How We Started
First We Listened
As we set out on the mission of growing great leaders and modernizing workplace culture, we knew it was paramount to listen — and to not just stay in the NW corner of the United States as we did so. We committed to putting those we were working to serve in the center of our conversations and we decided to listen to what the world had to say. In the past few years, as the political and social climate underwent massive shifts worldwide, we connected with hundreds of people in fifteen cities and across eleven countries.
We Really Listened
We initiated each discussion with a focused exploratory framework (created in partnership with Lauren Holden Kilbane.) Our quest was a direct one — ask people what they most aspired to see in leaders they respect — and ultimately in themselves. These qualities were raised through personal stories from each member of the listening circles, woven around illustrative examples of hope and challenge.
And We Changed
We were moved mightily by the generous sharing and connection that was knitted together, story after story. We listened keenly for nuance and there was just that, tied to cultural differences. However, more than anything, we heard harmony. This was a song sung largely of hope and optimism, although it certainly held tones of weariness and frustration — but more than anything, a strong desire to "get on with it" and start to create a new order of expectation when it comes to leadership behavior and conduct.
