Industry Magazine Get JACK'D Magazine Summer 2018 | Page 10
Restorative Leadership:
HOW COURAGEOUS LEADERS ARE
HEALING THE WORLD
BY: SUSAN LEGER FERRARO AND DEBORAH LEIPZIGER
WE LIVE in a time when we are
assaulted continuously by images of our
political leaders and well-known figures
in the entertainment sector committing
disparaging acts and making offensive
and racist statements. As a counter
offensive to this barrage, we profile
courageous and conscious leaders who
work to make the world more humane,
just and sustainable. We share examples
of courageous leaders transforming
their companies, their sectors and the
world itself.
What is restorative leadership?
Restorative leaders inspire those around
them: they provide pathways for others
to succeed and overcome barriers. They
transform!
We are fortunate to work alongside
some of these leaders and to interview
them for our forthcoming book on
Restorative Leadership. Here are some
examples of restorative leaders we
admire.
Mike Brady, CEO of Greyston Bakery,
creates opportunities for people to enter
the workforce through the company’s
Open Hiring Program. Over 3,000 people
have come to work at Greyston Bakery,
from a wide range of backgrounds,
including those formerly incarcerated,
refugees, and other people escaping
poverty. Mike has created a Center for
Open Hiring to help other companies
develop this kind of life-changing
program, to give people a job and a way
out of poverty. Greyston makes the
brownies for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
John Pepper, CEO of Boloco, is
committed to clean eating. Boloco is
a rarity in the fast food sector as it
serves brown rice, healthy juices and
plenty of vegetables. John has made a
commitment to pay all Boloco employees
a living wage and to provide training to
develop their potential. Workers receive
health care benefits, life skills training,
and instruction in English. The company
also provides many employees with a
401(k) plan. John says “While the business
model of the food industry is to pay
workers as little as possible, I knew that
we could transform the lives of people in
fast food.”
Eileen Fisher, CEO and Founder of
EILEEN FISHER, is transforming the
clothing industry by creating a supply
chain which respects human rights
and promotes “radical sustainability.”
In addition to working with organic
fibers, the company also promotes
women and girls from all backgrounds.
One of their ways to lift women out
of poverty is by sourcing artisanal
scarves from cooperatives of women
with HIV to promote income-generating
opportunities in Africa.
In our study of leaders who are
creating positive transformations in
their companies and the world, we have
found that conscious leaders:
• Use language to inspire and
innovate
• Work from strengths, and
promote the strength of their
teams
• Invest in people
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Create a set of values that
guide their companies and
organizations
Feed forward
Language Matters
Each of these leaders uses language
to inspire people and to create new
paradigms. Greyston has coined the
terms “Open Hiring” and works on
“pathmaking” or creating opportunities
for all of its workers: pathways to a
better future and upward mobility.
Eileen Fisher – in her quest to develop a
new kind of fashion company and a new
way of making clothes – talks about
“radical sustainability.” Most of all, these
leaders use empowered language. They
are on a quest, which transforms those
around them to be fully engaged. Each
of us has 168 hours per week. Conscious
leaders make every hour count – partly
by creating a culture of vision and
empowerment.
Work From Strengths
Restorative leaders mobilize teams
by encouraging people to lead with their
strengths. Each person has strengths
but we need to learn how to access,
develop, and leverage these strengths.
Each strength has both a shadow side
and a light side: a basement and a balcony
in the words of “CliftonStrengths”
Finder. Conscious leaders work from
their strengths and can leverage the
strengths of others to complement their
own strengths.
Invest In People
Restorative leaders invest in training,
as a way to motivate, inspire, retain and