\nThe Central Iowa Business Academy Leadership Track is presented by Trixies Salon and Spa. Thank you for your sponsorship! \;
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\nThe 2023 Central Iowa Business Academy Leadership Development Track concludes with a deep dive into Servant Leadership. \;
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Servant leadership seeks to move management and personnel interaction away from "\;controlling activities"\; and toward a more synergistic relationship. The term "\;servant leadership"\; was coined by Robert Greenleaf\, a twentieth-century researcher who was skeptical about traditional leadership styles that focus on more authoritarian relationships between employers and employees.
\nThe authority figure in servant leadership environments attempts to promote innovation\, empower employees\, and assure the well-being of those around them. Servant leadership also aims to develop leadership qualities in others. This leadership style requires an individual to demonstrate characteristics such as empathy\, listening\, stewardship\, and commitment to the personal growth of others. (https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/servant-leadership.asp)

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Ryan Ford \;
\n VP of Human Resources
\n W.R. Berkley
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\n Ryan Ford is the VP of HR for W.R. Berkley'\;s Global Enterprise Technology division. \; W.R. Berkley is a Fortune 500 Financial Services company with over 8\,000 employees around the world. \; Ryan provides leadership around talent management\, leadership development\, team dynamics\, organizational design\, change management\, organizational effectiveness\, culture\, and strategy\; and is responsible for all functions of HR for teams primarily based in Iowa\, Delaware\, and London.

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In addition to his role at W.R. Berkley\, Ryan\, consults with NCAA coaches and teams on leadership and team behavioral dynamics to optimize team performance. \; He has done work with teams at Iowa State\, Gonzaga\, University of Oregon\, Oregon Tech\, Texas Tech\, Baylor\, Samford University and has partnered with Under Armour in their All-American program.

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He has a proven track record of over 20-years in leading Human Capital Strategies for businesses in a variety of industries. This includes businesses in vastly different industries from the global leader in agriculture and manufacturing\, Cargill\, to his current company in the financial services industry. He has a demonstrated passion for Human Capital strategies in driving business outcomes.

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Ryan received a Bachelor'\;s \;degree in Psychology\, with a concentration in Industrial Organizational Psychology\, and a Minor in Business from Illinois State University.