I haven’t blogged in a while. The pandemic took a few things off the rails, including me paying respect to the LeaderShare site. My apologies. Hope this next blog makes up for my absence.

I do have an uplifting story to share, on the subject of organizational purpose. It is about:

a luxury home-builder headquartered in Naples, Florida, also recognized by the state as a leading employer. And it is a developing story, since they are really just getting started in discovering their purpose and how best to live it out.

I am calling the BCB Homes purpose:

OUR LEADERSHIP SUCCESS IS YOUR LIFE SUCCESS.

To do this story its justice, I’d like to go back to how I became involved with these excellent people and then give you an idea of what has transpired since.

In the summer of 2019, I was referred to Joe Smallwood, the CEO of BCB Homes, Inc., as someone to help him and his partners explore how they might develop the leadership potential of their fine company.

The person doing the referring was my former CEO, Paul Douglas of PCL Construction, who also happened to be a customer of BCB Homes. As Paul and Joe got to know each other, they talked about one of PCL’s unique cultural strengths (and there are many!) … the long-term commitment to the building of a cadre of practical leaders, so that PCL project teams would always be able to lead by example.

Joe and his partners:

**Partners: Greg Brisson Eric Morris Shazia Azami Joe Smallwood Scott Weidle Chuck Rainey**

were interested enough to get in touch with me and the result of our discussions was a 2-day working session in December of 2019. With the terrific help of two of my best friends/colleagues, Mike Olsson and Ken Lawson, the 3 of us pictured below:

we offered the partners a taste of:

· what it takes, personally, to establish and maintain leadership credibility

· the Kouzes and Posner 5 leadership practices

· the liberating clarity of meaningful personal values and visions

· the power of shared corporate values and vision

· impactful communications, and in particular, storytelling

· effective team problem-solving.

To say that the partners were “all in” at the conclusion of our time together is a bit of an understatement. Here are 3 examples of what they introduced into BCB Homes in the months after the event:

· published core values:

o Honesty

§ speak to everyone truthfully, with transparency and thoroughness

§ do what you say you will do

o Integrity

§ treat others as you would like to be treated

§ do the right thing even when it is difficult

o Communication

§ listen

§ anticipate what others need to know and relay everything of importance

§ make sure others understand you

o Passion

§ determine what motivates you

§ enjoy the process and let it show

o Innovation

§ constantly seek ways to improve the process, our product and the Customer’s experience

§ analyze everything you are involved with and work to improve it

Side bar: beyond the practical simplicity of these drivers, please note the behavioral descriptors … how can a BCB Homes employee possibly not understand how to behave, what to say and do? Brilliant! And see how deeply woven into these values and behaviors are the Kouzes and Posner 5 practices … for an old teacher like me, this is pure gold.

· Engaged the services of Alan Lyme, certified trainer for the Leadership Challenge Workshop®, the official Kouzes and Posner program. To get a sense of Alan’s dedication of his life’s work to the growth of others, you can enjoy a Blog he wrote for this site on March 20, 2020, Challenging the Process in a Virtual World (CTP section).

Alan has now run a series of Leadership Challenge Workshops® for BCB Homes and a wide swath of employees now know much more precisely what leadership means to their organization and how to apply the 5 practices to their daily challenges. Alan reports that profound vision statements were crafted in the process by people who were new to the leadership development process, so we know what potential lies ahead for them and for the company. And he continues to serve BCB Homes in this capacity. Great service Alan!

· Hired a professional educator, Jon Bremseth, as the Director of Education and Training, a definite commitment to the learning future of BCB Homes. Beyond bringing his voracious appetite for learning and teaching to the company culture, Jon will help Alan carry on with leadership coaching and facilitation. They are in terrific hands.

… all this to say that the partners took their December 2019 experience and put it right to work, to ensure that leadership development has a solid foundation in the BCB Homes culture.

And that just gets me now (sorry for the long lead-in!) to the point of this blog, the BCB Homes purpose:

I believe that, in the process of getting better at successfully leading themselves, BCB Homes is discovering that together they have a greater leadership role to play in their communities … they believe they can and should help others become successful and enable them to live out their life dreams. What a noble purpose!

And here are 2 major pieces of evidence for my claim:

Let’s start with Jon Bremseth’s baby, the BCB Homes Career Pathway Program, recently launched as community outreach program designed to teach participants the fundamentals of the construction industry. The intention is for the participant to discover where their passion lies (Core Values Connection!!!) by exposing them to different aspects of the custom home building business. For more information regarding the BCB Homes Career-In-A-Year program:

https://www.bcbhomes.com/career-pathway-program.html

And a look at the promise of the future of BCB Homes and the careers of passionate learners:

https://www.bcbhomes.com/news/bcb-homes-career-pathway-program-welcomes-inaugural-students.html

Example #2:

BCB Homes has partnered with The Immokalee Foundation

for the Career Pathway Learning Lab Program. This program provides students of The Immokalee Foundation to work with BCB Homes' industry professionals learning about home construction, land development, marketing and sales, and much more. The Learning Lab is a training hub for the students and part of a future 18-home subdivision located in the heart of Immokalee, FL.

Side bar again: if you were BCB Homes, and looking to connect with a meaningful non-profit organization, one whose vision complements your purpose, would the words “education, empowerment and hope” be attractive? I’m guessing a wild “yes”!

https://www.bcbhomes.com/news/our-very-own-carlos-moreno-in-the-news.html

I believe this kind of venture is win-win-win. ALL. ON. PURPOSE.

Given Alan’s and Jon’s personal and professional focus on others, I guess these BCB Homes programs shouldn’t come as a big surprise, but none of this would have happened without the partners deciding that their corporate identity needed a true builder’s focus … and what better to build than a better future for others?

I am so proud to know you.

And my thanks to Erica Meile, Director of Sales, for her perfect help in feeding me details!