Blue Rudder Values
At Blue Rudder, we have set out to be different – not for the sake of being different but for the sake of being better.
At Blue Rudder, we have a wealth of practical experience, teaching experience, and we are on the cutting edge of leadership knowledge…but it’s not in our make-up to put this experience in a pill, get you to swallow it, and then tell you that you have become a better leader. We wholeheartedly believe in what Warren Bennis says in Geeks and Geezers:
“Leadership without perspective and point of view isn’t leadership – and of course it must be your own perspective, your own point of view. You cannot borrow a point of view any more than you can borrow someone else’s eyes. It must be authentic, and if it is, it will be original, because you are original.”
For us, Jim Collins has helped. His research on Level 5 leadership provides enlightening insights. But we think so because we’ve always valued humility as a leadership virtue. So when we read Good to Great, we said: “of course…brilliant.” We grabbed multiple leadership lessons from watching Gettysburg – because Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s selflessness, courage, and humanity shined a light on our own beliefs. And when we read about Encouraging the Heart in The Leadership Challenge, we shouted, “Amen!” because we believe in positive, uplifting relationships and Kouzes’s and Posner’s research supports our ideals.
So with that in mind, we bring you leadership education, coaching, and speaking based on the following core values:
Teaching Excellence — if you ever fall asleep in a Blue Rudder class, it’s our fault. We believe we teach leadership as well as anybody, anywhere. And we do it because we love it. Our teaching explores; it rarely prescribes.
Passionate Care for People — we don’t just teach. We care. We want to know your kids’ names, hear your leadership struggles, and partner with you to become more effective. We model leadership as we teach, and that starts with genuine caring.
Absolute Integrity — We say it. We believe it. We do our best to live it.
Risk-Taking — We have an entrepreneurial spirit. We believe that leaders push boundaries to get things done. We would have loved the Wild West (but we would have missed ESPN and the warm showers).
Humility — Putting others first is the linchpin of customer service, leadership, and transformational teaching or coaching. We are real. We listen and share. We admit our mistakes. We’re good at what we do, but not better than anyone.
