10 Years of Whole Leader Development; Bad Bobby Goes WiLD
It all started with the name Bad Bobby. While that may seem like an unconventional start, it is our lack of convention and desire to see leaders as they really are that is the key to everything we do. The story begins with a confession and a-ha moment. First, the confession. My name is Rob, I am a grown man, and I play video games along with 155 million other Americans. I don’t play every day, but I do enjoy them when I get a chance to play. The fact is that my understanding of video games inspired me to build an online leadership development portal and set of tools that are wholistic, real, and create deep insight and learning for leaders.
My Last Class Tonight…After 25 Years
This moment is a chance to pause, and reflect on my lessons regarding teaching after all these years. To be honest, beyond my students, I have only had one or two mentoring voices speak deeply into my teaching. So, if any of my thoughts encourage even one aspiring teacher, that would be enough. Here is top my 10 list of lessons, in the hours before I teach my last class as a full time Professor. I don’t have all these perfected, but this is what I would have told my younger self.
Re-Formed Leaders
This is not me jumping on the leadership bandwagon. Reform, fighting against the racism, brutal violence, and injustice against people of color that has plagued our country and world will take us making a deeper and more thoughtful investment in the current and next generation of leaders. Leading with compassion, courage, composure, thoughtfulness and a spirit of sacrifice takes incredible fortitude, preparation and support. The next leaders are our friends, family members, and children. Will we make the investment to prepare them well?
Whole Leaders in an Emotional Pandemic
A new reality is upon us. An opportunity - to be our best when it's a bit tougher to do so. The uncertainty of a biological pandemic is likely to impact everything we see, and a host of things we can’t. What we do see around us isn't only a need for further preparation in
One Month on the Job – Practicing What We Preach
Over the past 3 years I have had 12 jobs, which for a freelance writer is probably not that big of a number. I joined the Whole + intentional Leadership Development (WiLD) team to minimize the amount of hours that go into my tax return and because the team and mission seemed exciting and unusual. I have worked with other leadership development programs, however WiLD has an impact that almost looks too good to be true.
Big Changes: Called to My Next After 21 Years
It’s not every day that after 21 years in a role – you decide it’s time for a change. I have been a faculty member at Seattle Pacific University since 1999 and Chair of the Department of Industrial-Organizational Psychology since 2005. On January 8th I announced that I would be moving on from my role at the university on June 30th, and assuming the role of CEO of WiLD Leaders, Inc.
WiLD Leaders – Looking Back and Forward
It’s hard to believe it’s nearly a decade since we started in the business of whole and intentional leader development and a full year since Dr. Daniel Hallak joined the WiLD Leaders team as our Chief Commercial Officer. As you may know by now, our mission has been to invest in the development and preparation of this generation of courageous and sacrificial leaders – and not just to talk about it as a good idea – but to provide an intentional pathway to their whole and intentional development through the WiLD Toolkit. It’s been a busy and unbelievably fulfilling year. So, here is a quick review of our year, lessons we’ve learned, and what’s just around the corner for WiLD Leaders.
WiLD Leaders Celebrates Annie Barthel’s Next Step
Today was Annie Barthel’s last day working officially on the WiLD Leaders team before she transitions to her new role at Slalom Consulting. Annie has served as one of our Promotions Specialists for the last year, and while we are going to miss Annie, we are so excited for the next place she is going to serve.
WiLD Leaders Announces Dr. Daniel Hallak As Our Chief Commercial Officer
The team at WiLD Leaders is more than excited to announce that Dr. Daniel Hallak is joining our leadership team as our Chief Commercial Officer. Most recently in a leadership development role at Slalom Consulting and Professional Development and Employer Engagement Program Manager at Seattle Pacific University, Daniel brings an extremely unique and appropriately wild depth of experience across corporate, not-for-profit, and educational settings.
The WiLD Brand
If we had to hang our collective hat on one set of values that drive our WiLD brand, this would be it. RELATIONAL – Architecting supportive and honest conversations. Leaders don’t develop in a vacuum. Leaders don’t lead in a vacuum, so we can’t develop them alone. It gets real when we get together and risk something…
Readiness vs Talent
In the past, and even in some cases now, the process of investing in the learning and growth of your employees and leaders is often called Talent Management or Talent Development. The job titles of the leaders in these spaces are similar – Director of Talent Management isn’t uncommon. However, when it comes to actually developing your people, there are a number of different ways to approach it – and your fundamental assumptions and values matter. There are at least two options being pushed around out there, and I want to suggest that we are in desperate need of a third option.
Wild Stories in a Sensible World
When it comes to our willingness to tell the stories of our lives, there are at least three kinds of people. Those too eager to share, those who don’t know there’s anything to share, and those who hesitate to share the real story. The first group defines themselves by their edginess and outside-the-box thinking (which is inside-the-box thinking, by the way). The second group lacks the awareness that they are just as weird as the rest of us, and the third group has a different kind of challenge. It’s the challenge of navigating the world of what is “sensible” and what is “wild”. I’m most interested in this third group.