It is no secret that business leaders and leaders of all sorts are experiencing high levels of burnout and stress, especially coming off the last extremely challenging few years. Most leaders are aware, at least on some level, of the importance of self-care, yet many struggle to turn that understanding into concrete action. Ryan Redman, Founder and Executive Director of the Flourish Foundation, proposes a way to think about this and some steps that may help you get started. 

Although many of us have predisposed notions of what the word “guru” means, in this short Tugboat Institute® talk, Ryan suggests a different way to think about the term. He explores the essence of the guru, which means “weighty” in Sanskrit, and he suggests methods for working towards becoming a guru. He further posits that this work will help us become better leaders, better care for our teams and ourselves, and create more good in our communities and the world.

Listen and be inspired to take some simple, concrete steps toward becoming a guru and finding stability and strength.

Early in his career, the dental group Samson Liu worked for sold to Private Equity (PE). He stayed on for 18 years, as the company was sold and re-sold over and over again. Eventually, it became clear that the practices and mindsets of the PE model were not in line with Samson’s values, so he left to start his own practice, SOH Dental.

In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Samson shares how he took what he learned from the PE playbook and infused it with his own Evergreen® beliefs to create a new model for acquisitions. This “hybrid model” allowed him to build a business that is People First, that will always be Private, and that is in line with his values. His endeavor has been remarkably successful. 

Listen and hear a great example of how values can be at the center of a successful business, and how Evergreen is not only a viable, but a powerful alternative to the standard, Private Equity model.

Murray Hidary began his career as a tech entrepreneur, before a personal tragedy redirected his focus back to music, a lifelong passion. His work using music to heal and improve his own mindset led him to found his current company, MindTravel. MindTravel invites listeners to immerse themselves in his original piano compositions, either alone, with a group, or in nature, to learn to find peace in every moment and connect with the stillness and calm that help us see clearly, heal, and succeed.  

In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Murray shares his perspective on creativity, which is not a gift granted to a lucky few, but rather which lives in all of us. Following his short talk, Murray invites us to sit back and lose ourselves, for a short time, in music as he performs live on our stage.

Listen and be inspired to connect with your own creativity and to seek and find peace as a source of strength.

Anese Cavanaugh is the Founder and CEO of Active Choices, Inc., creator of the IEP Method, and the author of numerous books. The many tools she has developed and honed are all aimed at achieving the same goal; helping leaders take better care of themselves so they can build better companies, with cultures that thrive, and that create impact in the world.

In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Anese shares her considerable wisdom on this topic and introduces us to the Intentional Energetic Presence (IEP) Method. She invites Evergreen® leaders, who already understand the importance of putting People First, to direct their care not only toward their families, employees, and communities, but also toward themselves.

Listen and be inspired to take care of yourself, and make it possible to increase your impact in the world.

Tugboat Institute® member Courtney McKee has experienced a series of enormous challenges in her life, both personal and professional, but she has overcome them all. Her secret weapons are her resilience and her Perseverance, both of which are fueled by her strong sense of Purpose.

In this Tugboat Institute talk, Courtney shares some of the challenges she has faced and overcome and how her values of courage and community give her the strength to persevere, even in the most challenging of times. Her story is a wonderful example of the strength and power of Evergreen® values in action, and the heights to which they enable us to soar.

Listen and be inspired to double down on your values, and become unstoppable.

Tugboat Institute® member Dave Thrasher grew up watching his father found and build a company. When it came time for him to step into leadership, Dave was ready to take what his father had built and scale it. In the end, he founded his own offshoot of his father’s Evergreen® company, which is run today by his brother Dan, and he started the work of scaling, always with an eye to maintaining his core Evergreen values.

In this Tugboat Institute talk, Dave shares his learning about the ways Evergreen companies can scale successfully. Many of them are the strategies used widely by companies of all types, but he has modified where necessary to ensure that as he scales, his growing company stays fully aligned with the 7Ps principles and the Evergreen mindset. He has had astounding success.

Listen and be inspired to explore new growth opportunities in an Evergreen way.

In this candid conversation, Tugboat Institute® Founder & CEO Dave Whorton and Tom Peters, discuss the eight main principles of Tom’s seminal book, In Search of Excellence. They explore the ways in which Tom’s thinking has evolved in the years since its publication. All of the eight People First principles remain relevant and valuable, and Tom introduces some important new ideas, including honoring the importance of women and introverts in leadership.

As a thinker and a leader, Tom’s work is deeply Evergreen®. In this Tugboat Institute talk, Tom and Dave confirm the extent to which the path to excellence is grounded in the people who do the work, at every level of the company. Therefore, honoring and taking care of those people must be a top priority.   Listen and be inspired by the wisdom and wit of this great thinker and leader.

The conversation about race in our society is difficult but it is extremely important. Tugboat Institute® member Mel Gravely, CEO of TriVersity Construction, has not only spent a lot of time thinking about it, he has written a book about it. In 2021, he shared lessons and insights from his book, Dear White Friend: The Realities of Race, the Power of Relationships, and Our Path to Equity, at our Tugboat Institute Summit. We asked him to give us an update this year.   In this short Tugboat Institute talk, Mel reminds us that the work to be done on this front is going to take a long time. We need to renew our commitment to focus on it not just today, but repeatedly going forward. He shares his own priorities and plans to stay engaged.    Listen and be inspired to do the same. 

When the artisan jewelers at James Avery create their pieces, they aim to make keepsakes that are imbued with meaning and that will be cherished by customers for a lifetime, if not more. Throughout Texas and beyond, their jewelry is often passed down from generation to generation. This deeply Evergreen® company is beloved by customers and employees alike. 

In this Tugboat Institute® talk, CEO John McCullough shares some history of this remarkable company, from its humble beginnings to today. In addition, he shares the reasons why the company has gradually moved toward vertical integration. Although it comes with certain costs and limitations, vertical integration has afforded them a level of independence and agility that has allowed them to remain strong in the face of recent crises, and ultimately, to serve their community better.

Listen and be inspired by the history and learnings of this profoundly People First and Purpose driven company.

Dr. Dennis Jaffe has spent his career working with and advising family enterprises. A Senior Research Fellow at BanyanGlobal, he is widely considered to be one of the original architects of the field of family enterprise consulting.     In this Tugboat Institute® podcast, Dr. Jaffe discusses the challenges that may arise when family business leaders start to imagine their children and grandchildren succeeding them. The questions that surround preparing the next generation to step into leadership are often clouded by concern over differences between the generations, but Dr. Jaffe invites us to consider the advantages, rather than the problems, these differences create.   Listen and be inspired to establish clear and open communication with your children about what the future, and their future in your business, might look like.