Last Thursday night at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, over 125 leaders in our network gathered for an interactive art experience hosted by the International Executive Council (IEC). The evening featured Lawrence R. Armstrong —Chairman of the $Bn+ industrial design firm, Ware Malcomb. Larry, also a New York Times bestselling author and accomplished artist, shared insights from his book Layered Leadership and his journey scaling Ware Malcomb from $2 million to over $200 million in annual revenue over the past 30 years.
The event brought together members of the Pacific Club, IEC, and our broader network of executives, entrepreneurs, and creatives, all eager to explore the concept of “seeing things in layers.” Larry’s layered approach to leadership resonated with our group, as he discussed how thoughtful, incremental growth and a long-term vision helped him transform Ware Malcomb into a leading force in industrial design—now positioned to play a pivotal role in the reindustrialization wave happening across the United States.
We also threw in a live pianist, flowing cocktails, hot appetizers and a group painting exercise where each attendee was given a blank canvas to express their own interpretation of layered leadership. The results were as inspiring as they were diverse, reflecting the creativity of our community.