In Case You Missed It

Business wisdom doesn’t come cheap. People who have it, earn it. People who acquire it, listen when it’s being shared and are willing to make the time and/or financial investment to get it.

Every once in a while we get lucky, and it’s free.

I’m not sure you could find a more compact wisdom resource than the Thrivent Leadership Forums. You enjoy free donuts, drink good coffee, find convenient parking, and sit in a cozy downtown auditorium for 90 minutes, reaping the benefits of listening to people with extraordinary business acumen and experience. Disclosure: Mpls.St.Paul and Twin Cities Business magazines sponsor these presentations. Full disclosure: I’m not trying to sell them—they’re that good.

You go. You are smarter. You are inspired. You are uplifted—for nothing other than your time. You miss? Your loss.

A few weeks ago, Bill George—Harvard Business School professor, noted author (Authentic Leadership and True North), iconic corporate leader, values-based manager, and former CEO of Medtronic—spoke at the Thrivent Auditorium. He joined a mighty list of past Forum speakers including: Brad Anderson, CEO of Best Buy (a brilliant, engaging, regular fella); Warren Staley, retired Cargill CEO, once the largest privately-held corporation in the world; and Ken Melrose, former CEO of Toro.

What have these guys got that we ain’t got? It isn’t courage. It’s wisdom and experience that comes with years of practicing high-bar leadership and values-based management, and making money. The big 360.

Highlights from Bill George’s talk included:

> Passion and purpose should be the root of our business experience.
> Giving young people a chance to prove their worth reaps win-wins.
> Your authentic life story should be manifest in your work.   
> True leadership is rooted in character and substance.

Bromides? Uh-uh. It’s good stuff. Great stuff.

You want to be a better business person, manager, and leader. It’s not easy. It takes time. But as Professor George insists, “Life is long!”

Check out his entire speech on both tcbmag.com and mspmag.com. Oh…you couldn’t possibly watch a 45-minute video on the web? This version is chaptered so you can break it up into 10 easy pieces.

Do it. Trust me. It’s free, thanks to Thrivent.

Comments

[Marie Uhrich]

Gary, read your post about TBLF. I agree it's the best gig in town.