FOUNDER

Bob Buford is the Founder of the Halftime Institute, a prolific author, and a mentor to many.
 
Until the sale of his company in July 1999, Bob Buford served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Buford Television, Inc., a family owned business that started with a single ABC affiliate in Tyler, Texas, and grew to a network of cable systems across the country.
 
In 1995, Buford wrote Halftime, a book that came out of his mind and heart on how to find meaning fulfillment in the second half of our lives. Halftime birthed a movement of men and women desiring to live out a second half of significance, eventually leading to the founding of the Halftime Insitute in 1998.

The Halftime Institute is the leading authority on creating a second half defined by joy, impact and balance. After 20 years of practice, the Fellows Program is the key solution of the Institute in blending faith and leading-edge instruction along with coaching and peer exchange at the highest levels.

“Because what’s gained in this journey with their peers — both in faith and as leaders —

essentially is unavailable anywhere else.”

– Bob Buford

Bob’s mission is to transform the latent energy of American Christianity into active energy. He is also the founder of Leadership Network, which serves churches in fostering innovation and large-scale growth all over the world.

Leadership Network

Started in 1984, Leadership Network serves as a resource broker that supplies information to and connects leaders of innovative churches. The emerging new paradigm of the 21st century church calls for the development of new tools and resources as well as the equipping of a new type of 21st century church leader, both clergy and laity. Leadership Network serves the leadership teams of large churches, as well as leaders in the areas of lay mobilization, denominational leadership at the middle and regional judicatory level and the next generation of emerging young leaders.

Bob Buford: Author and Thought Leader

In 1995, Buford wrote Halftime, a book that came out of his mind and heart on how to find meaning fulfillment in the second half of our lives.

Those who read Halftime and Game Plan (published in 1997) often want to know more about the endeavors in which Bob Buford is involved as a result of his own “halftime” experience.

Buford’s third book, Stuck in Halftime: Reinvesting Your One and Only Life, was released in April 2001.

Finishing Well: What People Who REALLY Live do Differently! a compilation of over sixty remarkable and inspiring interviews threaded with Buford’s own experiences, was released in 2004.

An updated Halftime was released in late 2008, along with Beyond Halftime, a collection of Buford’s musings on the things that matter most in moving from gaining success to leaving a legacy.

Bob’s latest book, Drucker & Me: What a Texas Entrepreneur Learned from the Father of Modern Management, is the inspiring true story of Bob’s learnings from being mentored by Peter Drucker.

For more information on Bob’s books, click here.

The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management and The Drucker Archives and Institute

In 1988, Dick Schubert, Frances Hesselbein and Bob Buford convinced Peter Drucker to lend his name, his great mind, and occasionally his presence to establish an operating foundation for the purpose of leading social sector organizations toward excellence in performance. Bob served as the Founding Chairman of the Board of Governors.  Through its conferences, publications and partnerships, The Drucker Foundation (now titled Leader to Leader Institute) is helping social sector organizations focus on their mission, achieve true accountability, leverage innovation, and develop productive partnerships.

Numerous people agreed that it is vitally important to preserve and adapt the writings and management ideas of Peter Drucker for the future leaders of business and nonprofit organizations. The Drucker Institute was created for that purpose, and in the spring of 2008 Buford was appointed Chairman of its Board of Advisors.

Personal Life 

Bob is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and of the Owner Managed Program at the Harvard Business School. He has played active roles in Young Presidents’ Organization and World Presidents’ Organization and served on the board of the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard.  Buford was the 2000 recipient of The Samaritan Institute Award and the 2005 Christian Management Association Award.  Lead Like Jesus presented Buford the Leadership Award in 2008 and Roaring Lambs Ministry honored him in 2009.  He was the 2010 recipient of the J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award from SMU Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility.

Bob and his wife, Linda, live in Dallas.