On the Scene: The McCormick Foundation Blog

McCormick Launches 2021 Program Supporting Current and Emerging Leaders Best-selling author and business consultant Peter Drucker once proclaimed “Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.” Great managers can become great leaders — and vice versa — if opportunities to grow learning and expand experience are provided to them. It is with this purpose that the Robert R. McCormick Foundation launched the Leadership in Democracy Program in 2020. The goal is clear: develop high-capacity civic leaders, representative of the communities they serve, who invite constituent participation and advocate for and implement inclusive policies. By investing in senior leaders within key Foundation’s grantee organizations, prioritizing leaders of color, and connecting these leaders with executive coaching and other management training and supports, the Foundation can help leaders enhance inclusiveness and impact at their organizations and contribute to a more robust pip...

When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River at the head of his legions and marched on Rome, it marked a point of no return. The phrase “crossing the Rubicon” is used in reference to any group committing itself to a risky course of action. Team Rubicon, which formed in January 2010 in response to a devastating earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was initially an envoy of eight medical personnel from the United States who helped thousands of individuals by traveling to camps deemed “too dangerous” by aid organizations. Thus, the official organization was created. Team Rubicon currently identifies as a disaster response organization that leverages the unique skillsets of veterans and first responders. Its service and camaraderie help veterans gain community, a sense of purpose, and an identity to promote transitioning to civilian life. The organization gives purpose and meaning to the American Veteran. As our veterans transition to civilian lives, the skills they acquired while s...