When CEO and founder of Blinds.com, Jay Steinfeld,
visited Cleveland Correctional Centre in Cleveland, Texas, he never thought for a second he would end up
learning from the inmates. His visit to the prison was part of the Prison
Entrepreneurship Programme (PEP), set up by former Wall Street investor,
Catherine Rohr; the nation’s top executives, politicians and MBA students meet
with inmates to teach them skills to enable them to change their future by reconciling
their past. Steinfeld’s visit was to teach the inmates about leadership and
personal development. He received a warm welcome from the inmates and was
surprised to find they were all ‘business savvy’, knowing and understanding the
importance of competition, management, risk and profitability, their only error
being that their businesses were not legitimate, hence their incarceration. The
visit was a success and Steinfeld left with some food for thought. Firstly, you
can transform yourself regardless of your scenery – these men were changing
their lives in a dangerous place and living proof that you can walk a dark path
and come out the other side a better person. Most businesses go through hard
patches and the CEO was inspired by the drive these men had to not let life
defeat them and it would benefit business executives to have that same
determined attitude. Secondly, they taught Steinfeld the value of a positive
attitude – with a positive attitude inside the prison walls, simple behaviours
such as curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, allows for the creation of
passion, which is needed for a better future “on the outside”, we can all learn from our
past. Lastly, no matter who you are, a support system is essential – personal
development and success begins with a commitment to a community. PEP educates
and mentors inmates to help them reintegrate into society upon their release.
These men aspire to gain knowledge and are taking active steps to leave their
past behind them and build themselves a better future.
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