Month:October 2021

Thoughts on Leadership: Leadership Lessons from the Italians

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels found me at home, starting Monday with my typical WIG calls. On Tuesday, I began the morning with a Berkshire Hathaway Energy call then celebrated Italian Day … but more about that later. On Wednesday, I attended the Berkshire Hathaway Energy Sustainability Summit, which began with opening remarks from Greg Abel, Vice Chair of Non-Insurance Operations at Berkshire Hathaway Inc.; and Chair, Berkshire Hathaway Energy and Cathy Woollums, Senior Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer for Berkshire Hathaway Energy. I also attended the Long & Foster shareholder meeting then traveled to Orange County. Today, I attended the Berkshire Hathaway Energy Executive Leadership Conference themed “Transforming Our Business” all morning then it was off to beautiful Laguna Beach for the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties LUX event, where I introduced my good friend and great coach/speaker Tom Ferry and in the afternoon, participated in a photo op with California Properties luxury agents Cristal Clarke and Nigel Copley. Tomorrow, I’ll attend LUX in the morning then travel home.

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Leadership Lessons from Colin Powell

By Gino Blefari

“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.” – Colin Powell

This week my travels found me starting Monday with my typical WIG calls, the Berkshire Hathaway Energy weekly call, then traveling to Palm Springs for the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Marketing Forum, which I just left today.

Elsewhere in the country, this week we sadly lost Colin Powell. He was the first Black U.S. Secretary of State, the youngest-ever chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, a four-star U.S. Army general with combat duty in Vietnam and a national security advisor, and for decades, his leadership has had a profound impact on our nation’s foreign policy.

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Thoughts on Leadership: Fleet Week

By Gino Blefari


This week my travels found me in Henderson, Nevada, starting Monday with my typical WIG calls, which were hosted at the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties headquarters. On Tuesday, I had the Berkshire Hathaway Energy weekly meeting followed by the CEO Leadership Q3 meeting. Yesterday and today, I held four CEO succession planning calls.

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to check out San Francisco Fleet Week (SFFW), which includes an air show, a parade of ships and even a K9 rescue demonstration. It’s the largest Fleet Week celebration in the country and honors the contributions of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. SFFW also encourages cooperation and knowledge among civilian- and military-based Humanitarian Assistance Personnel.

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Thoughts on Leadership: Leading with Rituals

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels found me in Denver, Colorado at the Mavericks Meeting hosted by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Innovative Real Estate CEO Scott Nordby and his team.

The Mavericks Meetings are regular gatherings with a small, think-tank group of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices independently owned and operated franchise CEOs. We meet every six months to exchange ideas and brainstorm. Each meeting is hosted by a different company; this one was hosted by our fantastic brokerage in Denver.

In a sense, the Mavericks Meeting is a twice-yearly ritual. Together, we reignite our collective purpose: to help each other grow.

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