Risk & Business Magazine JGS Insurance Magazine Spring 2019 | Page 10

RESTORATIVE LEADERSHIP
Restorative Leadership:
How Courageous Leaders
Are Healing The World
BY: SUSAN LEGER FERRARO AND DEBORAH LEIPZIGER
W
e live in a time when
we are assaulted
continuously by images
of our political leaders
and well-known figures
in the entertainment sector committing
disparaging acts and making offensive and
racist statements. As a counter offensive
to this barrage, we profile courageous and
conscious leaders who work to make the
world more humane, just, and sustainable.
We share examples of courageous leaders
transforming their companies, their
sectors and the world itself.
What is restorative leadership? Restorative
leaders inspire those around them: they
provide pathways for others to succeed
and overcome barriers. They transform!
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We are fortunate to work alongside some
of these leaders and to interview them
for our forthcoming book on Restorative
Leadership. Here are some examples of
restorative leaders we admire.
Mike Brady, CEO of Greyston Bakery,
creates opportunities for people to enter
the workforce through the company’s
Open Hiring Program. Over 3,000 people
have come to work at Greyston Bakery,
from a wide range of backgrounds,
including those formerly incarcerated,
refugees, and other people escaping
poverty. Mike has created a Center for
Open Hiring to help other companies
develop this kind of life-changing
program to give people a job and a way out
of poverty. Greyston makes the brownies
for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
John Pepper, CEO of Boloco, is committed
to clean eating. Boloco is a rarity in the
fast food sector as it serves brown rice,
healthy juices, and plenty of vegetables.
John has made a commitment to pay all
Boloco employees a living wage and to
provide training to develop their potential.
Workers receive health care benefits,
life skills training, and instruction in
English. The company also provides many
employees with a 401(k) plan. John says,
“while the business model of the food
industry is to pay workers as little as
possible, I knew that we could transform
the lives of people in fast food.”