Category: Idea Sharing Adventure Blog Posts
“The problem in this world is to avoid a concentration of power—we must have a dispersion of power.” —Milton Friedman My last post was about the singular mission of public schools in America, which I believe should be instilling a deep sense of self-worth in every student. In that post I reported that the US…
READ ARTICLESometimes we get lost in complexity. The US Department of Education has a $68 billion annual budget from which it measures, sorts, records, studies, advocates for, and tracks public education in America. Yet ultimately, public education only needs a single mission, and it’s pretty much free to give and share—the pursuit of self-worth. This is…
READ ARTICLEI shared this message with all of our Hancock Lumber employees, and I wanted to share it with you as well. Thank you! Hello everyone! Tuesday, of course, is election day. Ahead of that day I want to share the following thoughts with you: I hope everyone in our company votes! It’s a right and…
READ ARTICLEIn October I had the opportunity to speak to and work with three amazing Maine organizations! At the beginning of the month I gave the keynote talk to over 560 Maine Health executives and team leaders at the Cross Insurance Arena. Two weeks later I did a one-day workshop and coaching program for the executive…
READ ARTICLEThe following excerpts are from my book, The Seventh Power, detailing my visit with Hanna Soroka in 2017. The odds that Hanna Soroka would survive the winter of 1932 in Ukraine and live to see her eighth birthday were too small to calculate. Her parents were dead. Her younger brother and sister were also dead….
READ ARTICLEIn my last post I shared part of my interview with Mykola Onyshchanko, a survivor of the Holodomor of 1932 and 1933, during which millions of Ukrainian peasants were forcibly starved to death by Stalin’s Communist regime. Mykola, a young boy at the time, survived this period, and decades later, went on to become a…
READ ARTICLEThis bronze statue, titled Bitter Memory of Childhood, stands in the center of the walkway at the Holodomor Victims Memorial in Kiev, Ukraine, embodying the message that overreaching has consequences. “Death is the solution to all problems. No man—no problem.” —Joseph Stalin In 2017 I traveled to Kiev, Ukraine, to interview two survivors of the…
READ ARTICLERecently I got a new medicine cabinet above my sink in our bathroom at home. Its predecessor had been there for twenty years, so this was a big change for me and my stuff. Shortly after its installation, the trouble started. The fasteners that held the second glass shelf in place kept loosening. This in…
READ ARTICLE“I can imagine no greater heroism than motherhood.” —Lance Conrad By most estimates, humans have been on Earth for 200,000 years, and approximately 110 billion humans have lived during that period. There are so many places to go with this data, but viewed through any lens, it’s miraculous! I have twice now seen our daughter…
READ ARTICLEThe following is an excerpt from my book, The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership. For centuries, societies across the globe have been systematically indoctrinated into the belief system that power, control, and higher authority live “out there” somewhere, beyond our reach, in a faraway capital, with a government leader,…
READ ARTICLERecently featured in Inc. Magazine , check out this article featuring Kevin Hancock, Hancock Lumber, and Nando’s North America titled, “Why Executives Around the Country Turn to a Maine Lumberyard for Lessons in Leadership” by Nicole Gull McElroy. Hancock Lumber is a 175-year-old company with an outsize presence in its home state – but the impact…
READ ARTICLEThe data is in from Gallup’s 2024 Global Workplace Survey, and once again, it’s not good. Only 33 percent of American workers describe their work experience as deeply meaningful or engaging. Globally, the data gets worse: Only 23 percent of humanity’s 3 billion workers find their job engaging. Approximately 160 million Americans work, and 67…
READ ARTICLEI would like to share this essay by Kayla McLean. Kayla is a high school student here in Maine preparing for college and this is her college admissions essay. Her writing speaks for itself and through this post I am simply sharing and amplifying her already amazing voice. I would add that her message resonates…
READ ARTICLEEvery summer, on the last weekend of July, the Casco village green in my hometown in Maine comes alive. It’s Casco Days, and hundreds of volunteers are bustling around as they care for thousands of happy children of all ages. The Ferris wheel churns. The merry-go-round spins. Quarters are tossed. Stuffed animals are won. Cotton…
READ ARTICLEOn June 17, 2024, I watched the Boston Celtics win their record-setting eighteenth NBA title at the TD Garden before a euphoric, sold-out crowd. As a lifetime basketball player, coach, and fan, this was a joyous experience for me. Under any circumstances I would have been deeply committed to the Celtics winning, but this season…
READ ARTICLERecently featured in Inc. Magazine , check out this article featuring Kevin Hancock, Hancock Lumber, and Nando’s North America titled, “Why Executives Around the Country Turn to a Maine Lumberyard for Lessons in Leadership” by Nicole Gull McElroy. Click here to read the full article!
READ ARTICLE“Democracy is a process, not a static condition. It is becoming, rather than being. It can easily be lost, but never is fully won. Its essence is eternal struggle.” —William Hastie On June 27, 2024, I watched the globally televised debate between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump in a semi-dazed state of…
READ ARTICLEThe Business of Shared Leadership and Hancock Lumber are excited to announce that Kevin Hancock has joined the Washington Speakers Bureau (WSB) network as a keynote speaker, bringing topics such as shared leadership, employee engagement, and healing from within to audiences across industries and geographies. The world’s largest talent agency specializing in corporate speaking events,…
READ ARTICLEI have a friend who is a remarkable hypnotherapist in Portland, Maine. Her name is Maggie Clement, and I have been a grateful client of hers for many years, dating back to when I first acquired my voice condition, spasmodic dysphonia. At the peak of my speaking difficulties, years ago, Maggie helped me to realize…
READ ARTICLEI have a Peloton bike in my basement. To date, I have taken 884 rides. My favorite instructor is Emma Lovewell, and my goal, each ride, is to finish in the top 20 percent. During a ride Emma is a bundle of energy with her smiles, her dance moves, and her wisdom. She’s an optimist,…
READ ARTICLE