Kevin Hancock is the CEO of Hancock Lumber Company, one of the oldest and best-known family businesses in America, and author of The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership. Hancock Lumber is an eight-time consecutive recipient of the ‘Best Places to Work in Maine’ award. Kevin himself is a recipient of the Ed Muskie Access to Justice award, the Habitat for Humanity Spirit of Humanity award, the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen award, and the Timber Processing Magazine Person of the Year award. He’s also a member of the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission. Kevin is the founder of The Seventh Power, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing economic sovereignty for native communities across America.

In this episode, Stew talks with Kevin about how the loss of his own voice due to a rare illness changed his conception of leadership, how his immersion in the culture and values of indigenous peoples informed his radically revised leadership style, how giving voice to previously oppressed people can change their lives, and much more.

Here then is an invitation for you, a challenge, after you’ve had a chance to listen to this episode. What would it take for you to listen more than you speak, especially to people who are in some way hierarchically subordinate to you? Share your reactions and suggestions for future shows with Stew by writing to him at friedman@wharton.upenn.edu or via LinkedIn.

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