Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
These are the stories of the Evergreen® movement. Evergreen leaders are seasoned entrepreneurs, CEOs and presidents with the vision, creativity, resourcefulness, patience and grit to build and scale a business that will stay private indefinitely. They measure success by how well they deliver on their mission and how well they embody the Evergreen 7Ps® Principles: Purpose, Perseverance, People First, Profit, Private, Paced Growth, & Pragmatic Innovation. CAPITALISM AT ITS BEST™ Tugboat Institute is a membership organization that brings together Evergreen businesses across industry sectors to share best practices and unique insights, and to develop trusted bonds for their respective Evergreen paths.
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Building From Crumbs
04/24/2025
Building From Crumbs
Tugboat Institute® member Ford Mennel is the fifth generation leader of his family company, The Mennel Milling Company. In their 139 years, the company has been through many phases, some marked by prosperity and expansion, and some by stagnation and risk. Through it all, the series of family leaders who have shepherded Mennel have succeeded in building an Evergreen® company that is strong, continually expanding, diverse, and surprisingly innovative, given that their industry is one of the oldest in human society. In this talk, Ford not only shares his family’s and company’s history, the risks they faced, and the strategies that allowed them to survive and thrive over time. He also demonstrates creativity in his approach to Pragmatic Innovation, not just in Mennel Milling’s products and services, but also in his strategic approach to accessing capital for acquisitions while safeguarding the company’s Evergreen® independence. Watch and be inspired to be innovative in all areas of your company, and to build something that will last.
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Fireside Chat with Dave Thrasher, Dan Thrasher, and Dave Whorton
04/06/2025
Fireside Chat with Dave Thrasher, Dan Thrasher, and Dave Whorton
Dave and Dan Thrasher grew up in the house that served as the first HQ for their parents’ basement waterproofing company, which they had started and grown slowly over decades. By the time the two brothers stepped into the business, their parents had grown it to about $4 million in revenues. In the 20 years since then, Dan has taken over leadership of Thrasher Group, Dave leads the newer company, Supportworks, and together, they have built their companies to an impressive $400 million in revenue. In this Fireside Chat with Dave Whorton, Dave leads the brothers through stories from their childhood, their entry into the business, and the birth and growth of their respective companies. In their conversation, they cover topics ranging from early forays into entrepreneurship, what they learned and have preserved from each of their parents, key moments through the growth of the business, both before and after they joined, and the effect of the arrival of PE in their space. Watch and be inspired to lean into your values, make courageous decisions, and find new ways for your business to grow and thrive.
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The Science of Happiness and Social Connection
03/13/2025
The Science of Happiness and Social Connection
Sonja Lyubomirsky is an experimental social psychologist at University of California, Riverside. She has been studying the science of happiness for decades and her work has included consulting on projects like the film Mission: Joy, featuring the Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Sonja poses the question, “Is it possible to become happier?” and shares the findings from her many years of research in order to answer it. Happily, she found that there are many things we can do. Even better, the most powerful ones align with Evergreen® best practice behaviors. Watch and be inspired to take steps to increase your own happiness, and to connect with others at the same time.
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Collaborative Landscapes: Shaping Successful Partnerships with Design
02/20/2025
Collaborative Landscapes: Shaping Successful Partnerships with Design
How do creativity and productivity thrive simultaneously in a business? The creative and the business mindsets are often very different in their approach to problem solving and innovation, yet in most professions, success in each area is necessary for companies to grow and thrive. So what are the conditions that make space for both? Paul Seck is a landscape architect and Partner at MVVA, a leading landscape architecture firm nationwide. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Paul shares how MVVA makes space for both. It starts with a plurality of voices and with a commitment to collaboration. Listen and learn more about how collaboration is a precondition for creativity and innovation.
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The Return on Philanthropy
01/23/2025
The Return on Philanthropy
Tugboat Institute®’s Gary Kunkle spent many years advising companies around sustained growth and then completing a PhD thesis on the true drivers of sustained growth. Through this work, he has built up an impressive store of data and insight. Gary leads Tugboat’s Paced Growth Team Training and our Executive Team Training Series and has helped many Evergreen® leaders and executives understand their own companies better and set the conditions for sustained growth that will last 100 years or more. In this Tugboat Institute talk, Gary shares a quick insight into why philanthropic efforts, which come naturally to the Purpose-driven Evergreen leader and company, are, in fact, also a wonderful strategy for recruiting, retention, and overall success. Through several examples, he demonstrates that going good is not only good for the community and the world, but god for your bottom line as well. Listen and be inspired to align your philanthropic efforts with your business’ purpose - and watch both flourish.
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Looking for Work/Life Harmony
12/19/2024
Looking for Work/Life Harmony
Most company leaders can attest to the fact that finding a way to be a present spouse, parent, and even friend while building a business can be extremely challenging. But it is critical for creating a life and lifestyle that are good and sustainable. People often talk about “balance,” but sometimes balance is simply not possible. So seek harmony instead. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Paul Mears III, President, and CEO of Hello! Destination Management, shares his own journey as a CEO, a husband, and a father. Through the different chapters of his life, he tackled this tension with different strategies, and he uncovered some great wisdom along the way. Although he is unfortunately not able to resolve this tension for you, he does offer some strategies and perspectives that might help you as you find your own way through. Listen and be inspired to seek work/life harmony in the way that works best for you and your family.
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The Making of a 100-Year Company: My Journey to Employee Ownership
11/28/2024
The Making of a 100-Year Company: My Journey to Employee Ownership
Brad Herrmann learned about building and running a business from his father, who had done just that. But then his father sold the company, and the company and the team Brad had grown to love disappeared. He partnered with a friend and founded a new company, and they vowed that would not happen to them. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Brad shares his journey to find a way to ensure that his company, Text-em-All, lasts far beyond his own tenure. The company has grown substantially since its founding in 2005, and Brad and his co-founder were committed to finding a way to ensure it stayed Private and Evergreen® forever. He examined a number of potential ownership models and finally hit on the Employee Owned Trust (EOT). They have just completed their conversion to an EOT and Brad is a big fan. Listen and learn more about EOT, and whether or not it might be right for your company.
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Transitions Either Happen to You…or Because of You
11/07/2024
Transitions Either Happen to You…or Because of You
Change is uncomfortable, especially when we did not seek it and when it sets us on paths we would never have chosen. How we choose to deal with the inevitable surprises life has in store for us is where we really find out who we are and what we are capable of. This is true in our everyday lives, as well as in our jobs and careers. In this talk, member Elizabeth Glasbrenner shares her story of dealing with change. Elizabeth co-founded her company, , with her brother after their father sold his own company and they perceived a window of opportunity. Over the following years, as she started her family and worked on the business, she encountered several twists of fate she had not planned for at all, both at home and at work. As she faced the huge changes that presented themselves, she realized she had a choice: to let change happen to her… or to choose to embrace it and make it work for her. Listen and be inspired by this extraordinary story to choose to be an agent of change, rather than a victim of it.
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The Secret Sauce: A Culture of Connection = A Thriving Organization
10/24/2024
The Secret Sauce: A Culture of Connection = A Thriving Organization
Tugboat Institute® member Kirk Aubry leads Savage Services, a transportation company based in Utah that moves and manages critical materials. In the years he has led the company, they have seen impressive growth. Rather than simply sit back and admire their success, Kirk asked himself, why? He spent dedicated time and effort exploring this question, and has reached a clear conclusion: connection. Connection is, in Kirk’s words, “The Secret Sauce” that has allowed for Savage’s success and growth. Connection amongst team members, with their customers, and with their community. This realization is, in many ways, a great confirmation of the Evergreen® model and mindset, because creating connection starts with communication, care, and a focus on People. Listen and be inspired to examine and improve connection throughout your organization.
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Culture is not Enough: Evergreens Need Strategy to Survive and Thrive
10/10/2024
Culture is not Enough: Evergreens Need Strategy to Survive and Thrive
Jeff Patterson is the CEO and founder of Gaggle, an EdTech software company that exists to protect students in schools. As a company founder, he has fought hard to create and build Gaggle, and along with it an entire industry, and he has remained committed to the Evergreen® path throughout. However, as committed as he is to the Evergreen 7Ps® principles, he has had a nagging feeling for years that he needs more than a wonderful culture to survive for the long term. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Jeff shares his own journey toward creating a meaningful and effective strategy for Gaggle. After searching in vain for the “right” strategy, he embarked on his own learning journey, reading many books and talking with many leaders about the ingredients of an effective strategy. Here, he shares his learnings and explains why, in his eyes, culture is important, but without a strong strategy, it’s not enough. Liusten and be inspired to dig deeper in your efforts to create a strategy that is just right for your company.
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Hidden Champions: Success Lessons of the Most Secretive Global Market Leaders
09/26/2024
Hidden Champions: Success Lessons of the Most Secretive Global Market Leaders
When he was still researching and teaching at university in Germany, Professor Hermann Simon undertook to study the landscape of market leaders in exports around the world and in different industries, with the goal of identifying the characteristics of the companies that managed to find their way into that selective group. What he discovered surprised him; it was not the giants he expected who occupied the top spots. It was, instead, predominately middle market companies who remained relatively unknown who were the clear leaders. Many of them came from Germany. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Professor Simon shares key learnings from his work on his subsequent book, Hidden Champions: Lessons from 500 of the World's Best Unknown Companies. The Hidden Champions are different from Evergreen® companies, but they share some important and interesting characteristics. Professor Simon went a step beyond simply articulating his theory on Hidden Champions. Following publication of the book, he left the university and founded his own company which, following the steps he outlined in the book, he has grown into a Hidden Champion itself. Listen to this talk, consider the characteristics of the Hidden Champions, and see if any of them might help your company.
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Business Health Checkup
09/12/2024
Business Health Checkup
When he was young, Jeff Chungath was torn between a career in medicine and one in engineering. So he compromised and became a biomedical engineer! With deep, combined clinical and technical expertise, Telligen, the company he leads, helps its clients improve the quality and value of the health care solutions they offer to their employees. Thanks to his training and his natural inclination to think like an engineer, Jeff has created a superb culture of continuous improvement at Teligen, ensuring that feedback loops exist at every level of their work. In turn, this enables them to be nimble and to tackle inefficiencies as soon as they arise. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Jeff shares what this looks like at Telligen, and how it has helped them stay ahead of the curve, innovate constantly, and foster an energetic and healthy culture of innovation. A 100% Employee Owned Company, their mission is to improve health outcomes for everyone, and through their careful and precise processes, they are able to make steady and remarkable progress toward this goal. Listen and be inspired to re-evaluate your internal feedback loops; could they be even better, and drive even better results?
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24 Hours in the Life of a Healthy Kid
08/29/2024
24 Hours in the Life of a Healthy Kid
If you are a parent or if you ever watch the news, you are aware that, for years now, the conversation around kids and their mental health has become louder and more urgent. The effects of social media and our internet culture, paired with an increasingly prevalent culture of achievement in and outside of schools and the astoundingly isolating experience period during and after Covid have created a generation that struggles with anxiety, depression, and a host of other challenges. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Dr. Denise Pope, Senior Lecturer at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education and the co-Founder of Challenge Success, addresses this topic with a focus on potential solutions to this mental health crisis. How can we help our children build resilience and find balance and strong mental health? What practices that have become mainstream are, in fact, damaging to our young people today? Listen and learn what you can do to make sure your children and other young people in your life are getting what they need to grow into strong, stable adults.
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Your Next Hire Could be a Felon
08/15/2024
Your Next Hire Could be a Felon
Jeffrey Korzenik is an economist by profession. Outside of work, his passion is furthering the cause of Second Chance Hiring. Those two endeavors are not as disparate as they might seem. Author of Untapped Talent, Jeff has spent many years advocating for what he sees as a solution to two societal and business problems all at once - supporting programs that help identify and place the right people with felony records in the right job for them. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Jeff shares that in today’s tight talent market, which demographics tell us will not ease anytime soon, there are nevertheless 19 million people with felony records who struggle mightily to find gainful employment. Many of them never served any time in jail at all, and others have committed to turning their lives around. In the right circumstances, with the right support, they can become stellar employees. Listen and be inspired to explore the possibility of Second Chance Hiring for your organization.
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Navigating the Challenges of a Dramatically Shifting Energy Landscape
08/01/2024
Navigating the Challenges of a Dramatically Shifting Energy Landscape
Scott White, CEO of IGS Energy, has had a front row seat to the complexity of the energy industry and to what happens when shortages occur his whole life; he grew up with a parent who ran a natural gas company. Scott believes that the changes we can expect in the coming years will be even more challenging than the last five decades. As the global demand for energy continues to grow, we will need to grow and expand out capacity to meet it, but it won't happen overnight. In this Tugboat Institute® Talk, Scott discusses the various means by which our society might allow for a sustainable increase in energy demand while protecting grid resiliency and maintaining affordability. In particular, he shares some specific strategies business leaders can employ to protect their companies against eventual shortages and price volatility. Listen and be inspired to think about how you and your company can innovate and tackle energy challenges.
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Persevering One Step at a Time
07/18/2024
Persevering One Step at a Time
When Steve Doerfler and his partner bought out their boss at Metalcraft in 2006, they knew that they would have to work hard and overcome obstacles to help their new company grow and thrive. Many of them, however, both professional and personal, were entirely unexpected and unique. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Steve shares his journey of leadership through the buyout, several years as President, over a decade more as CEO, and now as Chairman. Although it has not been easy, it has shaped him as a leader and, he believes, made him better. Listen and be inspired to turn your challenges into vehicles to strength and transformation.
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The Inevitable Bridge: Giving Away Your CEO Role
07/04/2024
The Inevitable Bridge: Giving Away Your CEO Role
For CEOs, and even more so for company founders, the prospect of stepping out of leadership, handing the reins over to your successor, and letting go of the company you have poured your heart into for years can be a challenge. Especially for Evergreen® leaders, who tend to be humble and gritty, their work has been a labor of love; they are so heavily invested in the success of their team, their team’s families, and their company that trusting it will be ok without them is almost akin to watching children go out into the world independently. But it must and will happen to all leaders. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Kris Maynard, founder and Executive Chairman of Cathedral Holdings, shares his own experience around this moment in his leadership journey. As a founder, he chose to step into the role of Executive Chair first, to ensure that the transition was smooth and gradual, but the end result is the same; someone else is in charge now. His story will shed light on this process for leaders who are looking toward this transition, and while his lessons learned will not make it easy, they will certainly help prevent surprises and prepare you for some of the more unexpected aspects. Listen and be inspired to prepare for and thoughtfully shape your own transition out of leadership, when the time comes.
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On Purpose, 2022
06/13/2024
On Purpose, 2022
In 2022, at Tugboat Institute® Gathering of Teams, Tugboat CEO Dave Whorton shared a talk entitled On Purpose. At the time, we were approaching our ten-year anniversary and our Evergreen® community had grown and matured a great deal. Everything Dave, and all of us at Tugboat Institute, had learned from our incredible members and friends over the years had confirmed Dave’s thinking about the power of the Evergreen company back in 2013, when he set out to create Tugboat. As he honed his vision and planning for the future of this important group, he reconsidered the Evergreen 7Ps® principles and decided it was time to revise our definition of Purpose. We have decided to re-share this important talk two years later, because our community continues to grow and our circle of friends and followers is growing quickly as well. Purpose lies at the heart of what it means to be an Evergreen leader and company. Whether you watch this as a re-fresh, as a boost and confirmation for the hard work you are doing leading your company, or as an introduction to the values and thinking that collectively guides us, it will be an inspirational twenty minutes. Listen and be (re-)inspired by the power of the Evergreen movement.
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The Predictive Power of Culture Analytics
05/16/2024
The Predictive Power of Culture Analytics
Evergreen® companies, who value their teams and put People First, believe deeply in the importance of a strong culture. However, the critical value of a strong culture is not simply a matter of faith. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Oliver Staehelin shares concrete data around the specific, strategic advantages a strong culture can give a company. In a world where competition for great talent is not going to ease anytime soon, this is not an optional undertaking for the company that wants to retain a strong team over the long term. Oliver was an early member of Tugboat Institute, while he was leading the culture assessment company he co-founded with Stanford Professor Charles O’Reilly, Pomello. His early career and all of his subsequent work confirmed for him that culture is not a ‘soft’ topic, nor are its benefits immeasurable. Listen and be inspired to transform your company’s culture into one of its greatest strategic advantages.
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FUNomenal Innovation at Radio Flyer
05/02/2024
FUNomenal Innovation at Radio Flyer
It is rare and challenging for businesses to last beyond the first generation of ownership and leadership, and rarer still for them to last into the third generation and beyond. There are many reasons for this, but a common one is that a company, once it has created its breakout, successful product, will cease to innovate and change. When vigilance on this front diminishes, it is nearly impossible for a company to remain competitive and survive. When Robert Pasin started work for the very successful company his grandfather had founded, Radio Flyer, he was surprised to discover that his family’s company had fallen prey to just this. Innovation was minimal and as a result, the company was in danger of a decline. He undertook to rebuild a culture of innovation and discipline, and was remarkably successful; Radio Flyer was recently named to the top ten Fast Company list of Most Innovative Companies for 2023. Listen to Robert’s Tugboat Institute® talk and learn what strategies he employed to turn their biggest weakness into their greatest strength.
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From Facts to Impact: The Strategic Art of Storytelling
04/18/2024
From Facts to Impact: The Strategic Art of Storytelling
Humans understand and remember best through stories. The power of a good story to make a message memorable, meaningful, and impactful cannot be overstated. In your business, therefore, telling the story of your company effectively and well is crucial. This is doubly true for the Evergreen® business, whose story communicates the Purpose that drives their existence and the values that define their team, operations, goals, and culture. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, storytelling strategist Kelly D. Parker addresses the why and the how of great storytelling. She provides us with a deep understanding of the importance of telling your story right, as well as specific strategies to employ as you tackle this important project. Most importantly, especially for the values-driven Evergreen company, she explains that the job of telling your company’s story – clearly and authentically – is not simply the job of the marketing team or even the leadership team, but rather of every person in the organization. Listen and be inspired to tell your company’s story even more effectively than you are today.
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The Friction Project
04/04/2024
The Friction Project
Within any business, although we typically aim for efficiency and ease, we often end up with systems, processes, and norms that create friction. Friction can slow us down and negatively impact both progress and morale. Dr. Robert I. Sutton, Stanford professor and co-author of the recent book, The Friction Project, has studied friction within enterprises and has accumulated significant wisdom around this concept. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Bob explores the different types of friction, the common causes of friction, and some effective remedies for removing bad friction from our work. While not all friction is negative, the majority of it is. Happily, Bob and his co-author Huggy Rao have identified some effective tools and strategies to help find and neutralize it. Contrary to what our instincts tell us, the best approach is not thinking about what we can create or add to combat friction, but rather what we can take away. Watch and be inspired to look for and eliminate friction within your organization.
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A Peek Past the End of the World
03/21/2024
A Peek Past the End of the World
Has the age of globalization come to an end? Given current demographic, political, and economic realities, what will the coming decades look like? And importantly, as business leaders, how can we best position ourselves to not only survive, but to succeed in the coming era? Peter Zeihan tackles all of these questions and more in this thought-provoking Tugboat Institute® talk. Peter Zeihan is a leading geopolitical strategist and the author of The Accidental Superpower, The Absent Superpower, and, most recently, The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization. His sometimes uncomfortable predictions for the future are grounded in geopolitical analysis that relies heavily on demographic, political, and economic data. Whether or not you agree with his analysis, he reveals some realities that bear serious consideration as you, as a business leader, prepare for the coming decades. Listen and consider the myriad factors that will share the political, economic, and social landscape in the decades to come and how they might affect your business.
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From Squirrels to Burpees: Our Journey of Change at TCI
03/07/2024
From Squirrels to Burpees: Our Journey of Change at TCI
Change that is intentional and carefully managed over time is essential for the long term survival of a business. Katie Hopkins is the third generation President & CEO of her family’s business, Truck Centers, Inc. (TCI), and she has experienced this reality first hand. After many years of slow and steady growth, TCI entered into a partnership with their primary supplier, Daimler Trucks, and they have seen growth increase a great deal in the last decade. This rapid growth has required an increased focus on change as well. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Katie shares how TCI drove change, in their own business and across the Daimler group, by doubling down on their commitment to Change Management. The initial objective was to make the customer experience more standard across all Daimler locations, but the results reached far beyond this goal. In addition to serving as an example to the other dealerships in the group, above all else, Katie and her team have leaned into Change Management and Continuous Improvement as an effective and highly Evergreen® path to change and growth. Listen and be inspired to be more intentional about driving and making change in your organization.
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Approaching Your Aging Parents About Care
02/22/2024
Approaching Your Aging Parents About Care
At some point, most of us will face the difficult challenge of talking to our parents about their care as they age. The conversation is almost always challenging because it entails the complete reversal of the dynamic of a life-long relationship, wherein the parent is the caregiver and the child is taken care of. But there are ways to make it easier. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Allen Serfas, Co-founder & President of Assistance Home Care, shares his deep personal and professional experience with this difficult conversation. He offers some helpful perspectives and advice for those of us preparing to approach it. It is possible, he believes, to get them the care they need, all while preserving and honoring their role as the parent in the relationship. Listen and be empowered to help your parents get the care they need without conflict or strife.
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Flickr Foundation: Planning for 100 Years
02/08/2024
Flickr Foundation: Planning for 100 Years
Ben and Don MacAskill are the founders and CEO & President of Awesome, the company that owns SmugMug and Flickr, among other brands. They specialize in online tools and platforms for photography and have changed the way photographers store, share, and sell their work. A few years ago, when they purchased Flickr from Yahoo, they discovered something unexpected. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Ben explains that he and Don were aware, of course, that Flickr owned and stored tens of billions of photos. But they soon also discovered that galleries, museums, and archives all over the world had also uploaded tens of millions of rare, unique, and historic photos. The power and impact of the collection struck them as important and absolutely unique, so they created a plan to ensure that these historic images never got lost to humanity. They created the Flickr Foundation. As they build the structure of this Foundation that is still only about a year old, they are focused on the goal of not just preserving the collection, but preserving it for the long term. Listen and be inspired by this ambitious and generous initiative.
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The Time Strategist
01/25/2024
The Time Strategist
Dr. Peter Boumgarden is a professor at the WashU Olin School of Business. His research focuses on the role of structure- both formally and informally- in shaping the innovation of groups, organizations, and broader network systems. In addition to or perhaps as a byproduct of this work, he has also accumulated a wealth of wisdom about how individuals can be more effective and drive greater impact. Through his research as well as his work consulting and running executive education programs with organizations across sectors, he has developed a research-based set of recommendations for individuals seeking to make better use of their time. In this Tugboat Institute talk, Peter begins by sharing that an average lifetime contains just 4000 weeks. If we want to maximize our impact – on our companies, our families, and our communities – we need to be strategic about how we spend our time. But the bottom line is that we are all different, and we need to find a strategy that works for us. Peter gives us tools to better understand our own productivity, and to think about how we can best tackle the challenge of being more strategic with our limited time. Listen and think more clearly about how you organize your time.
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How to ENERGIZE Your Life
01/11/2024
How to ENERGIZE Your Life
Dr. Allan Mishra is a leading orthopedic surgeon, an expert in stem-cell research, and a highly respected member of the team at Stanford University Medical Center. He is also the Founder of VyVerse, LLC, through which his program, Vitality Explorers, reaches a growing number of people. Dr. Mishra is deeply interested in human vitality, and in unlocking the keys to living a more vital and energized life. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Dr. Mishra shares his expertise on vitality and helps us understand how and why we should seek to move from exhaustion to energy. Our modern world provides many reasons to feel depleted and tired, but by posing a few simple, pointed questions and sharing research on a few fundamental keys to an energetic boost, Dr. Mishra gives us some tools to improve our energy and, thereby, our lives. Listen and take steps to become more vital and energize your life.
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Building an Evergreen® Company in the Heart of Silicon Valley
12/14/2023
Building an Evergreen® Company in the Heart of Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is known as the heartland of innovation in business, specifically venture capital and the ‘get big fast’ model of building a company toward a quick and lucrative exit. With its focus on growth over profit and its short-term time horizons, Silicon Valley's traditional business model is quite different then the Evergreen® model. It may, therefore, seem to be a strange place to choose to found and build an Evergreen company. Yet Mac Harman did just that when he launched Balsam Brands over ten years ago. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Mac shares how he not only resisted the pressures and norms of Silicon Valley, but how he was able to use them to his advantage. His combined personal, professional, and educational experiences taught him that he wanted to bootstrap his business rather than raise outside capital. However, he was able to glean some important pearls of wisdom from the standard Silicon Valley model and, paired with his own convictions and vision, build an industry-leading Evergreen company that continues to thrive - right where it started in Silicon Valley. Listen and be inspired to take the Evergreen path, but leave space for relevant bits of wisdom from business leaders of all sorts.
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Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others
11/30/2023
Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others
Stephen M.R. Covey has been a student of leadership his whole life; his father, Stephen R. Covey, was the author of the enormously popular book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Through his own work, which includes the NYT bestselling The Speed of Trust and more recently, Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others, Stephen has spent his career observing and studying effective leadership and its hallmarks. His insights are profound. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Stephen shares the core of his message from Trust & Inspire. According to Stephen, many of today’s leaders continue to operate in the style of yesterday’s leaders, which he calls Command & Control. However, the world has changed. Employees at all levels are motivated by Purpose and seek personal growth and fulfillment through their work. By tapping into this, each of us has the capacity to be great. The key to guiding us to our own greatness is leadership that leans into the Trust & Inspire style instead. Watch and understand the power of Trust & Inspire, and take away specific strategies to begin unleashing greatness in your team.
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