On Purpose
Tugboat Institute® CEO Dave Whorton recently revisited the meaning of the first of the Evergreen 7Ps®: Purpose. His learning and thinking in recent years, and in particular through conversations with Tugboat members Penny Pennington of Edward Jones and Arturo Lomeli of Clase Azul, led him to conclude that it was time to revise our definition of Purpose.
In particular, in this Tugboat Institute talk, Dave reconsiders some of the teachings of economist Milton Friedman. Purpose must, he concludes, have Private as a partner in order to meaningfully and truly drive a company. Through this thoughtful and thorough reconsideration, Dave arrives at a revised definition of Purpose for Tugboat Institute and concludes, yet again, that the greatest calling for a company is to be an Evergreen® company.
Watch and understand how Purpose, along with Private, sit at the heart of the Evergreen movement.
If It Ain’t Broke Yet, Fix It
When you step into your family company as CEO, there are certain advantages and certain challenges. Kristi Tacony Humes learned this first hand when she took the reins of Tacony Corporation as the 3rd generation leader of her family’s sewing and cleaning supplies company. Above all else, she learned the importance of being willing to question the status quo and fix things…before they are broken!
In this candid and insightful Tugboat Institute® talk, Kristi shares her experience and lessons learned from her experience as CEO of Tacony. In her Evergreen® company, Kristi had the mandate to keep the heart of the company the same, all while making the changes necessary to shape it into its current, modern form.
Watch and learn more about the advantages and the challenges of being a leader of a family business.
You Can Be More Honest Than You Think
Dr. David Bradford, along with his colleague Dr. Carole Robin, teaches the most popular course at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Officially, it is called Interpersonal Dynamics, but everybody calls it “Touchy-Feely.” Dr. Bradford has spent many years researching and working on interpersonal dynamics and the ways in which humans relate to one another and build relationships.
In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Dr. Bradford expounds on the teachings of his most recent book, Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues. He uses a model he calls “The Net” to explain how we can, in fact, be surprisingly honest in our relationships, both at home and at work. Far from being an obstacle to good relationships, honesty can, when approached carefully, result in stronger and richer relationships in all areas of our lives.
Watch and learn more about using honesty as a tool to strengthen all of your relationships.
Building the First Mexican Luxury House
It’s true that Arturo Lomeli’s Evergreen® company, Clase Azul México, got its start making tequila, but they have grown into something much bigger. Their business, combined with their many projects and initiatives in México, all aim to share the magic of Mexican culture and improve the lives of those in their communities.
In this talk from Tugboat Institute @Clase Azul in 2021, Arturo explains all the exciting ways Clase Azul has grown since its inception. In addition, he explains his thinking as they tackle their newest initiative–to build Clase Azul México into México’s first Luxury House. His plan is grounded in a deep understanding of the models and workings of the luxury industry, which have evolved over time.
Watch and learn more about building a luxury brand, as well as the impressive initiatives of a committed People First company.
Extraordinary Growth Through Partnership & Innovation
When Bryan Papé founded MiiR, an Evergreen® company that makes and sells stainless steel drinkware, he had big ambitions. He aimed to create a company that would grow, be profitable, and make his community and the world a better place by giving back 3% of revenue. Over and over, people told him it couldn’t be done.
In the twelve years since, MiiR and Bryan have proven them all wrong. Through a commitment to innovation and generosity, MiiR has established partnerships with a wide array of companies to create innovative and popular products, and they have donated over $3 million to causes all over the planet.
In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Bryan shares his experience founding and building MiiR, and the strategies that have allowed him to achieve remarkable success.
Watch and be inspired to tune the naysayers out and pursue your vision.
Youth of Character in a Fractured World
David Holmes is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Character Collaborative, a non-profit that aims to elevate the role of character in college admissions. In this Tugboat Institute® talk from Summit 2021, David explains that research has demonstrated time and again that character, more than performance on a test, is one of the strongest predictors of future success in life.
Living in today’s world, character is often put second, or even third, after attributes such as competitiveness, achievement, etc. David draws on his deep experience as an educator to demonstrate why it is so important that we, as a society, shift our focus back to instilling and valuing character, in both our children and in our employees.
Watch and be inspired to sharpen your focus on character in your Evergreen® company.
What 100 Sixth Graders Taught Me About Leadership
Before becoming the 3rd generation President of Ramar Foods, Susie Quesada taught sixth grade. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Susie reflects on her leadership style and connects lessons from teaching to her work as President of an Evergreen® company. Her focus on listening, educating, team-building, and creating effective processes for growth and development all have roots in her experience in the classroom.
Susie’s lessons from teaching pair nicely with learning from more traditional business models and thought leaders, including Stephen Covey, LEAN, and Kaizen. Together, Susie’s experiences in leadership in the classroom and at Ramar Foods shaped her leadership philosophy and keep her company growing, thriving, and learning.
Why We Plant Trees in Africa
Lester Thornhill, President & CEO of Life’s Abundance, wanted to find a path to carbon neutrality for his Evergreen® company. Uninspired by the options he found nearby, he looked farther afield and settled on a program called Trees for the Future. This organization plants trees. All over the world. Lester has invested in a project that is creating Forest Gardens in Senegal, Africa. The project not only captures an enormous amount of carbon each year, but also supports the local community in important and significant ways.
Watch and learn more about this initiative and about Forest Gardens.
Battle for Growth
In this talk from Tugboat Institute® Summit 2021, David Eichhorn, CEO of NISA Investment Advisors, examines the Paradox of Growth in business. As successful businesses mature, they grow, but at a certain point, the growth leads to a size which breeds complexity and then complexity kills growth. How can a CEO or Founder break this cycle?
David has spent considerable time and energy examining this paradox as it relates to his Evergreen® company. As a leader, he has found success in resolving it by implementing the Bain Micro-battles System®. He has managed to meet his goals for growth and reap the benefits of size without being derailed by growth-inflicted pain points that emerge as the organization becomes more complex.
Listen and learn how to make the size of your business an asset in innovation—not an anchor.
Teach Them How to Say Goodbye: Navigating a Graceful CEO Transfer Steve Shifman
Johnny Bench played for the Cincinnati Reds for 17 years. He was a hero to his fans and a star of the game. In his last game before he retired, in 1983, he hit a home run. He was at the top of his game. Steve Shifman is a Reds fan and the former CEO and current Executive Chairman of the Board of Michelman. He learned a lot from Johnny Bench. As he felt the end of his career as CEO coming onto the horizon, he took a page from Johnny’s book – go out on top.
In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Steve shares his experience and his advice around stepping into a CEO transition with grace, with hope, and with a solid plan. He identifies the key factors that will ensure it is as smooth as possible. As he plans to hand over the reins of his Evergreen® company, he feels that he has set the stage for a successful transition and is excited for his next chapter.
Watch and be inspired to make a succession plan for your Evergreen company.
