(From ArkansasBusiness.com)

ROGERS - Fifty four percent of the American workforce is not "engaged" in their workplace, the Soderquist Center for Leadership & Ethics told a group of leaders recently.

Citing a 2009 Gallup poll on the level on the U.S. work force, the center's director of business development Ryan Hale said the study also found that 29 percent of workers are engaged and 17 percent are actively disengaged.

"What that means is a third of your company is in drive, more than half is in neutral and nearly 20 percent is in reverse," Hale said. "You've got to figure out how to shift the disengaged at least into neutral, or how to shift them out of your organization."

Hale and colleague Wendy Soderquist Togami discussed using values-based decisions to drive company success during a presentation at the second annual Northwest Arkansas Business Conference & Expo. Their talk on "Leading A Culture of Engagement & Performance" explored building worker engagement by clearly defining organizational values.

The conference was the result of a partnership between the state's largest chamber, The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, the Arkansas World Trade Center and the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.

The Soderquist Center, available online here, is also bringing NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach to the Hammons Center in Rogers on August 24 where he will be the featured speaker at the Business Journal's annual Forty Under 40 luncheon.

Link to this article

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Siloam Springs, Ark. — John Brown University and The Soderquist Center have named Chuck Hyde the new Chief Executive Officer of the Soderquist Center. Hyde has been serving as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer for the past two years.

“Chuck has done excellent work serving as the COO during the past two years and this promotion recognizes his faithful and outstanding leadership at The Center,” said Dr. Chip Pollard, JBU president.

As The Center’s CEO, Hyde will be responsible for providing direct leadership in all areas of the Center including execution of vision and strategy, performance to budget, all human and capital resources, and long-term sustainability of the organization.

“I’ve come to believe that it really matters who you work with and for, and I know I’m tremendously blessed in that area,” Hyde said. “For 12 years, we’ve been able to do amazing work at the Center with some of the best companies and leaders in the world, and we are poised to do some special things going forward. I’m grateful for the confidence placed in me from Chip, Don and our team.”

Hyde originally joined The Soderquist Center in 2005. In addition to operations, Hyde has also served in customer relations and business development. Previously, he was a team leader for Kimberly-Clark Corporation, where he worked for over a decade in supply chain operations. Hyde holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arkansas and a MBA from John Brown University.

The Soderquist Center offers a values-based approach to leadership, organizational and team development. Located on the campus of John Brown University in Siloam Springs, the Center was founded in 1998 in honor of Don Soderquist, former COO and Senior Vice-Chairman of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. For more information visit www.soderquist.org.

John Brown University is a private Christian university, ranked second by “U.S.News & World Report” in the Southern Region. JBU enrolls more than 2,000 students from 42 states and 45 countries. JBU is a member of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

The wife of Taylor University’s president, Marylou Habecker and Wendy Soderquist TogamiThe Soderquist Center is proud to announce that Wendy Soderquist Togami, Director of Emerging Leaders, has been selected as the recipient of the 2010 G. Roselyn Kerlin Women in Leadership Award at Taylor University. This award was established in 1999 at the recommendation of then-President Jay Kesler and is named after the first woman chair of the Taylor Board of Trustees Rosie Kerlin ’55. The Women in Leadership Award was presented to Togami in Indiana at the annual Women’s Forum which was held on April 8, 2010. Upon receiving the award Wendy commented, “It is exciting to see how Taylor University is recognizing women in leadership as they work to launch the next generation of leaders into the workplace.  Taylor continues to be intentional about their commitment to change the world in ways that have lasting impact."

We were honored that an Ivy League professor from Cornell University in New York City added LeaderSkilz to his list of ‘50 Great Leadership Videos.’ (Numbers 1 and 2):

http://bacharachblog.com/leadership-videos/50-great-leadership-videos/

Tom Verdery, our Executive in Residence, was recently featured in the Our Town section of the Norwest Arkansas Times.

Click to download page one and two of the article or read the full text below.

PROCTER & GAMBLE RETIREE TACKLES NEW ROLES IN EDUCATION
By Debbie Miller

Retirement didn’t last long for Tom Verdery.

The Fayetteville man ended a successful 34-year career with Procter & Gamble on Aug. 31 and earned the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Approximately six weeks later, he plunged into a dual role at John Brown University: Executive in Residence for The Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics and instructor in the graduate business program.

The two functions weren’t exactly uncharted waters for Verdery.

Click to read more ...