The Blueprint

Afterword

By completing The Blueprint, you are now more grounded in who you are and more connected to your leadership contribution. And you have experienced what it feels like to be mentored by a remarkable CEO and a real mensch.

I first heard the Yiddish expression “mensch” when I moved to New York City. It resonated partly because as a Dane, my third language is German, and partly because I knew that the word was about being real and genuine, a whole human being: one who heeds the better angels of their nature. That’s Doug in a nutshell.

I first met Doug in the ’90s when he would join us at Stephen Covey’s Principle-Centered Leadership retreat in Sundance, Utah – an experience that attracted executives from all over the world and that I directed for many years. Later, after he became CEO of Campbell Soup Company and I started my own business, Doug invited me to co-create Campbell’s CEO Institute with him: a two-year program where he would personally mentor the next generation of executives with C-suite potential.

Though I had led a variety of programs, this one was unusual. This CEO intended to co-lead in every session – and he did! No matter what happened, from the financial crisis to his near-fatal car accident, Doug was there, fully present, helping those executives find their leadership voice. All he asked in return was that they do the same for their leaders.

That’s the way it has been ever since: Doug was present to three cohorts at the CEO Institute, present as we ...