The Toolbox

The purpose of this outline is to provide ideas for mentors and program participants to use in advancing their leadership development.

Monthly Themes

The Institute has organized its curriculum and communications around monthly themes. These key principles are at the core of the Inside First ™ framework, and while there are many other principles, virtues, traits, and values that could be discussed, we have found that these twelve are fundamental to ethical, effective leadership. Feel free to utilize any other themes you’d like, but the themes we like are:

Types of Material

Short Readings: Each of these readings could stimulate dialogue for an hour or several hours spread over 2-3 sessions.

Essays: The following readings from our Compendium of Essays have been used in various leadership programs and classes at Colorado Mountain College. Please log in to download the essays below.

  • The Power of Spirituality – Mega Trends – Patricia Aburdene
  • True North – Practicing Your Values and Principles – Bill George
  • Universal Human Values – Rushworth Kidder
  • The Purposeful Prairie – Dave Wondra
  • Spirited Leading & Learning – Afterword – Peter Vaill
  • Leading Change – James O’Toole
  • I Have a Dream – Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • How Good People Make Tough Choices – Rushworth Kidder
  • Collaborative Alignment – Forward by Peggy Curry
  • Becoming a Servant Leader – Isabel Lopez
  • Freedom from Fear – Aung San Suu Kyi
  • Love is the Killer App – Tim Sanders
  • Leading from Within – Parker Palmer
  • The Spirituality of Leadership – Bill Grace
  • Jesus CEO – Table of Contents
  • Letter from Birmingham Jail – Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Leadership and the Inner Journey – Parker Palmer
  • The Power of Leadership Trustees – Bob Vanourek & Gregg Vanourek

ViewPoints: These are readings that take selected chapters from classic books and link them to the Inside First framework through a Foreword written by an Institute scholar or trustee. Please log in to download the ViewPoints below:

  • Man’s Search for Meaning – Victor Frankl
  • The Cathedral Within – Bill Shore
  • Integrating Head & Heart – John Horan-Kates

Trinity Forum Readings: (purchasable from www.ttf.com)

  • The Spiritual Growth of a Public Man – Eldon Trueblood
  • Politics, Morality & Civility – Vaclav Havel

Bibliography: The Bibliography in Tab 8 of your binder is a listing of the many books and resources that the Institute has drawn upon in developing the Inside First framework. Each book could be used during a particular period of time to guide the conversation. Click here to view the Bibliography.

Book Summaries: The listing of book summaries is not your typical book reviews, but rather a distillation of the key points that the author makes. Included in each is a list of questions that can facilitate a dialogue. Please log in to download the book summaries below:

  • Uncommon – Tony Dungy (Serving)
  • Lincoln’s Melancholy – Joshua Shenk (Courage)
  • Learning as a Way of Being – Peter Vaill (Learning)
  • The Tao of Leadership – John Heider (Love)
  • The Cathedral Within – Bill Shore (Purpose)
  • Courage to Teach – Parker Palmer (Courage)
  • Leadership is an Art – Max DePree (Servin)
  • A Leaders Legacy – James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner
  • Abraham Lincoln: Theologian of American Anguish – Elton Trueblood (Humility)
  • Heart – Centered Leadership – Susan Steinbrecher & Joel Bennett (Integrity)
  • Megatrends 2010 – Patricia Aburdene (Spirituality)
  • The Speed of Trust – Stephen M.R. Covey (Trust)
  • True North – Bill George with Peter Sims (Values)
  • The Leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. – Donald T. Phillips (Communicating)
  • Man’s Search for Meaning – Victor Frankl (Courage)
  • The Servant Leader – Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges (Serving)
  • Building Trust – Robert C. Solomon and Fernando Flores (Trust)
  • Drive – Daniel Pink (Purpose)
  • The Power of Purpose – Richard Leider (Purpose)
  • The Soul of the Firm- Bill Pollard (Serving)
  • The Future of Management – Gary Hamel (Innovation)
  • The Mentor Leader – Tony Dungy (Serving)
  • Made to Stick – Dan Heath & Chip Heath
  • The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz (Commitment)
  • Stewardship – Peter Block
  • Do Less, Achieve More – Chin-Ning Chu
  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
  • Finding Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
  • Leadership Jazz- Max DePree
  • The Waterdrop – John Horan-Kates
  • The Revolutionary Communicator – Jedd Medefind & Erik Lokkesome
  • Encouraging the Heart – James Kouzes and Barry Posner

Classic Leadership Films: These films and their accompanying curricula guides explain the key leadership lesson being conveyed together with a list of questions that can facilitate a robust dialogue. Please call Brooke Horan-Kates at 970-926-7801 to secure the desired DVD and curriculum guide.The films currently available and the relevant Inside First principle include:

  • It’s a Wonderful Life – Serving
  • Gandhi – Purpose and Visioning
  • Apollo 13 – Problem Solving and Execution
  • Thirteen Days – Decision Making
  • Forrest Gump – Commitment
  • Noise – Communicating
  • Leading in a Complex World – Pegasus Communications – Culture
  • Take Ten – 10- Minute Leadership Lessons for Teams
  • Patrick Lencioni, Seth Godin & Len Schlesinger – Global Leadership Summit 2011

A curriculum guide is currently being developed for these films:

  • Amazing Grace – Patience
  • K19 – Moral Reasoning
  • Dead Poets Society – Purpose
  • Remember the Titans – Alignment
  • Taking Chance – Serving

Additionally, selected interview and video clips linked to selected themes are available of the following leaders or authors.

  • Daniel Pink: Author of Drive and A Whole New Mind (Motivation, Purpose)
  • Terri Kelly: President – W. L Gore
  • Jim Collins: Author of Good to Great
  • Tony Dungy: Author of Uncommon and The Mentor Leader (Serving, Mentoring)
  • Jack Welch: Former CEO – General Electric
  • Tony Blair: Former Prime Minister – Great Britain
  • Jessica Jackley: President – Kiva Micro Finance (Serving, Purpose)
  • David Gergen: Presidential Counselor

Fire Starters:

PowerPoint Presentations: These are available off the web site and include the following: (Please log in to download)

The Leaders Journal: This book is divided into twelve chapters, each centered around a key Inside First principle. It can be purchased from Amazon, at our online store, or by calling Brooke Horan-Kates.

Value Cards: This simple deck of (52) cards with the most common universal values can be used to facilitate a discussion about this critical leadership dimension. The cards are available on the website or by calling Brooke Horan-Kates.

Guidebooks: These Institute publications are available in our online store

The Leaders Compass: An Inside First Planner: This (40) page document is a written version of our basic retreat experience that covers key leadership principles and guides one through a goal setting process.

Dialogue: This Guidebook can be used to educate people on the approach in achieving “respectful conversations” in group settings.

Program Binder: Remember that each program’s binder has additional exercises that were likely passed over during the retreat. For example, in the Core Values section, most groups skipped over the Worldview exercise. This can be a very enlightening process that builds on one’s basic values system.

Similarly, in the Managing Priorities tab, the page entitled Time Management Matrix by Stephen Covey is another good follow- up exercise.

Advanced Curriculum Modules

Following each group’s initial retreat, a series of advanced curriculum modules will be offered typically in a 2-3 hour format. Within the first month following the retreat, we gather each group around the Seasons of Leadership model, and within two months, we review the Managing Priorities module found in Tab 7 of the binder. The remaining four modules will be offered each year on set dates during each quarter of the year.

  • Seasons of Leadership
  • Authentic Communications
  • Ethics & Decision Making
  • Collaborative Alignment
  • Building a Culture of Character
  • Managing Ego

Speakers

The Institute has access to numerous people who could add to any small group conversation. Some would be happy to speak on a gratis basis, while others might require some compensation for expenses. The lists of members attached that are approachable include;

  • Board of Trustees
  • Board of Scholars
  • White River Council
  • John Tamerin – Commitment to Happiness

We also have a list of consultants and experts that have been involved with the Institute over the years. Some may be more readily available than others and schedules are always a challenge. If you would like help from the Institute’s office with these individuals, please contact Brooke Horan-Kates at 926-7801 or at brooke@vailleadership.org.