PROVIDENCE, RI — The Bread Bakers Guild of America (BBGA) released a report on the results of the pilot year of its Bakery Leadership Circle (BLC), a 16-week program designed to support bakery leaders and operators with their most adaptive challenges.
“People aren’t born leaders; they learn to be leaders,” said Mark Dyck, co-creator and facilitator of BLC, in a letter for the report. “Leadership skills are proper skills, which can be learned and practiced. During the BLC program, we invest time discussing the difference between leadership and management, on active listening, making better decisions, the intricacies of sunk costs and opportunity costs, and on the power of empathy and building intentional boundaries with employees and stakeholders.”
The virtual program features weekly Zoom sessions for participants to develop leadership skills through a peer-consulting framework. This offers cohort members the ability to gain insights and solutions for identifying and resolving bakery challenges.
BLC participants also have access to a private discussion forum to further discuss ideas and share feedback with one another. By the end of the workshop, cohort members will develop one or more actionable goals for their bakery. The BLC will then continue to meet for regular updates on those goals.
The association ran two cohorts in 2024, totaling 44 bakery owners and operators from operations of various scales and stages of business. At the close of their time in the BLC, participants reported:
- Increased confidence in strategic business decision-making
- Reduced feelings of isolation
- Greater clarity on short- and long-term business goals
- Renewed optimism about their bakery’s future
As BBGA recruits for its March 2025 cohort, Mark shared that the focus is to ensure that the BLC remains distinguishable as a workshop rather than an online course.
“We are continually looking for opportunities for participants to take action and make decisions while the workshop is in session,” he said.
In addition to this, the BLC will also create a permanent forum for program alumni to stay engaged with one another for the long term.
“Our leaders feel less isolated, more confident in operating their bakeries and more optimistic about the future of their businesses,” Mark said of the results seen in the report. “As creators and facilitators, we are inspired to build stronger connections and have an even greater impact with each new cohort.”
Visit the BBGA website more information on the BLC.
