I will have the pleasure of facilitating "The Camino": The Way to Personal Leadership Workshop on March 16th at the 6th Global Pharma SFE Forum in Lisbon Portugal, March 15 - 16, 2011. For those of you interested in learning more about this conference, click here!
While in Europe, I will be conducting workshops for other clients as well, but still have a few open dates. If Personal Leadership (values, vision, focus) and/or Change Leadership is a need in your organization, I would like to talk to you about the possibility of facilitating a workshop for you and your organization as well.
I have one week in which I still have open dates (The week of March 21st). I would be happy to offer either "The Camino" or Change Worskhop at a a 50% discount per participant to you for booking that week.
Of course, if the week of March 21st does not work for you, we can explore other dates as well. For example, I am also currently booking dates in Europe in late May and early June 2011.
Please feel free to contact by clicking the email address below if you have interest in a program in March, May or sometime in the future. I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards!
James Gehrke
Showing posts with label values. Show all posts
Showing posts with label values. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Servant Leaders
Happy Holidays!
I believe the holiday season and the end of the year is an excellent time to step back from our day-to-day routines and reflect upon what I like to call our personal self leadership "pilgrimage."
A key personal leadership lesson I address in the "Camino" workshop is about becoming a Servant Leader. This time of year is an excellent time for us to strive to become a more effective "servant" to those we serve and/or lead.
A perfect example of such a leader is Aaron Feuerstein, the 3rd generation owner and CEO of Malden Mills, the New England manufacture of "climate control" materials like Polertec and Polarfleece.
Feuerstein was a business leader who had built his business based on Talmudic teachings and values that extended far beyond the minimum legal responsibilities he had toward the shareholders of the company. He also built a business that focused on assisting his workers and the community where they lived.
However, when a fire destroyed the company's New England factories in 1995, Feuerstein faced an ethical dilemma. Prior to this time, he had maintained his factories in Maine even though most other fabric manufacturers were closing plants in the US and moving their facilities overseas in order to improve profitability. Now that his factories were destroyed, he had to decide whether to take the opportunity to follow the trend and move overseas where manufacturing costs would have been less, or rebuild in New England.
When asked about his decision, Feuerstein explained that his religious beliefs and heritage guided him in his decision. In other words, he made the decision he made not only for economic reasons, but because he was firmly anchored to core values and guided by a strong moral compass. He stated in an interview with Parade Magazine in 1996 that "I have a responsibility to the worker; both blue-collar and white-collar...I have an equal responsibility to the community." Even though it would have been easier to move overseas, he re-built the plants in the same communities and kept all the employees on the payroll through the period of reconstruction!
What a striking difference this story provides in comparison to the all too common headlines where only the bottom-line, self aggrandizement and greed seem to be the focus of our leaders!
While they may be on a smaller scale, we all face similar dilemmas at one point or another in our careers. What makes Mr. Feuerstein's story memorable is that not only did he give lip service to core values; he acted on them by creating a corporate culture that was securely anchored to core values and was personally guided by a clear moral compass.
We should not be surprised by unethical behaviors of those around us if our only focus is the bottom line, personal aggrandizement or selfish pursuits. If that is our main focus, then we should not be surprised if our actions and the actions of those we influence only focus on ways to improve profitability or increase sales or power at the risk of everything else!
We could all benefit from having the same moral courage shown by Mr. Feuerstein. Let us take the time this season to anchor ourselves more firmly in core values and become more aligned to a clear moral compass so that when we are faced with ethical dilemmas our actions are just as admirable and memorable as Mr. Feuerstein's!
Share your examples of Servant Leaders!
Too often it is the bad examples of leadership that gets our attention. I am interested in gathering from examples of leaders who were anchored to core values, guided by a moral compass and could be considered "servant" leaders. By submitting your example, you will be entered into a drawing for a copy of my book: Magnify Change Leadership: A Practical Guide for Leading Teams in Times of Change! I will announce the winner and share some of the examples in January's newsletter. Click the link below to submit your ideas and/or add your suggestion by commenting on our blog:
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e36fvnewgh85wx9y/start
I would be happy to facilitate "El Camino" The Way to Personal Leadership and/or other Magnify L&D workshops for you and your organization or as a public workshop in your area. Don't hesitate to contact us for more information.
Happy Holiday Season!
James Gehrke
5442 South 900 East Suite 203
Murray, Utah 84117
801-266-0849
Europe: (34) 91 829 5109
james.gehrke@magnifyleadership.com
www.magnifyleadership.com
I believe the holiday season and the end of the year is an excellent time to step back from our day-to-day routines and reflect upon what I like to call our personal self leadership "pilgrimage."
A key personal leadership lesson I address in the "Camino" workshop is about becoming a Servant Leader. This time of year is an excellent time for us to strive to become a more effective "servant" to those we serve and/or lead.
A perfect example of such a leader is Aaron Feuerstein, the 3rd generation owner and CEO of Malden Mills, the New England manufacture of "climate control" materials like Polertec and Polarfleece.
Feuerstein was a business leader who had built his business based on Talmudic teachings and values that extended far beyond the minimum legal responsibilities he had toward the shareholders of the company. He also built a business that focused on assisting his workers and the community where they lived.
However, when a fire destroyed the company's New England factories in 1995, Feuerstein faced an ethical dilemma. Prior to this time, he had maintained his factories in Maine even though most other fabric manufacturers were closing plants in the US and moving their facilities overseas in order to improve profitability. Now that his factories were destroyed, he had to decide whether to take the opportunity to follow the trend and move overseas where manufacturing costs would have been less, or rebuild in New England.
When asked about his decision, Feuerstein explained that his religious beliefs and heritage guided him in his decision. In other words, he made the decision he made not only for economic reasons, but because he was firmly anchored to core values and guided by a strong moral compass. He stated in an interview with Parade Magazine in 1996 that "I have a responsibility to the worker; both blue-collar and white-collar...I have an equal responsibility to the community." Even though it would have been easier to move overseas, he re-built the plants in the same communities and kept all the employees on the payroll through the period of reconstruction!
What a striking difference this story provides in comparison to the all too common headlines where only the bottom-line, self aggrandizement and greed seem to be the focus of our leaders!
While they may be on a smaller scale, we all face similar dilemmas at one point or another in our careers. What makes Mr. Feuerstein's story memorable is that not only did he give lip service to core values; he acted on them by creating a corporate culture that was securely anchored to core values and was personally guided by a clear moral compass.
We should not be surprised by unethical behaviors of those around us if our only focus is the bottom line, personal aggrandizement or selfish pursuits. If that is our main focus, then we should not be surprised if our actions and the actions of those we influence only focus on ways to improve profitability or increase sales or power at the risk of everything else!
We could all benefit from having the same moral courage shown by Mr. Feuerstein. Let us take the time this season to anchor ourselves more firmly in core values and become more aligned to a clear moral compass so that when we are faced with ethical dilemmas our actions are just as admirable and memorable as Mr. Feuerstein's!
Share your examples of Servant Leaders!
Too often it is the bad examples of leadership that gets our attention. I am interested in gathering from examples of leaders who were anchored to core values, guided by a moral compass and could be considered "servant" leaders. By submitting your example, you will be entered into a drawing for a copy of my book: Magnify Change Leadership: A Practical Guide for Leading Teams in Times of Change! I will announce the winner and share some of the examples in January's newsletter. Click the link below to submit your ideas and/or add your suggestion by commenting on our blog:
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e36fvnewgh85wx9y/start
I would be happy to facilitate "El Camino" The Way to Personal Leadership and/or other Magnify L&D workshops for you and your organization or as a public workshop in your area. Don't hesitate to contact us for more information.
Happy Holiday Season!
James Gehrke
5442 South 900 East Suite 203
Murray, Utah 84117
801-266-0849
Europe: (34) 91 829 5109
james.gehrke@magnifyleadership.com
www.magnifyleadership.com
Monday, November 22, 2010
"El Camino:" (The Way) to Magnify Personal Leadership - Lessons Learned from the Camino de Santiago
I believe that personal self-leadership is like a personal pilgrimage. I recently shared with a group of global HR professionals in London thoughts I have regarding leadership that were solidified on my personal pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James.
The Camino is a UNESCO World Heritage site honoring the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain, where medieval pilgrims believed they would find the remains of St. James the Apostle of Jesus. They also believed that because of the journey they would receive freedom from penance due to sins committed in this life. While the motivations for making the pilgrimage have changed, to this day, thousands continue the journey.
To achieve our full potential, each of us must embark on a similar pilgrimage of personal development and mastery. However, in today's world, we are often so bombarded by day-to-day pressures that we don't stop and reflect on what is our own unique role and purpose. Discovering this is akin to a personal pilgrimage in self leadership.
I believe there are at least eight crucial lessons of personal leadership that I learned on my own personal pilgrimage on the the Camino de Santiago, including:
1. To achieve great things, Focus on What is Important.
2. Anchor ourselves to Core Values.
3. Set and achieve Aspirations Goals(Compass).
4. Chart an effective course through Effective Planning.
5. Communicate to motivate and inspire others.
6. Become a Servant Leader.
7. Adapt and Persevere in the face of obstacles.
8. Celebrate both small and large victories.
I would be happy to facilitate this and/or other Magnify L&D workshops for you and your organization or as a public workshop in your area. Don't hesitate to contact us for more information.
Best Regards!
James Gehrke
5442 South 900 East Suite 203
Murray, Utah 84117
801-266-0849
Europe: (34) 91 829 5109
james.gehrke@magnifyleadership.com
www.magnifyleadership.com
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