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.

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…
Post #25 Quote Bubble
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…
Post #26 Quote Bubble
Thanks for Asking!
“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” —Scott Adams I am amazed by how many times…
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The Tale of the Tape
Alison and I needed a tape measure. We were looking to measure a wall in the small bedroom of our Boston apartment, to see if it could accommodate a…
Post #23 Quote Bubble
Hola, Bridgette!
“You know, in 900 years of time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important.” —The Doctor, A Christmas Carol For sixteen years I coached the eighth-grade girls’…
#22 Post Quote Bubble
Dispersed Power in Government
“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…
Post #21 Quote Bubble
The Singular Mission of School
Sometimes 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…
Election Day
I 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…
Maine Health talk
Spreading Shared Leadership Ideas Beyond Hancock Lumber
In 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…