Front row, left to right: Paul Giragos, Renee Cooper, Sue Williamson, Angie O’Donnell, Carol Salloway, Carly Goldsmith; back row, left to right: Todd Williamson, Ed Evarts, Deb Busser, Michael Madera
Angie O’Donnell and Sue Williamson, executive coaches and founders of 3D Leadership Group (http://3dleadershipgroup.com)
The two-day experience included visits to several organizations whose leaders are engaged in social innovation – doing good in the world with very little resources. The 3D Leadership coaching team heard from these leaders and their teams about their journey, their mission, and their views on leadership. At Good Shepherd Services, the team met with aspiring college students whose high school education fell short and who, despite their circumstances, continue to arrive at Good Shepherd every day for tutoring and college-prep coaching. 3D Leadership Group hopes to continue working with this organization into 2018 by offering leadership presence workshops for these students.
The team also met with Social Photographer Saskia Keeley, who is committed to helping NGOs receive funding through the sales of her photographs, and more importantly, to fostering empathy and community-building among disparate cultures. Keeley explained one project she has developed in which women from Israel and Pakistan meet for the first time to photograph one another with cameras provided by Keeley, which has led to a shifting of assumptions and deeply ingrained prejudices as a result of this personal encounter.
The team also enjoyed a distinctive meal prepared by Eat Offbeat, a catering company that employees resettled refugee women by teaching them to cook their favorite recipes for large groups. The CEO and one of her chefs shared their personal stories of coming to the U.S. as refugees and immigrants with the 3D Leadership Group team, as well as talked about how they have brought their familiar cuisines to Manhattan by catering corporate events and private dinner parties, which led to a bigger conversation about how refugees can make contributions to the cultural fabric.
In the team’s last meeting, they met with Jessica Morris, CEO and co-founder of Girl Be Heard, as well as her team. This extraordinary theater company exemplifies leadership during a time when girls’ stories of violence, early pregnancy, trafficking, and other gender-based threats need voice and support. This ensemble has performed at the White House and internationally, and has created a space for education and programs for underserved communities in New York. 3D Leadership Group plans to work with them in the future to help them find experienced board members as well as offer coaching to their leadership team.
Leaders’ Quest is a social enterprise with a charitable foundation that works with leaders from business, government, and civil society to catalyze change individually, within companies, and systemically by developing wise, compassionate and adept leaders who are capable of leading in fast-changing, disrupted environments with competing priorities and interconnected challenges. For more information, please visit www.leadersquest.org.
“Our team felt transformed after our time with Leaders’ Quest,” said O’Donnell. “We want to bring more humanity to leadership in 2018, and this experience has disrupted us – for the better!”
About 3D Leadership Group
Since 2007, the firm has partnered with hundreds of leaders in more than 10 industries to hone their leadership capabilities. Clients include organizations in the biotech/pharma, financial services, high tech, manufacturing, higher education, and professional services industries, as well as not-for-profits. For additional information, please visit www.3dleadershipgroup.com, email info@3dleadershipgroup.com, or call 781-453-9800.
