“It is hard to follow one great vision in this world of darkness and of many changing shadows. Among those shadows men get lost.” —Black Elk I have dedicated the essays that I write this year to Black Elk, but I have not yet told you why. The answer is that I see deep truth […]
Happy Hour Podcast: Guest Kevin Hancock
In this podcast, Kevin speaks to host Joel Fleischman about Kevin’s story of finding the power of shared leadership. Kevin explains how he struggled with losing his voice and the journey he started to gain inner acceptance and balance, as well as ways he could continue to lead his family’s company. He also speaks with […]
#16 | THE FUTURE TRAVELS THROUGH THE PAST
“No future without forgiveness.” —Bishop Desmond Tutu It’s not just those in positions of leadership or privilege who must become more self-aware. In the last two essays I have discussed how it’s important for me as a white, Christian, male CEO to reconcile my inherent privilege in Western society. This is done not to engender […]
#15 | WHITE SPACE
“One day our descendants will think it incredible that we paid so much attention to things like the amount of melanin in our skin or the shape of our eyes or our gender instead of the unique identities of each of us as complex human beings.” —Franklin Thomas Everyone I was looking at was white. […]
#14 | RESURRECTING MARY
“Jesus’s inner circle of disciples includes both men and women on an equal footing. There is no distinction made between a male group of disciples and a female group of camp followers.” —Cynthia Bourgeault In AD 313 the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and with a single edict elevated a banned set of spiritual […]
#13 | OH . . . THE STORIES WE’VE TOLD
“La Storia di questi avvenimenti fu scritta dai vincitori.” (“The history of these events was written by the winners.”) –Italian proverb Are you aware that your view of the world is based on a carefully cultivated set of stories that you have been repeatedly told since childhood? You’ve likely been fed these stories for so […]
#12 | SUNSETTING MY IPHONE
2021 IDEA-SHARING ADVENTURE SERIES BY KEVIN HANCOCK “If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night I bet they would live a lot differently.” —Bill Watterson It was cold by Southwest Florida standards. As a result, nobody was around. Cool, cushioning sand encased my bare feet as I meandered without intention or destination. […]
#11 | A SELF-ABSORBED AMERICA
2021 IDEA-SHARING ADVENTURE SERIES BY KEVIN HANCOCK “The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” —John Muir Last week I wrote about the importance of CEOs broadening their roles and seeing the highest calling of free enterprise as the advancement of humanity. This week I […]
#10 | THE CEO ROLE
2021 IDEA-SHARING ADVENTURE SERIES BY KEVIN HANCOCK “Every writer I know has trouble writing.” —Joseph Heller I often have to write for a while before it becomes clear to me what I am writing about. This is contrary to what I was taught in middle-school English class. “You must know the end of the essay […]
#9 | HENRY, MAMIE, EDDIE, AND BUTCH
2021 IDEA-SHARING ADVENTURE SERIES BY KEVIN HANCOCK “Your choices and efforts, be they small or grand, define who you are.” —Richelle Goodrich Henry and Mamie Wilson migrated north from South Carolina to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1921. “I believe he was about the first black man they ever hired at US Steel,” his son Tim would […]
#8 | THE GOOSE AND THE APPLE
2021 IDEA-SHARING ADVENTURE SERIES BY KEVIN HANCOCK “Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” —Wayne Dyer The Charles River Esplanade is a meandering urban green space separating Boston’s Back Bay neighborhoods from the Charles River. Filled with hardwood trees, playing fields, and exercise paths, the Esplanade traverses more than three […]
#7 | THE FUTURE-BASED SELF
2021 IDEA-SHARING ADVENTURE SERIES BY KEVIN HANCOCK “What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.” —Buddha Despite an incalculable myriad of differences in backgrounds, experiences, and opportunities, every living human shares one common truth: We must all move into the future from the spot we presently occupy. […]
#6 | CIRCLES AND SQUARES
2021 IDEA-SHARING ADVENTURE SERIES BY KEVIN HANCOCK “You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. The sky is round, and I have heard that the Earth is round like a ball, and […]
#5 | ORIGINS
2021 IDEA-SHARING ADVENTURE SERIES BY KEVIN HANCOCK “Bureaucracy and social harmony are inversely proportionate to each other.” —Leon Trotsky What are the origins of bureaucracy? How did “power” historically become centralized in command-and-control hierarchies? How did certain groups come to exert a defining influence over others? The answer, at its most fundamental level, is through […]
#3 | STAYING ON MISSION IN A CHAOTIC WORLD
2021 IDEA-SHARING ADVENTURE SERIES BY KEVIN HANCOCK In the first decades of the twenty-first century, three exceptional yet unforeseen events altered humanity’s course. On the morning of September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda militants hijacked four airplanes. Within hours the twin towers of the World Trade Center would fall and a global war would commence. In 2008, […]
2021: JOIN ME ON AN IDEA-SHARING ADVENTURE
Hello! In the spring of this year I am publishing my next book! 48 WHISPERS from Pine Ridge and the Northern Plains is a hybrid of sorts. First, it’s a photography book featuring full-page photos that I have taken at Pine Ridge, the Black Hills, and across the plains. Second, it’s a personal and organizational […]
My New Year’s wish is that everybody on Earth would feel trusted, respected, valued, and heard!
Hello and Happy New Year! Wishing you and your family a safe and fun holiday! Looking forward to 2021! Across 2020 I participated in nearly 100 “events” (podcasts, articles, talks, interviews) hoping to advance the concepts of EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT – SHARED LEADERSHIP – DISPERSED POWER – and RESPECT FOR ALL VOICES. My goal is to […]
Kevin Hancock on What Matters Most Podcast
Kevin Hancock joins What Matters Most host Paul Samuel Dolman to speak about his shared leadership philosophy. They speak about how CEOs and other leaders might elegantly break down the planet’s entrenched, top-down governance model in favor of a new playbook for heightened human engagement, hallmarked by shared leadership, dispersed power, and respect for all voices. […]
Leaders of Lumber: Kevin Hancock
In this article, Kevin Hancock speaks about how important company culture and sharing leadership are at Hancock Lumber. Kevin explains how his journey to Pine Ridge opened his eyes to how narrow his leadership focus was. He was the largest voice in the room and after losing his voice, he could no longer be the […]
Five Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society
In this interview, Kevin Hancock reflects upon how traditional views of leadership have caused disruption, inequality, and misrepresentation throughout history. “Leaders of established organizations have often ‘over-reached.’ By this, I mean that those with the most power often abuse it and go too far.” He goes on to say that the quest for equality and diversity […]
Be the Change That You Wish to See in the World
In this interview with Thrive Global, Kevin Hancock shares the story about how he came to visit Pine Ridge for the first time and the life lessons he learned along the way. Kevin’s shared leadership and voice empowerment ideas have helped him create a new employee-centric model for Hancock Lumber. Kevin realized there are a […]
Unstoppable: How Kevin Hancock of Hancock Lumber was Able to Thrive Despite Spasmodic Dysphonia
In this interview, Kevin Hancock talks about how he was able to find positivity and strength through his diagnosis of Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD). By changing his mindset and prospective, Kevin was able to see his diagnosis as a gift which allowed him to begin listening to the ideas of others. When he began listening, he […]
A Lesson in Leadership From the CEO of One of America’s Oldest Companies
In this interview, Kevin Hancock is asked specifically about his leadership style and how it differs from others. They also speak about how important your authentic voice is and why it is important to listen without judgment. Kevin highlights the importance of hearing voices besides your own, especially as a leader. By engaging others, their […]
Book Review: The Seventh Power
This article is a complete review of Kevin Hancock’s newest book The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership. Written by Margo Kelly, this review highlights the way leadership lessons are intertwined in the narrative to create an engaging story. Margo shares how she felt Kevin’s writing stimulated her own thoughts and […]
Finding Your Authentic Voice
Kevin Hancock joins the Leadership from the Core “Love in Action” podcast with Episode 53, Finding Your Authentic Voice. Host Marcel Schwantes chats with Kevin, who shares his inspirational story of finding purpose in the midst of adversity and re-scripting his definition of leadership as a result. They also discuss his new book, The Seventh […]
Kevin Hancock: The Seventh Power
In this podcast, Kevin Hancock speaks to The Better Show host Ian Mikutel about his new book The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership. Kevin and Ian speak about how his new leadership style formed, why companies struggle to disperse power within the organization, and what individuals can do to empower […]
How to Make Shared Leadership a Reality
Article published in the April 2020 issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review. Click to read complete article “Having found a piece of my own authentic voice, I wanted to help others do the same, and a lumber company in Maine became an unlikely platform where this could occur. The new goal: create a socially transformative […]
Business Community Building: We’re All in it Together
In the Workable article “Business Community Building: We’re All in it Together,” Kevin Hancock is interviewed among other business leaders about the importance of clarity in the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin speaks about the need of the company to follow the lead of the people connected to it. This unification of employees creates a deep connection. The article goes […]
The Culture Hour: Shared Leadership
In this video, Kevin Hancock speaks to Premier Rapport Culture Hour host Shelley Smith about his newest book The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey Into the Business of Shared Leadership. He talks about how his leadership style transformed when he lost the use of his voice. By lifting up the voices of others, Kevin can […]
Leadership Power is Meant to be Shared and Dispersed
In this article, Kevin Hancock is interviewed about how important sharing leadership power is and why he believes it was meant to be dispersed and shared among the tribe. He cautions against consolidating power, saying that “across time, those who have the most power have often gone too far. Over-reaching ultimately however collapses back upon […]
7 Signs That Say You Have the Mindset of a Great Leader
Centralized power and decision-making control is out. Shared leadership is in. In this article, Kevin Hancock is interviewed about his story of finding the employee-centric company model. After listing the 7 signs of great leadership mindset, the article concludes with “dispersing power is not a difficult task, but creating a culture where every voice matters […]
An Excerpt From The Seventh Power
This article is an excerpt from Kevin Hancock’s newest book The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey Into the Business of Shared Leadership. It begins with his trip to Kiev, where Kevin is pensive about how millions of humans were sacrificed so that the success of the center might be advanced. It brings about a reflection into […]
Culture Makes The Difference
Article by Kevin Hancock, published in March 2020 on the Young Upstarts website. Young Upstarts is an online business resource for startup entrepreneurs, small business owners, idea people, and intrapreneurs seeking change within their organization. What differentiates companies? It’s generally not products, services, facilities, or equipment. Years ago, I would have said it was people […]
If Everyone’s Voice Was Heard, What Might Change?
Kevin Hancock appears on the b Cause podcast with host Erin Hatzikostas. In this podcast, Kevin and Erin speak about his shared leadership philosophy, visiting the Pine Ridge Native American Reserve, spiritual enlightenment, and his new book, The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey Into the Business of Shared Leadership. The b Cause podcast works to […]
Leadership and Lumber: An Interview With Kevin Hancock
In this interview, Kevin Hancock speaks about different themes in his newest book, The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey Into the Business of Shared Leadership. He speaks about what the Seventh Power is, how he came to learn about it, and how he incorporates his lessons into his daily life. He also shares the best advice […]
A Butt-Kicking Project to Overcome the Drain of Talkative Leadership
This article highlights the downfalls that talkative leaders often use to justify their conversation monopoly and the negative impacts it can have on culture and engagement. It also gives an exercise that leaders can partake in to find out how often they take over entire conversations. Kevin Hancock’s story is shared through a video interview […]
Culture Makes the Difference: Great People are Everywhere, Great Cultures Aren’t
Written by Kevin Hancock, “Culture Makes the Difference” explores the differences between companies and what are the key differentials between them. “Culture makes the difference. An organization’s culture either creates an environment where great people can flourish, or an environment where people are frustrated, held back, or stymied. What makes one corporate culture different from […]
Advocating For Shared Leadership
In this interview, Kevin Hancock speaks with host Helene Stelian about the importance of sharing leadership and finding your authentic voice. Kevin’s goal is to find his own authentic voice and create a company that fosters the culture that allows others to do the same. By creating an employee-centric company, Kevin hopes to achieve this […]
The Age of Localism
In this article, Kevin Hancock speaks about shared leadership, employee engagement, and employee-centric company structures. “Humans will always benefit from banding together to create value and solve problems. But institutions will need to alter the ways they engage with the world. Take corporations, for example, where employees have historically existed to serve the company. This […]
True Profitability and Productivity Come From Striving for a Bigger Social Goal
This article is an excerpt from Kevin Hancock’s new book The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey Into the Business of Shared Leadership. “At Hancock Lumber, we grow trees, but that is not our core objective. We make lumber, but that is not our primary purpose. We manage logistics, but that is not our most important task. […]
How Losing His Voice Taught a Maine CEO to Give Workers More Say
In this article by the Bangor Daily News, Kevin Hancock shares how his journey to Pine Ridge changed the way he thinks about power, leadership, and the human spirit. By rethinking the way he led Hancock Lumber, Kevin was able to give a voice to his employees. He found that they had the answers and […]
5 Clear Signs You’re Not An Authentic Leader
In the article, Kevin Hancock’s core belief that leaders should listen more than speak is highlighted as an important indicator of being an authentic leader. Authentic leaders are naturally those who disperse and share leadership with those around them. Author Erin Hatzikostas says that when you share leadership and listen to others, “you’ll be amazed […]
Spasmodic Dysphonia, Leading Differently, & Strengthening Voices
In this podcast, Kevin Hancock speaks to The Impactor’s Podcast host Avery Konda about being a social impactor. Kevin’s leadership style fosters personal growth and shares the burden of leadership among everyone to ensure voices are heard. Kevin believes that employees should have more than an economic gain from being at their place of work. […]
CEO Kevin Hancock Lost His Voice, But Gained a New, Wildly Successful Management Style
In this podcast, Kevin Hancock speaks with Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart about his new book The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey Into the Business of Shared Leadership. Kevin and Dean discuss the employee-centric model that Hancock Lumber has adopted and how Kevin came to the realization that this was the path he wanted the […]
The Business of Shared Leadership – A CEO’s Quest to Disperse Power
In this TEDx Talk, Kevin Hancock speaks about employee engagement and how this is affected by leadership style. In workplaces where employees do not feel heard, understood, or able to lead, they often become disengaged with the work they are performing. It leads to job dissatisfaction and eventually, employee turnover. When employees are able to […]
Finding Your Voice
In this video, Kevin Hancock speaks about his leadership style at Hancock Lumber and how it evolved. He believes that everyone should feel safe and comfortable sharing their authentic voice. When people are heard, they transform into leaders who can share their ideas and empower the voices of others. “Leadership teams have the responsibility to […]
Kevin Hancock Appears on Tell Me More Podcast
Kevin Hancock joins Renee Changnon on the Tell Me More podcast to share his story about how his speech disorder set him on a path to develop new management skills and a company culture that encourages all employees to be leaders. In the Tell Me More podcast, Renee Changnon, NRHA’s Retail Outreach Coordinator, talks to […]
Do More Good Conference 2019
In this video, Kevin Hancock speaks at the Do More Good Conference about his life story. From losing his voice to his spiritual quest to Pine Ridge, Kevin shares with the audience how he grew both internally and as a leader. He also delves into how he saw changes in Hancock Lumber and what he […]
The Seventh Power and the Age of Shared Leadership
In this podcast, Kevin Hancock speaks about his new book The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership with Enterprise Radio’s host Eric Dye. They discuss his journey to Pine Ridge and how it led to a new way of leadership. Kevin is an advocate of strengthening voices of all individuals—within a […]
Embracing the Age of Shared Leadership
Kevin Hancock presented the keynote speech at the LBM Strategies Conference in 2018. The keynote highlights the importance of the Shared Leadership philosophy on employee engagement, job satisfaction, and culture. The LBM Strategies Conference brings together LBM pros to address and share practical, tactical solutions to today’s toughest business challenges. LBM Strategies is produced by […]
Kevin Hancock at the ChIME Event
In this video, Kevin Hancock is the keynote speaker at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine to discuss spirituality and business. He shares his thoughts on improving the workplace culture and environment to enhance the value of the lives of employees. His philosophy that everyone can help lead the company and be comfortable sharing their thoughts […]
Americans Should Set Example for New Leader
In this article published by the Portland Press Herald, Kevin Hancock writes about how Americans can and should set examples for the newly elected President. As Kevin’s leadership style evolved into one of employee leadership, he mentions instances where he has become concerned with the lack of communication coming from the leaders in government. However, […]
Not For Sale: Guest Kevin Hancock
In this podcast, Kevin Hancock speaks with The Common Sense Psychic host Phyllis King about his new book Not For Sale: Finding Center in the Land of Crazy Horse. The book depicts his journey to Pine Ridge to visit the Indian Reservation and the lessons he learned along the way. One of the largest realizations on […]
Native American Callings Panel Discussion Guest
In this video, Kevin Hancock joins a panel at Kansas State University Staley School of Leadership Studies as a discussion guest on Native American Callings. Kevin shares his story about losing his voice and traveling to Pine Ridge. He speaks about how the leadership styles on the reservation, coupled with the events of losing his […]
Guest Presenter: Kevin Hancock
In this video, Kevin Hancock stars as the guest presenter on Skidompha Library’s “Chats with Champions” series. Kevin discusses his book Not For Sale: Finding Center in the Land of Crazy Horse and the journey the book showcases. This healing quest brings Kevin to South Dakota, where he meets the Lakota tribe living on the Pine […]
Strengthening the Voices of Others
In this article, Kevin Hancock shares his story about losing his voice and how his leadership style adapted to this major obstacle. By listening more to others, Kevin is able to preserve his voice and create a new employee-centric culture at Hancock Lumber. “Leadership is about doing less, not more. It is about restraint. It […]
Leading by Listening
In this article, Kevin Hancock is interviewed about his journey to finding a new leadership style by listening more to others. Kevin’s new management initiative helps bring Hancock Lumber to new highs, by creating a lean structure and maximizing employee engagement. They also talk about his new book, Not For Sale: Finding Center in the Land […]
Hancock Lumber’s Kevin Hancock on Growing After the Recession
Kevin Hancock is interviewed in this article about Hancock Lumber’s growth after the economic recession. During this time, Kevin lost his voice, which creates a new leadership style centered around listening to others more than speaking. “I learned that leadership is about doing less, not more. It was letting people who have responsibility own their […]
A Path to Change
In this article Kevin Hancock is interviewed about his new business leadership ideas and how dispersing power amongst all employees of Hancock Lumber has created a more successful company. “The more I held back and left space for others, the more everyone grabbed that space, embraced responsibility, took ownership, enjoyed making decisions, and ran with […]
Using Lean Processes to Improve Your Organization
In this video, Kevin Hancock presents at the Franco Center Chamber breakfast event, speaking about how Hancock Lumber has used lean processes to improve. Kevin defines a lean company as one that is “focused, efficient, accurate, agile, responsive, fun, and constantly improving.” He then shares the ways that he has helped foster these attributes to […]