California-based culture consultant and author Jackie Freiberg, Ph.D., came to Vermont last week with a message for the state’s leading employers: “People want to work for a cause and people want to buy for a cause.”
Dr. Freiberg was in Burlington as a guest of the Vermont Business Roundtable. She shared her perspective, gleaned over 27 years as a corporate culture consultant in the U.S. and around the globe, with a ballroom full of business, non-profit and government leaders at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel.
“We live and work in a surplus society, with a surplus of companies, all doing business as commodities,” said Dr. Freiberg. “To stand out, we must find ways to de-commoditize what we do and sell.”
She cited numerous examples, from Southwest Airlines to Tata Motors in Southeast Asia to Vermont’s own National Life Group, where she has served as a culture consultant for the last four years. In fact, Dr. Freiberg wrote and published a book about National Life in 2015, CAUSE! A Business Strategy for Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness.
National Life CEO Mehran Assadi introduced Dr. Freiberg to the 325 attendees via pre-recorded video. “Jackie understands what makes great companies great. She also understands what gives spirit and personality to business.”
Dr. Freiberg challenged employers to seek opportunity to improve their impact and make their corner of the world better. She also urged them to ask tough questions about what their organizations are up to and why. And finally she urged attendees to lead, “To be and inspire the change you want to affect your business, your community, your Vermont.”
Dr. Freiberg also met with dozens of high school and college students following the breakfast meeting with employers. She talked about how young people can become CEOs of their future and leaders of influence, something she has written about in her book, Be a Person of Impact!
The event was the third in the Vermont Business Roundtable’s Executive Leadership Series for business leaders. Previous speakers have included author and consultant Marilyn Tam in 2015 and women’s advocate and filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom in 2014.
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About Jackie Freiberg, Ph.D.
For over 27 years, Jackie has been on a mission to expose the unconventional, business-best practices of globally admired leaders. She has worked with and become a connoisseur of the most admired companies in the world. Jackie motivates people with the resources to change, become better leaders, build better cultures and become more accountable. She is known for her insight, passion and ability to equip leaders at all levels with innovative ideas that turn up the volume on leadership, innovation, culture, engagement, accountability, customer service, and performance.
A complete biography is at http://www.freibergs.com/keynotes/event-material/bios-and-intros/jackies-bio/
About the Vermont Business Roundtable
The Vermont Business Roundtable was established in 1987 as a nonprofit, public interest organization. One hundred CEOs of Vermont’s top private and non-profit sector employers comprise the Roundtable. They are dedicated to making Vermont the best place in America to do business, be educated, and live life. Since inception, the Roundtable CEOs have dedicated themselves to thoughtful, deliberative, and well-documented analyses of significant public policy issues affecting all Vermonters, ranging from education, economic health, environmental quality, health care policy, and technology.
Learn more about the Roundtable and view published reports at http://vtroundtable.org/
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