And it’s so much easier when the leaders are committed to the inner development of their people.
This week, our team supported the annual National meeting for ForTec Medical, a company that delivers surgical equipment to hospitals, on demand.
(Agenda for you, below… yep, plug and play!)
ForTec’s story is wildly inspiring.
They save lives, every day.
Drew Forhan started the business, 35 years ago, out of his garage. Today, the company is a national leader, has hundreds of technicians from coast to coast, and has become an epic growth story.
Best of all, they are deeply committed to their culture, and the development of their people.
Pat Filipovitz, now the CEO, is a long time friend, former classmate from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management.
Pat has doubled down on building a conscious company.
For the kickoff of yesterday’s meeting, we ran a simple but powerful agenda:
Celebrate Wins. We opened by breaking 150 leaders into groups of 4, celebrating wins from 2023, and studying the lessons from their stories. After the small group discussion, a handful of the stories were shared into the whole room. 30 minutes of magic.
Company Strategy Update. Pat, instead of taking the stage as the new CEO, elevated his 6 executives, to have them each speak to what worked, what didn’t, and what they learned… across their company strategy. Quick, to the point, no slides, 15 minutes.
Connecting to Higher Purpose. I shared the data and management philosophy supporting a Conscious Capitalism approach, which culminated in the room sharing stories that reminded them why ForTec delivered on a heroic, and noble purpose. It was a seminal, almost ceremonial moment. The kind that every company would love to experience. 30 minutes.
Break – 15 minutes
Looking Ahead. Pat reviewed the strategy for the next year. He was well prepared, had one simple slide for each of the 5 strategic objectives, and unpacked the whole thing in 15 minutes. The longer it takes to explain a strategy, the greater the risk of challenges with clarity of understanding, adoption and execution. In this case, the whole room was in lock step. 15 minutes.
Conscious Leadership. Adair Cates, head of our Conscious Leadership offerings at xchange, introduced the room to the neuroscience and practices of converting stress, reactivity and pressure, into high performance. It’s amazing to see the receptivity of 150 managers, to the vital need for tools like breathwork and mindfulness, to rewire our nervous system for peak performance as leaders. 30 minutes.
Celebrating Values. To close the day, Drew Forhan, founder of ForTec, reminded the room that his highest hopes were for the company culture and values to remain central to their future. We closed with an activity where the entire room wrote hand written notes of appreciation. And when it felt like the opening session couldn’t go any better, 7 employees volunteered to stand up and read their appreciation to the whole room. It was an emotional, human expression of care for each other.
I share this story, and this agenda, for two simple reasons. One, maybe it gives you some utility. Two, I hope it reveals the way conscious businesses behave. Meetings like this can be atrocious. They can also be transformative.
Stay Curious,
Jon