Leland Stanford was a businessman who made his money from building railways. When his only child, Leland Jnr died of typhus at the age of 15, he decided to leave his ranch (now the site of the campus) as a memorial. The university's doors opened in 1891. The insititution's motto is " the wind of freedom blows". Students who derive pleasure from learning for its own sake thrive at Stanford, we are told.
Personally, I have been blown away! The campus is like a self-contained city and our accommodation, a five star hotel. On arrival you enter large wooden double doors with Stanford Graduate School of Business written across the portico. You are provided with a key, a map and instructions. "All phone calls including international ones are free." My room accomodates a queen-size bed, a computer and large desk. There is an enormous redwood cedar armchair upholstered in cowhide, which looks awkward, but is incredibly comfortable. Down the corridor is a room that provides free drinks and snacks 24/7, an athletic facility with a pool and spa and local gym for a quick workout. There are bike rentals, free buses and houskeeping services.
In our rooms is a gift briefcase, pen and key ring to rival the merchandising of a luxury car! I settle in and feel very much at home.
At the reception and dinner Jim Phills, the director of ENPL(Executive Non Profit Leadership) introduces himself and invites us to say a few words. There are 56 participants so it takes an hour or so.
"Kia Ora. My mane is Hilary Beaton. I am the Director/CEO of New Zealand's first and longest-running professional theatre company. Recently, I have taken the company through a cutural turnaround moving it away from a traditional theatre to a contemporary company that partners with independent artists and organisations, nationally and locally, providing them with infrastructure and support with the intention of developing a strong indigenous voice representing the very best of the performing arts in our region."
I am one among many.. child care, housing, health, education, environment and faith organisations feature. I am seated at a table between the ED of the Turneffe Atoll Trust, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to furthering scientific understanding of sensitive marine habitats and the ED of The Polly Hill Aboretum, an outdoor museum composed of plant collections from around the world.
We consumed copious amounts of Napa wine and indulged in a sumptious four-course meal. And then the work begins... at 8.30pm we meet in our study groups for the first time to discuss the content of tomorrow's session "Leadership and Strategy".
This dynamic group of individuals consisted of: Clare Mello, YouthNet School Based Mentoring Program, Bermuda; Helen White The Children's Hospital Trust, South Africa; Lori Fitzmaurice,Girls For Change, USA; Kori Kingsbury, Cardiac Care Network of Ontario, Canada.
and Paul Robertson, Turneffe Atoll Trust, USA. Check out these great people and find out about these amazing organisations.
We are asked to reflect and try to articulate our personal theory of performance. Questions are raised about the key drivers of our individual organisations? How do we affect those drivers? What are the key barriers or limitations to your influence overs these drivers? And those are just the questions for session one, 8.00-9.20am, in a schedule of four sessions per day. Ooooh baby! Time for bed.
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