Idea Sharing Archive

Welcome to the Business of Shared Leadership blog! This weekly installment features thought-provoking posts and discussions about inspired leadership topics, authored by Kevin Hancock.

Black Elk Speaks of the Making of Meat
As discussed in my last post, Black Elk, or Hehaka Sapa, is the most famous Oglala holy man of the nineteenth century. He was born free in December of…
Black Elk Speaks
Black Elk, or Hehaka Sapa, is the most famous Oglala holy man of the nineteenth century. He was born free in December of 1863, before the breaking of treaties….
Spirited Work
The following is an excerpt from my book The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership: Why not make the authentic self-expression of the human…
We’ve Never Cut the Same Tree Twice
Hancock Lumber has been harvesting and milling white pine logs into lumber since 1848. Across all of those years we have never processed the same log twice. Every pine…
Saco & Biddeford Savings Virtual Talk
In April I had a lovely opportunity to visit with my friend Mark Jones, CEO of Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution. This was a recorded conversation later shared with…
Kevin Hancock
Beating The Family Business Odds — Chief Executive Magazine
Earlier this month, Kevin Hancock was featured by Chief Executive Magazine in the article Beating The Family Business Odds by C.J. Prince. This article focuses on five strategies that…
Kevin Hancock Mission Trust Quote
Ours to Create
I was sitting in an employee huddle at our Saco store when I heard the statement The work culture here is ours to create. A relatively new member of…
The Grand Illusion
In 1972 six young guys from Chicago formed the American rock band Styx. Five years later they released their hugely successful album, The Grand Illusion. This first of four…
Sioux Medicine Wheel
Our Thoughts Matter
Our thoughts drive behavior, and behavior drives performance. What we see determines what we do, and what we do determines what we get. Therefore, if we want something different…
Perhaps Every Leader Should Lose Their Voice
The following is an excerpt from my first book, Not for Sale: Finding Center in the Land of Crazy Horse: In 2010 I lost the consistent and comfortable use…
Chin Up Chest Out Coaching
Chin Up, Chest Out. We All Make Mistakes!
People ask me what Shared Leadership looks like at work and my answer is simple: humans looking out for other humans while we work. This 30 second video mentors beautiful…
Custer Memorial
Not Listening Has Consequences
“My every thought was ambition—to be great.” —George Armstrong Custer What a sight it would have been to see the Indian encampment on the morning of June 25, 1876….
#32 Mickey Dumbo Donald and Pooh
Mickey, Dumbo, Donald, and Pooh
The shelves at my home office hold some personally meaningful trophies and awards that have come my way through the years, yet none of them matter much to my…
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Indigenous Reflections
My time on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota has opened my eyes to the need for a new leadership model that honors everyone. Overreaching has consequences,…
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Stop, Think, and Thank
“Freedom is not free.” —Colonel Walter Hitchcock On June 14, 2024, Vice Admiral Joseph Scott Mobley, US Navy, retired, passed away. Were it not for my amazing stepfather, Admiral…
Mitchell Institute logo
Kevin Hancock Joins the Board of Directors at The Mitchell Institute
The Business of Shared Leadership and Kevin Hancock are proud to announce that Kevin has officially joined the Board of Directors, along with three other Maine based leaders, at…
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A Great Day
“It is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work.” —Jim Collins…
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It Hurts Sometimes
“There is no coming to consciousness without pain.” —Carl Jung My oldest granddaughter is two years old, and she’s so much fun! She’s constantly on the go, in exploration…
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The Abnormal
“You maintain hope for humanity as an infinite skeptic of gossip and slander. In all mankind’s desires for entertainment and exaggeration and sensationalism, when it comes to gossip, the…
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Trace It Back
“To be accountable is to care for the well-being of the whole and act as if this well-being is in our hands and hearts to create.” —Peter Block There…