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EO Members Share Gratitude for Random Acts of Kindness

17 February, 2023

The 17,000+ members of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) share a passion for entrepreneurship and maximizing their individual potential to move the world forward, together. In doing so, members forge a strong bond of support and shared experience.

In observance of Random Acts of Kindness Day on February 17, we asked members to share a Random Act of Kindness they received from another EO member and how it impacted them. Here’s what seven EO members shared:

Creating a brighter future

I met Carolina Lopez (EO Nicaragua) through EO. Our shared passion for helping children through education and empowerment helped us become great friends and colleagues.

In 2022, I founded a non-profit organization, High Tide Global, with my life partner, Elbert, to provide underprivileged children around the world with access to education, infrastructure, and motivational classes. We believe that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering children to create a better future for themselves.

Carolina has been an invaluable partner in our mission. She has invested US$1 million to create a unique educational and empowerment program for children, the Superhero Program. It teaches children how to tap into their inner strength, empowering them to become strong, confident, and resilient individuals who can make a positive impact on their communities. Carolina generously donated the Superhero program to High Tide Global—allowing us to further our mission of lifting the tide for 1 billion people by 2032. Her act of kindness is a gift that will keep on giving for generations and throughout the globe.

— Hazel Ortega, EO Orange County, co-founder, High Tide Global

Securing a hacked website

While we were in Accelerator together, Brennen Bliss (EO Austin) helped me out of a bind during our overnight group retreat. My company’s website got hacked. I knew nothing about websites, security or hosting. But Brennen, founder of Propellic, came to my rescue: He migrated my company’s website to WP Engine over breakfast! That’s not even his business, but he is a technical guru. It would have taken us weeks to find a trusted resource and get it done.

It was a random act of kindness that improved my business, reduced my stress level and made Brennen a trusted fellow EOer for life!

— Carolyn Lowe, EO Austin, founder and CEO, ROI Swift

A thoughtful personal touch

GLC provides opportunities to connect with EO members from all over the world. At the 2019 GLC in Macau, China, my wife and I had the pleasure of meeting Saurabh Kakkar, former president of EO Jaipur, who truly embodies the spirit of EO and the meaning of connection. Eventually, my family planned a trip to India, including a visit to Jaipur.

Saurabh graciously arranged for us to have dinner together and even sent a car to pick us up. But that’s not where the story ends. When one of our flights got cancelled, we had to take an eight-hour train to Udaipur. Saurabh and his wife, Vinnie, went above and beyond by preparing a take-along food bag for us, complete with individually wrapped meals, condiments, snacks, after-dinner refreshments, drinks, vitamins, medicines, and even a deck of playing cards! Their thoughtful act had a profound impact on our trip; they taught me a valuable lesson about incorporating a personal touch in my business relationships.

— Vinit Dhruva, EO Philadelphia, president and CEO, DFW Motel Supply & Textiles-NJ

Welcoming new EOers with open arms

Whenever a new member joins EO anywhere around the world, Ashtan Moore (EO DC) shares his direct contact on Slack and invites them to meet with him so he can welcome them and share any advice he may know about EO or business. When I met with him online, he gave me a tour and explained to me how a sales tool worked, even sent me templates and scripts he personally uses in his business. He is very active within the EO community, generous, and makes time for not just me, but everyone at EO.

— Linh Podetti, EO Sydney, founder and CEO, Outsourcing Angel

A sign of thoughtfulness

Russ Hassmann, the first founding member of EO Connecticut, owns National Sign Corp. His company makes signs and branding for well-known companies including Maserati, Ferrari and Barnes & Noble. I am honored to call Russ a Forum mate for my 14 years in EO (24 years for him). My company recently moved to a new space where we could (finally!) have a sign above our entrance. Russ offered guidance and insight around the process of ordering and permitting a sign. As my team got the necessary approvals, to my great surprise, Russ had his team make and deliver us a new sign. It was a huge gift both personally and professionally, and I am reminded of our tremendous friendship and bond every day I walk into my office. It’s a symbol of all the learning, growing and friendships I have from joining EO and a reminder of giving back to this awesome EO global community.

— James Smith, EO Connecticut, president and chief connector, Universal Connectivity®

Solving Covid travel woes

During the height of the Covid pandemic, my then-wife’s sister contracted Covid and passed away. We live in New York City; she lived in Florida. My wife needed to go to Florida to bury her sister. As Covid was raging and vaccines weren’t yet available to us, traveling by plane didn’t feel safe. I posted on EO NY Google Groups, requesting ideas on how to get her from New York to Florida safely.

One EO member offered to fly her to Atlanta by private jet to meet her niece who could drive her to Florida. Another EO member offered up his RV so she could drive there comfortably. Other members offered access to high-end safety equipment. An international member worked her network to find a charter plane. I remain grateful for the many resources and ideas our generous community offered during that difficult time.

— Richard Levychin, EO New York, partner, Galleros Robinson

Spiritual kindness and the gift of time

On separate occasions during a very tough time in my life, Trixie Whyte and Leah Caringal, both EO Philippines members, reached out to me to say they were thinking about me, asked how I was doing, and made sure I knew that they were there in case I needed anything.

Time, for me, is the most precious gift. For two incredibly busy women to stop whatever they were doing to check in on a fellow woman entrepreneur is an act of kindness that I will never forget. Knowing that I had friends in EO who were tuned in to me and who cared enough to let me know that I was not alone made me feel more confident and brave. I truly have a tribe!

— Haraya Del Rosario Gust, EO Philippines South, CEO, StraightArrow Corporation

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. 

Categories: Best Practices members PEOPLE/STAFF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Tags: Ashtan Moore Brennen Bliss Carolina Lopez Carolyn Lowe entrepreneurs' organization eo austin EO Connecticut eo dc eo new york EO Nicaragua eo orange county EO Philadelphia EO Philippines EO Philippines South eo sydney Haraya Del Rosario Gust Hazel Ortega James Smith Leah Caringal Linh Podetti Random Acts of Kindness Day Richard Levychin Russ Hassmann Saurabh Kakkar Trixie Whyte Vinit Dhruva

EO Global Speakers Academy grads share transformational results

15 February, 2023

Contributed to EO by Marina Byezhanova, an active member-leader within EO and a member of EO Canada Bridge chapter. An entrepreneur, global speaker and university instructor, she is on a mission to inspire entrepreneurs to stand out, speak up and be radically authentic. She is the co-founder of Brand of a Leader, the personal branding agency for entrepreneurs. Marina’s other posts include 7 Ways to Maximize your Global Speakers Academy Experience and Will We Meet at EO’s Global Leadership Conference this year?

Entrepreneurship is a blend of many skills. Undeniably, the ability to deliver a message efficiently, eloquently, and effectively is one of them. For some, the goal is to capture attention from a TED stage; for others, the stage is our boardroom. Regardless of our audience or the stage we aspire to dominate, EO has created a programme that turns EOers into exceptional presenters.

Global Speakers Academy (GSA)was launched in 2019 with the goal of bringing together members from across the globe and world-class speaker coaches for an intense and immersive 4.5-day classroom training programme on public speaking. Since then, the programme has graduated and certified inspiring high-impact talks delivered by members on every continent.

Applications are open (until 28 February 2023) for another high-impact Global Speakers Academy training in Lisbon, Portugal in May 2023. As you ponder whether now is the time to 10x your public speaking skills, hear from four GSA graduates about the transformational experience the programme had on their journeys:

What was your level of comfort with public speaking prior to attending Global Speakers Academy?

Michèle Hecken (EO Canada Bridge): I was comfortable, but I was not confident. Prior to completing GSA, I did not have the tools that I have now, which allow me to comfortably—and confidently—stand in front of hundreds of people and deliver a talk.

Stephanie Camarillo (EO Idaho): I was a novice with a passion and a desire to get my story out!

I had experience teaching university classes, some presenting for work, but it was giving an EO talk that inspired me to want more. I must admit: the self-doubt during my GSA experience was strong; I was comparing myself to others in the EO cohort. I remember walking into the room one morning and fellow attendee Robyn Rosenberger, founder of Tiny Superheroes, said she believed in me and told me to keep going. I did. And it’s been an amazing journey since. 

Joe Frost (EO Nebraska): I had spoken in small group facilitations, in front of a classroom of students, and as guest at community events. I was fairly comfortable being in front of an audience but did not feel comfortable at all being considered a “keynote” speaker. That is why I attended.

Andrea Heuston (EO US West Bridge): I was a confident speaker when I signed up for GSA. On a scale from 1-10, I was about a 7. I’d been speaker-coaching for nearly 20 years, but I loved being behind the scenes more than on the stage.

What was your main motivation for attending Global Speakers Academy?

Michèle Hecken: I had sold my business and was writing a book, which made me curious about public speaking. First and foremost, I wanted to see if speaking was even something that I would enjoy. To me, the only way to answer that question was to go through proper training and find out.

Stephanie Camarillo: I wanted to amplify my voice, get world-class training, and get feedback and support from my peers. It turns out that the relationships built from that group have been the best takeaway and life-changing. We have all stayed in contact, frequently collaborate, ask questions, and support one another. It built my network exponentially, and I’m astounded by how valuable the experience has been. 

Joe Frost: I’d been talking about becoming a keynote speaker for years, and finally decided to take a step towards doing it. I wasn’t sure of the formula for success, nor what topic I should present. I wanted GSA to give me a framework for a signature talk and help me understand what topic and how best to present on it. It did exactly that!

Andrea Heuston: Learning! I am a quintessential EOer with a true love for learning, always looking to add more arrows to my quiver.

In what way was the experience transformational for you?

Michèle Hecken: In so many ways! My biggest takeaway was to learn how to craft a talk that is not only informative, but also engaging, all the while presenting my value proposition. I was also impressed to learn the process that can be applied to crafting a five-minute talk equally as much as to creating a four-hour workshop. Lastly, I am grateful to GSA for the incredible community of fellow EOers I met and remain in contact with.

Stephanie Camarillo: GSA helped me gain the confidence and tools to speak publicly and tell my story. It helped me begin to build out other platforms. In inspired me to start building my personal brand. I just co-authored my first book, Lead Like a Woman: Audacity (with a fellow GSA graduate), I’ve written a second talk and am expanding my audience and social media following. I have also developed a women’s leadership retreat in Tuscany, Italy. Seriously, GSA opened a new chapter in my life. I am having so much fun!

Joe Frost: The GSA experience was impactful in three key ways. First, interacting with fellow EO members from around the world is priceless. Second, learning a proven system for developing a signature talk and the takeaway value from applying that system to multiple topics. And third, being able to work on my talk with professionals and peers during the week, improving every day. 

Andrea Heuston: GSA is the single most impactful event I’ve attended in all my years with EO. I even wrote an article about it sharing the three reasons the programme was truly transformational to me.

Thanks to GSA, I became more comfortable telling my stories on stage. I also met and cultivated friendships with the most amazing people in EO!

What is the coolest outcome (speaking gig) you got as a result of attending GSA?

Michèle Hecken: I’ve had quite a few, from a five-minute Ignite talk at EO One Canada Conference to a four-hour workshop for a group of female entrepreneurs. Since GSA, I’ve given a keynote in Vegas, a talk at EO’s Global Leadership Conference, and have spoken to so many amazing chapters. My next talk is for EO Malaysia, and I am really looking forward to it!

Stephanie Camarillo: I loved delivering a talk to an audience in Seattle from a little village in Tuscany where we have an apartment. I’m applying to speak to global audiences now and that’s exciting. But in all truth, the coolest outcome is when someone attends my talk and writes about the impact. One EO member said: “I couldn’t let today go by without sending you a note to tell you how inspiring and courageous your message was last night … you were the topic of conversation today in the office, everybody was so touched and motivated by your story.”  Impacting people like that gives me a sense of deep purpose. 

Joe Frost: I am much more confident in my ability to deliver keynotes, but honestly the coolest outcomes were the relationships I made with other EO members. I’ve worked with many, shared the stage with a couple, and referred several others.

Andrea Heuston: I have had so many incredible speaking opportunities since attending GSA—more than I can count! Right now, I am finalizing an online course for aspiring speakers and presenters in the fitness industry, available to over 100,000 people for continuing education credits!

What is the title of your keynote, what is it about, and who is it best suited for?

Michèle Hecken: The title of my talk is “The Art of Offboarding,” and I love speaking to very different types of groups, but I am biased in favor of fellow EOers. When I speak to EO chapters or at EO events, not only do I get to bring tangible value, but I also get to meet fellow members and grow my incredible community. 

Stephanie Camarillo: The title of my talk is “Three Secrets Successful Entrepreneurs Use to Find and Keep the Best Talent.” It illuminates a strategy of how to gain freedom and empowerment by lifting the dreams of the people you employ. Every entrepreneur deserves the opportunity to take a radically honest look at our innermost hopes and dreams—and reshape our business culture accordingly. A self-styled “freedompreneur,” my message is that ultimate freedom is the ability to choose your own journey in the face of any consequence.

I love delivering my talk to entrepreneurs, their spouses, employees, and key stakeholders to help align their company around a shared purpose empowering all to drive results. 

Joe Frost: The title of my talk is “The Future is Fractional—Reinvent, Re-engineer, and Reimagine your leadership team with Fractional Professionals.” It’s about learning what a fractional profession is (and is not), why you should take advantage of the talent emerging in this space, and how to find the right fractional for you. It’s best-suited for business owners, which is why I have been delivering it to EO groups nationally and internationally. My favorite audience!

Andrea Heuston: I don’t just have a singular keynote—I have developed a portfolio of them! Some of the most recent are: Five Reasons Why Women Make Outstanding Leaders, Three Tactics to Create Deep Connection with Your Audience, and Finding Joy and Confidence in Public Speaking.

Are you ready to apply to Global Speakers Academy?

Inspiring, right? As your member host for the spring 2023 GSA cohort and a fellow GSA graduate, I consider GSA to be one of the best programmes ever created by EO. I am eager and excited to meet you in Portugal this May as you, too, undergo this fully transformational experience.

GSA is EO’s signature talk development programme for a transformative experience. You will build your signature talk, become a certified speaker, and expand your speaking career both in and out of EO. View the database of certified speaker graduates from past GSA sessions.  GSA applications close 28 February 2023. Apply now!

Contributed to EO by Marina Byezhanova, an active member-leader within EO and a member of EO Canada Bridge chapter. An entrepreneur, global speaker and university instructor, she is on a mission to inspire entrepreneurs to stand out, speak up and be radically authentic. She is the co-founder of Brand of a Leader, the personal branding agency for entrepreneurs. Marina’s other posts include 7 Ways to Maximize your Global Speakers Academy Experience and Will We Meet at EO’s  Global Leadership Conference this year?

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. 

Categories: Coaching Entrepreneurial Journey Lessons Learned members WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Tags: andrea heuston entrepreneurs' organization EO Canada EO Canada Bridge eo gsa eo idaho EO Nebraska EO US West Bridge Global Speakers Academy gsa joe Frost Marina Byezhanova Michele Hecken Stephanie Camarillo

Why there are so few women in tech (and what you can do about it!)

10 February, 2023

Contributed to EO by Natalie Kaminski, an EO New York member and co-founder and CEO of JetRockets. In observance  of the United Nations’ International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February, we asked Natalie to share her view on women in STEM careers, and specifically in her field of computer science.  Here’s what she shared:

I immigrated to the US from Israel at the age of 18 with US$500 in my pocket. It was 1998. Between the dotcom boom and Y2K nearly upon us, there were many jobs available in the IT industry. Not having many tech skills, I opted for a role as a Junior QA Tester, and I immediately fell in love with the work! I found it absolutely fascinating that computer programs could solve real problems and make life so much easier and more convenient.

I was unknowingly following in the footsteps of Grace Hopper, Evelyn Boyd Granville, and Margaret Hamilton — female computing pioneers of the 1950s and 60s.

Fast forward two-plus decades, and I’m now the CEO and co-founder of JetRockets, where we develop high-performing web and mobile app solutions that help our clients transform their businesses and grow.

But while many of the industry’s earliest pioneers in electronic computing were women, today the picture looks very different. Although more women than men graduate from college, and the computing world has boomed for decades, only a small fraction of computer programmers are women.

While it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what percentage of software developers are female, all data point to a stark gender gap between men and women. Studies specifically focused on software developers suggest that as few as 8-10% of all software developers are female. 

Why are so few women in tech and specifically software development? There is no single answer, but the main reasons include:

1. A drop in women earning computer science degrees

While it is not always necessary to have a degree to get a job as a computer programmer, a computer science degree is one of the most common pathways into the tech field. Fewer women obtaining CS degrees means fewer women becoming software developers.

According to the National Science Foundation, women earned only 19% of computer science degrees in 2016. That’s a significant drop from 1985, when 34% of CS degrees were earned by women. It’s frustrating that this decrease comes at a time when more women overall are graduating college—in fact, more women than men graduate from college in the United States each year now.

One positive development, however, is that more women are seeking graduate degrees in CS than before. In 2016, 31% of CS masters degrees were granted to women, up from 28% in 1997.

2. Lower job retention

Only 38% of women who majored in computer science are currently working in tech, further compounding the gender gap due to fewer degrees. By comparison, 53% of men who majored in computer science are currently working in tech.

While it is not uncommon to see CS graduates wind up in management or consulting, that’s probably not the full story. Women may feel unsupported in their process of moving into a career where so much career advice is geared toward men.

3. Problems with workplace culture

A major obstacle facing many women in tech is an unfriendly, male-dominated culture. While it is difficult to quantify culture, several pieces of information point to common problems that women experience.

A 2017 Pew Research poll found that 50% of women reported gender discrimination at work, compared with 19% of men. This effect was more pronounced for women holding postgraduate degrees, 62% of whom reported some form of gender discrimination. Additionally, 36% of women said that sexual harassment was a problem in their workplace.

Unwelcome cultural environments create situations where women may feel compelled to leave. Often, they may feel they are unfairly passed over for promotion, or assigned work that doesn’t fit their skillsets. Unsurprisingly, many women switch careers after just a few years.

It is important to keep in mind that these are generalities. Not every company has a chauvinistic, male-dominated culture. But those that do may tend to lose their female employees, making it even harder for women to establish a presence there in the future.

4. Lack of representation

Female representation in company culture is crucial in many ways:

  • It creates role models for women who may be on the fence about pursuing the industry.
  • It provides opportunities for mentorship.
  • It gives women a voice in organizational decision-making.

The fact that there are not enough women in tech, therefore, makes it more difficult to increase the number of women in tech. A lack of strong female representation creates a vicious circle that maintains the status quo.

An employment gap now means an employment gap later. Although women make up 47% of the US workforce, in 2015, they held only 25% of computing jobs — in a time when tech is booming and has been for decades.

What we can do about it

As a mother of two girls ages 16 and 9, I make a point that they know and understand that there is nothing intrinsically masculine about writing code. I often share with them that there are many strong reasons for women to consider a career in the science, technology, economic or math (STEM) fields. I encourage you to do the same.

Here are five reasons to consider a STEM career that I share with my daughters and other young women:

  1. Job security. There’s high demand for STEM jobs and they usually come with good salaries, so you’ll have financial stability and independence.
  2. Brain power. STEM careers are all about solving problems and being creative. You’ll have the chance to make a real impact and change the world for the better.
  3. Career progression. The world of STEM is constantly changing, so you’ll always have opportunities to learn and grow in your career. You could even pursue a leadership role.
  4. Something for everyone. STEM covers a lot of different fields, so no matter what you’re interested in, there’s something for you.
  5. Making a difference. You’ll get to work on projects that improve people’s lives and make a positive impact on the world. It doesn’t get much better than that!

As a woman in a STEM career and leadership role, I strongly encourage you to promote STEM learning and exploration among the young women in your community. It’s up to us to reverse the vicious cycle of gender underrepresentation in STEM fields into a positive cycle of representation, gender diversity and inclusion.

Portions of this post originally appeared on the JetRockets blog and are reprinted here with permission.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. 

Don’t miss EO’s 2023 EmpowHER virtual series on 7, 14 and 21 March (the first three Tuesdays of the month). EmpowHER invites women entrepreneurs to hear inspiring stories from fellow founders—including Brian Smith, founder of UGG Australia; Aanchal Bhatia, founder of Sydenham Clinic, Hannah Vasicek, founder of Francesca, and Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former prime minister of Denmark—during a series of virtual events that are free and open to EO members, EO Accelerators, their companies, and prospective EO members. Register today!

Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization eo new york EO NY International Day of Women and Girls in Science JetRockets Natalie Kaminski STEM

Waterborne Wonder: Getting to Know Antonio Lennert

8 February, 2023

Antonio Lennert, a member of EO Canada Bridge, is an entrepreneur, designer and community builder. He is the co-founder and CEO of Surf the Greats, Canada’s largest brand and community for surf education, adventure and lifestyle on the Great Lakes and beyond. Marina Byezhanova interviewed Antonio about his entrepreneurial journey and contribute this post.

When Antonio Lennert left Brazil at 20 years old, he was in search of a community. Upon arrival in California, he met his partner in both business and in life, Lucas Murnaghan, and the two built a new home in Canada.

The move to Toronto meant that opportunities for surfing, his favourite pastime, appeared few and far between.

“Canada is not known to be a surfing hotspot,” said Lennert. “In my mind, I had basically said goodbye to surfing entirely.”

After pursuing a degree in graphic design from Ontario College of Art & Design, Lennert launched and scaled a successful creative design agency, which he ran for over three years. The agency was an early foray into the entrepreneurial world—but one that took its toll.

“I love the design world,” said Lennert. “But building an agency was a complex, always-on type of business. Before I knew it, I was completely burnt out.”

Lennert exited the design business. While on a sabbatical in Costa Rica dedicated to recharging his mental and physical health, which included a 10-day silent meditation retreat, something began to shift for him.

“I started surfing again during that sabbatical,” said Lennert. “Surfing not only helped to heal me, but it reminded me of something I had forgotten: Time spent surfing on the water was where I felt at my happiest.”

Lennert and his cofounding business partner, Marcello Gortana, earned their teaching certificates with the International Surfing Association. A new vision for Lennert’s life began to form—and he brought that vision back to Toronto.

As he began to explore Canadian surfing, he realized what felt like a “secret” both to surfers across the globe and to Canadians themselves: There is amazing surfing to be had in the Great Lakes in Ontario!

He saw the beginnings of how their passion could be utilized for a greater purpose.

A Passion, a Cause, and an Opportunity

Although a pre-existing surfing community existed in the Great Lakes region, Lennert quickly found that it contained veterans who had been riding these waves for decades; they had little interest in catering to newcomers.

“My version of the Canadian dream involved capitalizing on the inclusivity of Canadian life,” said Lennert.

He contemplated hanging up his wetsuit once again. Yet, after rescuing people who were unfamiliar with the Great Lakes’ waters, he saw an opportunity to expand and shape this community into one driven by inclusivity, education, and adventure.

Lennert’s cause initially focused on making surfing safer in the north. Launching an online store with Marcello, the two occasionally opened pop-ups to bring the community together. Ever the adventurer, Lennert soon left Toronto’s advertising scene, at which point his new venture really took off.

Making Waves

Lennert and Murnaghan opened a newcomer-friendly, Toronto-based surf and coffee shop in 2017, Surf the Greats. The venture quickly scaled beyond its initial vision. What began as a go-to source for surfboards, wetsuits, swimwear, and other surfing gear quickly transformed into a robust community for everyone seeking adventure on the Great Lakes and beyond.

While Lennert’s life partner, Lucas Murnaghan, remained a silent partner for the first few years, Murnaghan became particularly invested in day-to-day activities in 2019 after falling ill, forcing him to take leave from his position as an orthopedic surgeon at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital. Lennert continued to grow the business with Murnaghan’s help.

Today, the organization is making major waves in fresh water. Surf the Greats has collaborated with a veritable tsunami of leaders in the sports industry: Patagonia, Rip Curl and Red Bull, as well as artists of all identities and backgrounds.

“The whole purpose of this company has been to educate and create spaces for the community to come together and live this lifestyle,” Lennert noted.

With an ever-growing social media following counting 25,000+ and collaborations that have sent Canadian surfers to global surf competitions, Surf the Greats has helped elevate Canadian surfing to the international stage. What grew to become the Great Lakes’ premier surf authority has since evolved into Canada’s surf brand.

“Through a lot of work building this community and showcasing our waves, we gained international respect in the surfing world,” Lennert said.

Shifting Tides

The success, much like the rolling waves, continued for Lennert and company. A documentary, Fresh Water, chronicled his journey.

Lennert’s remarkable story of overcoming prejudice, discrimination and barriers was the showstopper. While the film’s original concept was to showcase Canada’s surf culture at large, filmmaker David Kalinauskas uncovered Lennert’s story—and knew it was one that needed to be told. The media world agreed: the documentary is now live on Crave in Canada, and continues to be featured by media outlets and platforms across the globe.

To this day, every so often, Lennert wakes up to a random message in his inbox from strangers thanking him for both his work and his voice for inclusivity. Aside from amassing a cascade of collective interest in the sport, Lennert’s journey pulled at the heartstrings of athletes, entrepreneurs, parents, children, and anyone who found themselves in search of their own inclusive community built on passion. “I just feel so honoured and humbled to have my story documented,” Lennert reflected. “And to have my life with my partner documented forever that way. It’s so special.”

Maintaining Balance

Sadly, Lennert lost Lucas Murnaghan to cancer in 2021. It was a tragic event that continues to ripple through Lennert’s life. Yet what began to lift him from the depths to continue on his own journey was the very thing that had given Lennert a renewed zest for life years prior: community.

He was invited to an EO event in Quebec City by Julie Mitchell, a Toronto-based entrepreneur in the health and athletics space who knew Lennert from their neighborhood. Without knowing what to expect, he was thrust into the EO world—and it helped inspire him to stay on course with his business goals, his dreams, and his purpose. “I wish I had known about EO years before,” said Lennert. “It’s been instrumental for me in such a short time.”

He’s seen some challenges, to be sure—but there is plenty to look forward to in his story as well as the stories of the vibrant, passionate communities of which he remains a core pillar.

“I feel like I have such a strong support community,” Lennert said. “Not only in my chapter, but anywhere I go. It’s the best thing that’s happened to me in the last few years.”

Marina Byezhanova, is an active member-leader within EO and a member of EO Canada Bridge chapter, is an entrepreneur, global speaker and university instructor on a mission to inspire entrepreneurs stand out, speak up and be radically authentic. She is the co-founder of Brand of a Leader, the personal branding agency for entrepreneurs. Photo of Antonio Lennert surfing the Greats by Sam Moffatt.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. 

Categories: BUSINESS GROWTH Entrepreneurial Journey Inspirational Member Spotlight

Tags: Antonio Lennert David Kalinauskas entrepreneurs' organization EO Canada Bridge julie mitchell Marcello Gortana Marina Byezhanova

EO Members Share Takeaways from 2023 WEF in Davos

3 February, 2023

In the photo: WEF’s Olivier Woeffray, Julia Devos and Stephan Mergenthaler with EO members John Metcalf, Troy Armour and Nikhil Hirdaramani in Davos, Switzerland.

The World Economic Forum (WEF)’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland convened leaders from business, government and civil society committed to driving positive, tangible change for the long-term of our planet and the people who live on it.

Though EO did not have an official presence at the January 2023 WEF annual meeting in Davos, four EO members attended, having been invited through other initiatives: Nikhil Hirdaramani (EO Sri Lanka and EO Global Partnerships), Troy Armour (EO Europe Bridge), John Metcalf (EO San Antonio), and Pajani Singah (EO London).

We asked them to share takeaways from the meeting.

The SDG Lab

Nikhil Hirdaramani and Pajani Singah participated in the SDG Lab, which aims to promote the UN SDGs and brainstorm new ideas for promoting them among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) such as EO-member companies. Troy Armour also attended and shared his story with the SDG Lab.

“SDG Lab is a multi-stakeholder initiative that contributes to the implementation of the UN SDGs. We were invited to participate by the Global Leaders Initiative, which aims to bring key networks together to find solutions that address the challenges of sustainable development. During the four days of the SDG Lab in Davos, we worked with global leaders to create mutually beneficial solutions to address the SDGs,” shared Pajani Singah and Nikhil Hirdaramani.

Nikhil continued: “We were fortunate to have two EO members who were able to demonstrate how they are addressing the SDGs through their companies – Pajani Singah and Troy Armour.”

  • Pajani Singah’s company, Amazonia Impact Ventures, was named Top Innovation Winner of the World Economic Forum’s 2021 Tropical Forest Commodities Challenge for protecting the Amazon rainforest and improving the lives of its people through an innovative finance company that works directly with indigenous communities in the rainforests.
  • Troy Armour’s company, Junk Kouture, has created an engaged, active, and inspiring community of young people working together to make a difference in climate change by finding a new purpose for discarded objects. More than 15,000 Junk Kouture designs have prevented an estimated 40,000kg of waste from going into landfills, and inspired youth from 35 countries.

“At EO, we have storytelling at our fingertips. We can easily share how our 17,000 members are addressing the UN SDGs with their businesses,” Nikhil continued. “It was fantastic that Troy could be at the SDG Lab with winners from the Junk Kouture competition who came dressed in their creations made from discarded objects – providing a real-life example of how to breathe new life into what might otherwise have gone into a landfill.

“In addition, SDG Lab participants were asked to support the creation of the SDG Olympic Games for Climate. They hope to launch it later in 2023. I shared EO’s GSEA model; SDG Lab may take inspiration from that on how to run this new programme,” Nikhil shared.

Nikhil’s three overall takeaways from Davos:

  1. Improving the state of the world is everyone’s business, not just big business.
  2. There is a need for the voice of entrepreneurs to be heard in Davos.
  3. We need to make sure all the positive discussions turn into concrete actions with solutions.

Inspiring Creativity Among Youth

Troy Armour carried his company’s message from youth to the inner circle at WEF, and even got some of the Junk Kouture alumni a platform to speak and share their stories. Here’s what Troy shared:

I was invited to Davos by Deloitte to speak on “how inspiring creativity among youth can drive innovative sustainability solutions and help toward achieving the SDGs.” One story I told was about Junk Kouture, the world’s largest youth sustainable fashion competition, with a vision to enrich and empower the lives of young people through creativity and sustainability.

I always weave EO into the story of Junk Kouture. I share how, in 2018, we experienced significant staff issues, even as the competition was reaching its peak popularity in Ireland. In late 2018, I let the whole team go, and started over. My biggest realisation being that I needed to invest in myself before I could lead others. That’s when I applied to the EO Entrepreneurial Masters Program (EMP) at MIT in Boston.

At EMP, Brian Brault, our course leader, asked me, “Why Junk Kouture?” He kept asking why, and eventually the realisation came on: Because every one of those kids are me, and I’m not going to let them down! In that moment, EO changed the course of my life and my business. As a result, I hired a team based on the mantra that we existed to enrich and empower the lives of young people. 

I went into EMP with a ‘millionaire’ mindset and came out with a ‘billionaire’ mindset, and not just in money terms: I believe I can impact one billion lives in a positive way. That’s transformational for me but also for those one billion young people — Junk Kouture went from a one-country event to now reaching young people in 35 countries. I’ve been fortunate to tell this story at several events, including three in Davos:  the Goals House Sustainable Fashion Roundtable, the UN SDG Lab, and the Deloitte Haus presentation to 130 people at Deloitte C-level and their clients.

Overall Takeaways from the WEF meeting in Davos

John Metcalf, co-founder and CEO of Upgraded, shared his experience at Davos 2023:

This year was my fifth time to visit Davos during the WEF annual meeting. I started going regularly in 2014 when I became a Global Shaper. (I am now an alumnus). On my first trip, I made friends with people in other WEF communities like Young Global Leaders and Technology Pioneers. Now when I go, I see old friends and attend events — including the Swedish Lunch. 

My three most significant takeaways from Davos are:

1. WEF events and communities train you to think big. The question is not, ‘How do I grow sales from $10M to $20M?’ The question is, ‘How do I improve the lives of those in my community?’ Or, ‘Which of the UN SDGs goals and targets is my company working towards?’

2. WEF events and communities are therapy for Impostor Syndrome. Having the chance to meet leaders at the highest levels of business, government and impact helps me to remember that they are not some form of superhumans. People you respect can also slip in the snow, sometimes lose their train of thought, and enjoy singing karaoke. 

3. WEF-size goals + Entrepreneurship is the perfect match, but we need to bring the two together. In the WEF, entrepreneurship is mentioned, but it’s not at the forefront. At the same time, my entrepreneur friends kind of consider how they are Improving the state of the world, but it’s often not at the forefront. There’s an opportunity here.

EO and WEF

EO’s collaborative agreement with WEF, the University of Cambridge, and the National University of Singapore, established in 2021, explores SMEs’ positioning and future readiness around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The collaboration produced a White Paper, Future Readiness of SMEs: Mobilizing the SME Sector to Drive Widespread Sustainability and Prosperity.

EO is excited to continue its collaboration to provide value to its members, increase EO’s visibility globally, elevate the organization’s brand as a global thought leader, and attract new potential members.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Impact Inspirational Make a Mark Partnerships

Tags: Amazonia Impact Ventures Brian Brault Davos entrepreneurial masters program entrepreneurs' organization John Metcalf Junk Kouture Nikhil Hirdaramani Pajani Singah Sustainable Development Goals Troy Armour UN SDGs UN Sustainable Development Goals UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) WEF World Economic Forum

Why You Lose Your Power When You Blame Others

1 February, 2023

Contributed by Gino Wickman, a recent EO 360 podcast guest and the author of Traction and The EOS Life, as well as the creator of EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System), which more than 140,000 entrepreneurs use to run their companies. He also created The 10 Disciplines for Managing and Maximizing Your Energy. His other recent posts for EO include 7 Signs of a Weak Leadership Team and 10 Steps to Living Your Optimal Life.

In the last seven days, I’ve had two different sessions involving the issue of a manager blaming some other force for the bad news that they had to deliver to their direct reports.

I was reminded of the countless times I’ve seen this management mistake in over 2,000 full-day sessions with leadership teams.

This is the sign of a weak manager or leader.

The dialogue with the direct report goes something like this:

  • “The leadership team decided …”
  • “My boss wants me to tell you …”
  • “I’m sorry to tell you this, but EOS teaches that we should …”

As John Ortberg says, “Leadership is the art of disappointing people at a rate they can stand.”

In these two recent sessions in which I observed this, in the first situation, the manager blamed the leadership team for the bad news they had to deliver to their direct reports, and, in the second situation, the manager blamed EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System) for the bad news that they needed to deliver to their direct reports.

Another common situation is where the manager blames someone else for having to fire their direct report.

When a manager blames others for the tough decisions or news that they have to deliver to their direct report(s), they give their power away, they lose the respect of their people, and it creates resentment, lack of trust and organizational dysfunction.

You have to learn to take the bullet. Your verbiage must be “I support this decision,” “This is my decision,” “I agree with this decision,” or “I believe it’s the right thing to do.” If you take the bullet, you will gain your people’s trust and respect, and they will absorb the bad news faster. There’s nowhere else for them to look to blame. You will become a stronger leader.

When you have to fire someone because your leadership team enlightens or convinces you of something you’re not seeing, you must make it your decision.

When I see a leadership team member making this mistake, they tend to be a really nice person who doesn’t like conflict. They don’t want to hurt their direct report. It’s totally understandable. However, for the greater good of the company, the news must be delivered. The good news is that, as a nice person, you’ll do it with compassion. The painful truth is that by not sharing the news and taking total responsibility, you’re being selfish. You’re thinking of yourself. It’s not fair to the company, to your team, to that person or yourself.

Even if you had a fierce two-hour debate about a big strategic organization-wide change with your leadership team, and you didn’t agree with the decision, you must disagree and commit with your leadership team. When you deliver the message, your verbiage must be “Here’s what we decided as a leadership team.” That is how healthy leaders do it.

On a side note, if you find yourself disagreeing with your leadership team quite often, you may be in the wrong company. But that’s a whole other article.

Take a few minutes and think about tough news you’ve had to deliver to your direct reports in the past. Have you taken total responsibility? Or have you given your power away?

To help you build an even better company and become a great leader, read Traction.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. 

Categories: LEADERSHIP Lessons Learned PEOPLE/STAFF

Tags: Entrepreneurial operating system entrepreneurs' organization EOS Gino Wickman John Ortberg Traction

How to Slay the Four Horsemen of the Mandated Return to Office

27 January, 2023

As more and more companies require employees to return to the office, they run into the buzzsaw of what I think of as the “Four Horsemen of the Required Return to Office”— specifically, challenges with resistance, attrition, quiet quitting, and diversity.

Resistance

The Four Horsemen stem from the fact that workers who are capable of working remotely prefer to do so for most or all of the time. Thus, workers facing inflexible return-to-office mandates show resistance, the first of the Four Horsemen. For example, when GM announced that all salaried employees would have to return to the office three days a week, it sparked intense employee backlash. This led to GM walking back its requirements and delaying any required return to office.

In a survey, Gartner found that only 3% of companies would fire noncompliant employees, and only 30% would have HR talk to those who don’t show up. Large US banks trying to force employees back to the office are meeting with high rates of up to 50% noncompliance. And many other employees are showing up for a part of the workday, from 10am to 2pm.

Attrition

Given this resistance, some workers simply quit, joining the Great Resignation—making attrition the second of the Four Horsemen. That includes top-level executives: Ian Goodfellow, who led machine learning at Apple, quit in protest over Apple’s mandated three-days-a-week return to office. European banks, which offer more flexible hybrid work policies, are using their flexible policies to lure talented staff from less flexible US banks. Smaller and more flexible financial planning firms are headhunting financial planners in larger and less flexible companies.

Quiet Quitting

Perhaps even more dangerous than resistance and attrition is the third of the Four Horsemen, quiet quitting. Quiet quitting can be worse than the much more obvious resistance or attrition, since quiet quitting rots a company’s culture from within. Gallup research finds that “the optimal engagement boost occurs when employees spend 60% to 80% of their time—or three to four days in a five-day workweek—working off-site.” Forcing employees to come to the office under the threat of discipline leads to disengagement, fear and distrust, according to Ben Wigert, director of research and strategy for workplace management at Gallup.

Loss of Diversity

The final of the Four Horsemen relates to the serious loss of diversity associated with the mandated office return. A Future Forum survey found that 21% of all White knowledge workers wanted a return to full-time in-office work, but only 3% of all Black knowledge workers wanted the same. Why? Because Black professionals still suffer from discrimination and microaggressions in the office. Companies that are less flexible have DEI staff ringing alarm bells about how the desire for remote work among underrepresented groups threatens diversity goals.

How to Slay Them

In working with my clients who wish to bring their employees back to the office to slay the Four Horsemen, I find a combination of strategies to be crucial. Before launching an office return, we consider compensation policies. A June 2022 survey by the Society for Human Resources reports that to get employees to stay at a hybrid job with a 30-minute commute, they would need a pay raise of 10%. Research by Owl Labs suggests that it costs an average of US$863/month for the average office worker to commute to work versus working from home, which costs about half that, US$432/month, for utilities, office supplies and so on. That data helped my clients develop a fair compensation plan that paid staff a higher salary if they spent more time in the office. Doing so helped address the first two Horsemen, resistance and attrition.

Addressing quiet quitting requires working to improve culture and feelings of belonging, such as through retreats with fun team-building exercises. Another idea centered on helping staff address burnout, such as by providing mental health benefits. To help prevent diversity losses, as well as facilitate underrepresented groups moving forward on their career paths, it’s valuable to create a formal mentoring program with a special focus on underrepresented staff.

So if you and your leadership team are committed to returning to a mostly or fully in-person workforce, remember that you need to watch out for—and defeat—the Four Horsemen. Make a plan in advance, and determine how you will overcome these problems before they threaten the success of your return-to-office plan.

Contributed to EO by Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, who helps EO members seize competitive advantage in hybrid work by driving employee retention, collaboration, and innovation through behavioral science as the CEO of the future-proofing consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts, and authored the best-seller Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams: A Manual on Benchmarking to Best Practices for Competitive Advantage.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. 

Categories: Best Practices Company Culture PEOPLE/STAFF

Tags: Disaster Avoidance Experts Dr. Gleb Tsipursky entrepreneurs' organization Gleb Tsipursky Great Resignation quiet quitting return to office

What Market-Entry Experts Recommend for Expanding Business to Asia

25 January, 2023

Contributed to EO by Tomas Svoboda, an EO member from the Czech Republic in the Europe Bridge chapter. Tomas is a business speaker and the founder of InCorp Vietnam (formerly Cekindo), a market entry consulting firm that also provides business process outsourcing. InCorp has helped investors and entrepreneurs expand to Asia-Pacific for over 30 years and gained the trust of over 15,000 clients across the world. Tomas recently shared 6 Tips for U.S. Entrepreneurs Expanding Their Business to Southeast Asia on Inc.com.

I’ve spent the last four years starting a market entry business consulting company from scratch in the young and developing Southeast Asian market of Vietnam. I’ve learned a lot about the region and its best practices for conducting business successfully.

We’re currently experiencing a large number of Western entrepreneurs who want to leverage the benefits of establishing their regional headquarters and manufacturing functions in Southeast Asia. To help those who may be embarking on this journey, I will share first-hand insights learned in my role as a market entry consulting firm and business outsourcing expert.

In the coming years, ASEAN, a group of 10-member countries in Southeast Asia, is expected to grow significantly, becoming the world’s fourth largest economy thanks to access to international markets through free trade agreements, and an abundant, young and skilled workforce. Moreover, participation in international trade agreements, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, are expected to bolster regional investment further.

According to a recent Standard Chartered Bank survey, Singapore is becoming an increasingly popular place for companies to establish regional headquarters, sales and marketing offices, R&D and innovation centers. Moreover, 80% of firms in the survey ranked Singapore as the ideal destination for expanding operations. Thailand stood in second place with 60% and Vietnam in third place with 50%.

I’ve seen many medium and large companies set up their financial headquarters in Singapore due to the ease of cross-border transactions and low taxes, while setting up operations or manufacturing in emerging markets, due to their low cost of operations.

Why companies are headquartering in Singapore for operations across APAC

As per the Global Financial Centers Index Survey 2013, Singapore ranks fourth among global financial centers for competitiveness. Wealth management, risk management, and private banking are three of its expected future growth areas. In addition, the country is home to some of the world’s biggest names in finance, risk management, insurance brokering, offshore insurance, and captive insurance.

With a US$1 trillion asset portfolio, the city-state is regarded as one of Asia’s leading asset management hubs. In addition to being the fourth-largest foreign exchange market in the world, Singapore also has the second-largest trading of over-the-counter derivatives and the largest trading of commodity derivatives.

More than 200 global companies are listed on the Singapore Exchange, offering exchange-traded funds, individual stock futures, and bond futures. Due to a liberalized banking sector, the Singaporean financial sector has been able to withstand global competition.

Consider incorporating your regional HQ in Singapore but manufacturing and operations elsewhere in Southeast Asia

Establishing your regional headquarters in Singapore is the first step in your entrance into Asia. Here are some examples with related structures:

  • Nutrition Technologies, an agri-tech company, manages its finances, R&D, and overall group operations in Singapore, but runs its manufacturing out of Malaysia.
  • LEGO, one of the world’s best-known toy manufacturers, has a similar setup, with its financial headquarters in Singapore. Following the previous model, LEGO has recently started construction on its US$1 billion manufacturing facility in Vietnam, in addition to its existing factories in China.

Outside of traditional manufacturing, the IT and software development sector tends to operate under a similar model. Countries including Indonesia, India and Vietnam offer a sizeable and well-trained workforce operating in the IT and software industry.

With some 26,000 international subsidiaries (including a number of multinationals), the benefits of setting up a company in Singapore are evident. The city-state offers at least two significant advantages to corporations:

  1. 75 double taxation agreements and 8 limited ones pertaining to shipping and air transportation income
  2. No controlled foreign company rules, no capital gains taxes, and the lowest corporate tax rates in the world

It’s easy to understand why foreign investors prefer to base their headquarters in Singapore, which offers easier financial transfer, and a high-growth emerging market for low costs.

Emerging markets in Asia: manufacturing and tech outsourcing

Once you establish regional headquarters in the modern financial capital of Singapore, you’ll want to expand your operations or manufacturing to an emerging market in the Southeast Asia region. The cost of operations and manufacturing can be significantly lower in these countries.

Following is the ASEAN.org list of industries that offer plentiful investment opportunities in the Southeast Asian region, at significantly reduced costs compared with Western locations:

Vietnam

Vietnam has recently become the fastest-growing economy in APAC, Incorporating a company in Vietnam is ideal for the following industries:

  • Infrastructure Development
  • High-tech Products
  • IT
  • Food and Agro-Forestry Product Processing
  • Construction Materials
  • Electricity (especially Developing Renewable Energy Sources, New Energy and Clean Energy)
Indonesia
  • Agro-Industry 
  • Downstream Oil and Gas and Mining
  • Food and Beverages
  • Automotive and Aerospace
  • Iron and Steel Petrochemicals
  • Pharmaceuticals and Medical Goods
  • Chemicals, Textiles and Apparel
Malaysia
  • Chemicals and Chemical Products
  • Electrical and Electronics, Machinery and Equipment
  • Aerospace, Medical Devices, Global and Regional Establishments
  • Medical Tourism
  • Research and Development
  • Green Technology
  • Oil and Gas Services
  • Information and Communication Technology Services
Philippines
  • R&D and Innovation, including Smart Manufacturing
  • Electronics
  • Automotive, Aerospace and Shipbuilding
  • Iron and Steel; Tool and Die
  • Health Products and Medical Supplies
  • Chemicals, Textile and Garments
  • Processed Food
  • Agriculture, including Urban Farming and Support Services
  • IT-Business Process Management
  • Renewable Energy including Waste to Power and Infrastructure 

In conclusion

So, as you can see, while your manufacturing, outsourcing, and other operations are being taken care of in one of the region’s developing markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia or the Philippines), your finances can be efficiently processed and distributed in Singapore, backed by a world-class financial system. You can accomplish all of this for a significantly lower cost, with no loss in productivity, compared with keeping your business running in a developed Western country.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. 

Categories: Best Practices BUSINESS GROWTH FINANCES international OPERATIONS

Tags: APAC ASEAN best practices Cekindo entrepreneurs' organization entrepreneurs' organisation EO Europe Bridge InCorp Vietnam LEGO Nutrition Technologies Singapore Tomas Svoboda Vietnam

Reflections on the Origin Story of EO Global Leadership Academy (GLA)

20 January, 2023

by Erick Slabaugh, a long-standing EO member in Seattle and former director on the EO Global Board

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” — John Quincy Adams

As a member of EO for 25 years, I have had the immense privilege of partaking in countless initiatives that transformed my own experience along the way. One of the highest-impact highlights of my EO journey has been participating in the creation of the EO Global Leadership Academy (GLA).

While the role I played in launching GLA was simply acting as one brick in the wall of a beautiful cathedral of leadership, I couldn’t help but spend some time recently looking back fondly on the wonderful stories born out of the experience.

Whether you have attended EO’s Leadership Academies or still look forward to the opportunity, the foundation upon which this remarkable programme was built is notable. The programmes have since evolved—but the original spirit of leadership, character and shared growth remains fully intact. It is a spirit that has contributed to the personal development of some of the world’s finest entrepreneurs making a true impact on companies, communities, and families across the globe.

The Origins

David Galbenski and I served on the EO Global Board together in 2007. David—a truly remarkable world-class leader—called me with an idea for a “project” he had: a condensed, high-impact leadership training programme for current and future EO Global Board members. The concept was to create an educational event that would provide experience and development for what it took to be a better leader of a global organization.

I loved the idea and his vision. However, I told David that when it came to my coming aboard to help build the programme, I had one condition: I wanted authorization to recruit the Dean of the faculty from outside the organization.

I said that to him with someone specific in mind.

A year earlier, as EO began fostering stronger collaborative bonds with WPO/YPO, I had attended the Public Policy Forum, a YPO event in Washington, DC. There, I became acquainted with Warren Rustand, who was leading it. I vividly remember sitting in the audience and thinking:

“This man is the most inspiring thinker and speaker on leadership that I have ever seen.”

Our goal became clear: to recruit Warren to serve as the Dean of our learning programme faculty.

I flew to Washington, DC, and sat down with Warren, then-EO Director Bob Strade, and Ben Richter (who also had a programme to pitch to Warren). Warren loved our ideas but had a condition of his own: He wanted to include Dr. Gerald Bell of the University of North Carolina’s Bell Leadership Institute in the programme.

Dr. Bell also agreed to come on board, and all together, we collectively built the programme’s strategy, structure, and content. That’s how EO’s Global Leadership Academy (GLA) was born.

For the first four years, we had Warren Rustand for the entire programme and Dr. Bell present for a full day of leadership training. It was one of the most remarkable rooms, let alone classrooms, I had ever found myself facilitating.

In the first year (2008), we had a meager budget, limited staff support, and only seven months to pull everything together. Keith Williams, EVP of Learning; Chelsea Dennison, EO Staff lead; and I had US$50,000, which was one-tenth the budget American Express was spending on a similar event. We had to develop a minimum viable product that would “wow” the organization’s top leadership and prove the initial investment worthwhile.   

We went to Andrew Sherman, EO’s legal counsel, and asked if he would donate Jones Day’s Washington, DC, executive conference center for four days. I asked three tenured EO Global Board members—David Galbenski, Greg Crabtree and Jesus De La Garza—to join me at their own expense as facilitators of the breakouts we planned. They, too, were happy to support the cause. 

Keith sold the vision of what could be and asked our speakers to reduce or waive fees. All of them did. Even some of the venues and caterers worked with us to produce tasteful yet affordable experiences that elevated the inaugural class’s experience. 

The first year was a success.

Somewhere around the second year of the Academy, we had a feeling that this programme, impactful and transformational as it was, might have the potential to serve a bigger purpose. We thought: What if we made the programme available to other members? What if we made it available to all EO members as a true global member benefit? 

Michael Caito took over in year five, and then George Gan took the reins from there, playing a pivotal role in developing the programme at the regional level. A few iterations later, it became the EO Regional Leadership Academy (RLA), accessible to every region across 60+ countries under EO’s global umbrella.

A Need for Leadership

I’ve known and deeply respected Warren Rustand for 15+ years now. Warren recognized early in his life that the world had a remarkable thirst and deep need for better leaders. In what he calls the continuous act of “humans becoming,” Warren saw the potential for more humans to become the leaders the world needed them to be.

Much of Warren’s methodology for inspired leadership comes down to knowledge and choice. Warren believes that greatness is a choice rather than an endowment. It means that all individuals, should they make the choice for personal greatness, could become remarkable leaders. Warren’s most recent book, The Leader Within Us, echoes that belief: “We must choose greatness. People don’t hand us greatness. We decide to be great and then discipline ourselves to be great. It’s about choice and discipline.”

I agreed with Warren at the time, but I hadn’t realized the extent to which he was right. It seemed that as the years went on, nearly everywhere I turned, I was exposed to poor leadership at both macro and micro levels. From the rise of situational ethics to “scotoma” (blind spots) that so many leaders seemed to have, I felt our generation of leadership needed a transformative education.

GLA strived to prepare our membership to help them exist as the strongest exemplars of leadership they could possibly be. The ripple effects of GLA’s original vision for leadership development extended far beyond the boardroom: members learned how to be high-caliber leaders within their families, communities, and sociological environments at large.

Warren Rustand’s version of leadership has always extended wholly into the civic realm. While GLA never encouraged political action of any kind, Warren and I shared a fundamental understanding: As people, we live in a town or city, within a larger state or province, within a larger country, within a larger world. The choice was ours. Either we could choose to be part of the leadership at any of those levels, or we could choose to sit idly by and watch those levels get worse before our very eyes. Whatever “level” of leadership engagement speaks to you, the goal was to serve the totality of an entrepreneur. Upon doing so, leaders are equipped and empowered to choose to engage where we’re most inspired to do so.

Accordingly, early GLA training sessions created opportunities for new knowledge acquisition and encouraged individuals to make the choice for personal greatness beyond one’s traditional boundaries. Warren’s version of knowledge, greatness and discipline took many forms—including one which many EO members might not know about: etiquette training.

Shelby Scarbrough and I worked together to recruit a key partner, and good friend of Shelby’s, from the Smithsonian Museum. We arranged a mock State Dinner as part of the early-day GLA experience. It was first held at the Daughters of the American Revolution Banquet Hall, an absolutely incredible setting that was a mockup of the White House Dining Hall.

The intent was to empower leaders with traditional etiquette training. We learned about using the right forks for the right portions of a formal dinner; how to give a proper toast; the origins of the handshake and how to conduct an effective one; how to leverage mnemonics to deliver an effective speech; and more.  I will never forget George Gan’s toast to EO, which started out, “A score and some years ago….” It was absolutely moving and brilliant.

Some of those things have since gone away. Many of us have access to resources, coaching and training on etiquette elements outside of the Leadership Academies.

Yet, having the opportunity to break down and challenge our ego, build character, be totally raw and exposed, and build back up again is not something we can do in our regular contexts and environments. It was a unique leadership skillset and mindset that couldn’t be acquired anywhere else—and it slowly became a major focus for GLA and RLA experiences.

Adversity exposes character. It is exceptionally easy to be compassionate, loving and kind when all is going great. When all isn’t going great, our character takes the reins on every decision, action, and reaction. Character matters, and GLA continues to focus its curriculum on building character-driven leadership, which is achieved once the ego gets out of our way.

The Spirit

While EO’s Global Leadership Academy has evolved, the original spirit is entirely present–and it is a spirit of Warren Rustand himself, whose fingerprints remain deeply embedded in the Academy as it stands today.

At the time, it was the highest-rated event in EO history. Global Leadership Academy (GLA) and Regional Leadership Academy (RLA) remain to this day the highest-rated programmes offered by EO. The reason is simple: The programmes are truly transformational.

And they have evolved, which is a wonderful thing. There are remarkable leaders across the globe who have done a phenomenal job growing the programme and cementing its future. The future is bright—but the past, and the original spirit of GLA, are worth recognizing, celebrating and maintaining.

Dave Galbenksi does not receive enough credit for it, but it will unquestionably go down as one of the great ideas of his lifetime. I am thankful for Bob Strade, who empowered us to execute on it. I am forever indebted to Warren Rustand—not only for giving me a “yes” when he agreed to come on board, but also for taking GLA well beyond where it was and for staying committed to building a legacy for EO members everywhere. He has instrumentally helped us fulfill a vision far exceeding what I ever thought we would do.

Today, I remain incredibly excited to see the next generation of vision that will take GLA, RLA and EO leaders to new heights. In the act of “humans becoming,” I hope that we all make the choice to become better leaders. The world needs us.

Contributed to EO by Erick Slabaugh, a long-standing member leader of EO Seattle and former director on the EO Global Board, who is a serial entrepreneur, board member and advisor. He serves as the CEO of Absco Solutions, a 40+ year market veteran in the facility security and fire-life safety industry, as well as CEO of FCP Insight, a cloud-based enterprise software solution for electrical contracting businesses. Erick recently shared 5 Timeless Principles of Entrepreneurial Success on EO’s Inc.com channel.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. 

Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey LEADERSHIP Legacy

Tags: absco solutions bob strade david galbenski entrepreneurs' organization eo seattle erick slabaugh FCP insight george gan gerald bell GLA global leadership academy keith williams michael caito regional leadership academy shelby scarborough Warren Rustand

Why Challenging Times Can Help us Learn, Grow and Find our ‘Flow’

17 January, 2023

By Marc Stöckli, Global Chair, Entrepreneurs’ Organization

This may be a contrarian point of view, but whether we are confronting a looming recession or adapting to difficulties in business as a result of a historic pandemic, I believe it is precisely life’s challenges—and how we rise to meet them— that create personal satisfaction.

When we work hard by choice, when we strive to learn and overcome difficulties, these are the sources of pride, joy and fulfilment, which ultimately shape us into our best selves. Or, as the late scholar, author and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described it in his classic book ‘Flow’, these are the times we find our most productive flow; our path toward personal happiness.

Conventional thinking suggests that we should dodge adversity and move into protective mode when times are tough. We might even stop trying. I disagree not because I enjoy making my life harder, but because to keep moving forward, to value progress, and forever eye development is what makes life most satisfying and enriching. Better.

I was reminded of this before the holidays during a trip to Boston, US, to spend an immersive week with the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) at Harvard Business School’s Executive Education program, which focuses on Inspiring Entrepreneurial Strategy. It was a week packed with learning, designed to propel leaders onwards and arm us with new skills and thought processes that will enable our businesses to succeed.

It was also a week for nearly 100 diverse company founders to come together in person, and share experiences that will bond many of us for years to come.

Thirst for Learning is one of EO’s four core values and a quality that informs and shapes everything we do. Without learning, we are not just standing still; we risk going backwards. One element I especially enjoy about lifelong learning is that it is subjective. We each absorb information differently, then make use of it in our own ways. We never know what valuable new piece of intelligence we might gain by showing up and saying ‘yes’ to learning.

EO’s five-year-old relationship with Harvard Business School exemplifies this value, ensuring that our members have access to the pinnacle of entrepreneurial thinking. The exclusive program recognizes that, as leaders and founders, we need to be up-to-date with the latest innovations and ideas if we are to keep our businesses thriving. We are challenged to not necessarily work harder, but to think harder.

Here are a few of my insights from those rewarding days at Harvard, which I hope spark some curiosity in you.

1. Pause and reflect

What is your immediate thought when confronted by inconclusive data? Or even data you were not expecting? Perhaps your reaction is to panic, throw your computer out of the nearest window and start afresh. Instead, we were taught at Harvard to pause. All is not lost. Now is the time to reassess our options, challenge our assumptions and reconsider the status quo. This data might be more valuable to us than first thought.

Once we have taken stock, we can arm ourselves with the new data and use it to challenge the thinking of our boards or investors. Knowledge is power, and we are now empowered with fresh insight.

2. With scale comes stress

This will not be a surprise to many business founders and owners in the EO community, but if it helps to hear it again: any organization that scales will inevitably experience varying degrees of stress. Teams, systems and processes all need to adjust when a business grows. So how do we use our learnings to assess growth options?

We learned how the RAWI framework can be a simple but powerful method of taking control of the situation. R: are we Ready? A: are we Able? W: are we Willing? And I: are we Impelled?

3. Calendars do not lie

This, for me, links back to my central argument that time spent learning is never time wasted. When assessing one’s priorities and choices, the real test comes when comparing what is in my schedule with what will most propel me and my team or family forward. Is how I am spending time aligned with my core values and my highest, long-term priorities? It is tempting to spend our immediate time putting out figurative fires, and to accomplish that pressing, near-term goal; to get the quick win. But if we make time for learning, it can help us tackle that urgent task more easily next time.

It can feel tempting, even advantageous, to take the path of least resistance. But by pushing ourselves to embrace challenges, and learn through them, we can move closer to achieving that energizing state of flow, which is ultimately more rewarding.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. 

Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Lessons Learned

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization entrepreneurs' organisation Marc Stockli

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