Jun 14, 2016
Last week, we hosted our 5th Annual CEO Summit to learn leadership lessons first-hand from the top leadership institution in the nation. Together, with the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point, we bridged the gap between knowing about leadership in theory and acting like a leader when it counts.
If you were unable to join us, here's what you missed:
1. Duty, Honor, Country Guided Experience
Being on the West Point campus in itself is inspiring, but we got a personal tour delving into history and leadership lessons learned from some of the most notorious leaders in US History.
2. Military-style PT Bootcamp at 6:30AM
There is nothing like kicking off your day with some group exercise and a drill sergeant. Hooah!
3. 2 Top Military Keynote Speakers
Colonel Pilar Ryan, Ph.D. (USA, Retired, USMA 1986)
Leading with Character was the theme of Col. Ryan's talk. There were a lot of actionable take-aways from this session such as "Leaders must focus on the what and why, not the how."
Major General Spider Marks (USA, Retired, USMA 1975)
This session was more focused on Effective Operations and Leading in Chaos. General Marks would know, he led the mission that brought down Saddam Hussein as well as was the top intelligence officer during the LA Riots.
4. 4 CEO-led Sausage Making Sessions
This year's topics really created some great dialogue and best practice sharing among our CEOs. We focused on: Retaining an Entrepreneurial Culture, Managing & Motivating Millennials, Building a Forward-Looking Board, and Best Practices in M&A.
5. Urban Orienteering
Probably the most unique experience of the event. 6 Teams of 10 were on a mission. They had to strategize and execute this mission via flip-phone and walkie-talkie; and they had to return from the field to the command center in under 90 minutes. A true team effort, and a lot of fun...even for CEOs.
6. Dinner with Wounded Warrior Athletes
For the first time in history, West Point Military Academy is hosting (this week) the Wounded Warrior Games. The 45 Army athletes were staying at our hotel, and we asked them to join us for networking and dinner. We had the pleasure of getting to talk with many inspiring athletes. It was a very special event.
To support these athletes, you can make a donation to The Fisher House.
To view more photos from the CEO Summit, check them out on our Facebook page.
Stay tuned here on the Edison Blog for full session recaps, takeaways, and more videos over the coming weeks.
