"Cultivating a Culture of Innovation"

Former Olympic speed skater John Coyle and Ace Hardware Corporation board chairman David Ziegler will address the next Leadership Lecture Series event hosted by Benedictine University’s Center for Values-Driven Leadership (CVDL).

The event, sponsored in part by the Chicago Chapter of Conscious Capitalism, will be held from 1:00-4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 4 at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Drive in Chicago. The theme of the lecture series is “Cultivating a Culture of Innovation.”

Coyle, a 1994 Olympic speed skating silver medalist and senior vice president at the consulting firm Maddock Douglas Inc., will explore the characteristics of organizations that excel in fast-changing environments and the role culture plays in responding to the marketplace with innovative products and services. Coyle and his colleagues have helped more than 25 percent of all Fortune 100 companies innovate for success.

Ziegler will share how innovative responses to economic challenges and competition led Ace Hardware through the recession to find a path of growth that continues to defy expectations. In 2013, Ace posted their best sales year in the firm’s 90-year history.

Senior leaders travel to the CVDL at Benedictine University – the fastest growing university in the country – to increase their knowledge for creating sustainable organizations that transform society through values-driven leadership. The CVDL is the first university program in the world to offer a doctorate in Values-Driven Leadership.

The CVDL’s Leadership Lectures are an ongoing series designed to inform and inspire senior executives who are committed to leading at the intersection of ethics, sustainability and business results.

Additional information and registration is available at cvdl.org/innovation. Questions can be directed to Amber Johnson at amberjohnson@ben.edu.