With an eclectic career spanning corporate, nonprofit, and religious leadership, Jonathan Reckford serves as CEO of Habitat for Humanity. In this interview, he emphasizes the importance of accountability and respect to bring out the best in people.

Welcome to To Lead Is Human. Envision how you can uplevel your leadership and shape cultures of accountability, respect, and candor.

Jonathan Reckford is chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International, a global Christian housing organization that has helped more than 59 million people construct, rehabilitate, or preserve their homes.

“Servant leadership is the only way to make it work in the nonprofit sector. But I also believe it’s the best model for leadership in any environment.”

— Jonathan Reckford

Jonathan T.M. Reckford is chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International, a global Christian housing organization that has helped more than 59 million people construct, rehabilitate, or preserve their homes.

Since 2005, when he took the top leadership position, local Habitat organizations in all 50 states and in more than 70 countries have grown from serving 125,000 individuals each year to helping more than 13.4 million people last year build strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where he was a Morehead Scholar, Jonathan worked as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs. He was also the recipient of a Henry Luce Scholarship, which enabled him to do marketing work for the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee and coach the Korean rowing team in preparation for the 1988 Olympics.

He earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business before spending the first part of his career in the for-profit sector, including executive and managerial positions at Marriott, The Walt Disney Co., and Best Buy. While serving as executive pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church near Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was recruited for the CEO position at Habitat.

Jonathan is also the chair of Leadership 18, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Global Future Council on the Future of Cities for the World Economic Forum, and a board member of the Barron Collier Companies.

Named the most influential nonprofit leader in America in 2017 by The NonProfit Times, Jonathan is the author of Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World.

For more than 30 years, Sharon Richmond has partnered with C-level executives from mid-size and small, fast-growing companies who want to up-level their leadership and build companies they are proud of. Clients accelerate their leadership by embracing mindset and behavior changes, building self-awareness and self-management skills, and focusing on the three things all leaders must ensure: focus, energy and delivery.

Sharon’s purpose as an executive coach is to help leaders 10X their impact by leveraging the power afforded by their roles to build organizations that are forces for good, both economically and socially. She also advises CEOs on shaping organization culture and leading change.

Sharon has taught leadership at Stanford GSB, where she now helps leaders increase influence, manage conflict, and prepare to build high-performing teams.

To see a list of Sharon’s clients, please visit LeadingLarge.com.

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee
Sharon’s website: LeadingLarge.com
Sharon’s email: Sharon@LeadingLarge.com
Jonathan’s website (Habitat for Humanity): Habitat.org
Jonathan’s book: Our Better Angels
Halftime (book): HalftimeInstitute.org/resources/books

Credits:
Host: Sharon Richmond
Producer: Cynthia Lamb
Assembled by: Andrew Chapman
Audio Editor: Marvin del Rosario
Executive Producer: Danny Iny
Music Soundscape: Chad Michael Snavely
Making our hosts sound great: Home Brew Audio

Music credits:
Track Title: Escaping Light
Artist: Aaron Sprinkle
Writer: Aaron Sprinkle
Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

Track Title: Bright Future
Artist: Be Still The Earth
Writer: Marshall Usinger
Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

Special effects credits:

24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.

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