The Ripple Effect: Better Culture, Better Business, Better World

When leaders work on themselves, the world changes for the better.

Kevin Hancock was the CEO of one of America’s oldest family businesses when a rare neurological voice disorder made speaking difficult. Forced to listen instead of talk, Kevin leveraged this life-changing experience into a pathway for leadership transformation centered on dispersing power and giving employees a stronger voice. Along the way Kevin made over thirty trips to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota where he encountered an entire community that did not feel fully heard. Elevating the voices of others became Kevin’s calling. In doing so, he built an award-winning and nationally recognized workplace culture, while achieving a thirtyfold increase in stock value.

The Ripple Effect recounts this remarkable journey with warmth, humor, and insight while making the bold claim that the workplace can become our leading platform for advancing humanity. The inspiring individuals who shared this journey with Kevin, including a nighttime custodian, an unassuming mill manager, a Dakota elder, a non-traditional healer who cured her own cancer, and more—create a heartfelt story that is both a blueprint for a thriving business and a love letter to humanity. This book reads like a hug, invites self-reflection, and demands more from the place of work. Companies and customers can’t thrive unless employees do and thriving employees can help heal a hurting world.

This book offers a compelling roadmap for leaders to shed their armor, transform the workplace, and send ripples of goodwill into the world beyond.