at Yale Ventures and artist-in-residence at Yale’s Cultural Innovation Center.
In her introduction of Rhee, Rist Family Endowed Dean of the Manning School Bertie Greer noted the symbolism of the small red helicopter that inspired his book — a gift he received as a child for the simple act of sharing his lunch that became a lifelong metaphor for generosity and purpose.
“The red helicopter reminds me that true leadership means rising above with kindness, courage and purpose,” Greer said. “James Rhee is a rare kind of leader, one who bridges capital and humanity.”
Image by Ed Brennen
Students were asked to return to their "10-year-old selves" during a "lemonade stand" group activity that was designed to reconnect with innate values of honesty, curiosity and fairness.
“You don’t always see a successful businessman promoting kindness,” O’Brien said. “Seeing how he gave back to others and how people bought into his leadership because of that was amazing.”
Francesc Fernandez, a junior business major from Westford, said Rhee’s authenticity stood out.
“You can tell when someone’s genuine, and I could tell his cause was real,” Fernandez said. “In business, it’s easy to lose your morals and just chase the money, so it’s great to see someone standing up against that.”
Image by Ed Brennen
Audience members react to James Rhee's message during his visit to Coburn Hall.
“Life isn’t linear,” he said. “Success isn’t about speed or height, it’s about adaptability, intuition and the ability to lift others.”
Grace Lee, a sophomore business major from Methuen, said the event changed the way she thinks about her field of accounting.
“It gave me a better understanding of what agency really means, as well as a deeper view on life overall,” she said. “It’s important to acknowledge the intangible things that aren’t noted in print, like how showing kindness goes a long way.”
As technology like artificial intelligence advances, Rhee reminded students that human qualities — empathy, creativity and kindness — will only grow in value.
“In the next 10 or 20 years, being human will be your greatest advantage,” he said.