Sam Calagione Shares ‘Off-Centered Leadership’ Lessons in New Book

off-centered-leadership

Sam Calagione, an author who sometimes moonlights as the founder of a well-known craft brewery, has written another book about his experiences as a business owner since launching Dogfish Head Craft Brewery 20 years ago.

Set to hit shelves February 22, Off-centered Leadership: The 
Dogfish Head Guide to Motivation, Collaboration
 & Smart Growth, describes challenges Calagione faced while building Dogfish Head into the nation’s 13th largest craft beer company. Over the course of eight chapters, Calagione shares with entrepreneurs his guidelines for success, placing particular emphasis on importance of working collaboratively within an industry.

“In business, I believe there is good karma that comes with focusing on collaboration instead of competition, both within the organization and externally in the marketplace,” Calagione said via a press statement.

Calagione’s latest book — he also penned Brewing Up a Business, Extreme Brewing and co-wrote He Said Beer, She Said Wine — is yet another example of his efforts to build the Dogfish Head brand beyond beer. Over the years, the Delaware-based brewery has branched into food, magazines, hotels, distilled spirits, retail and even music, releasing a variety of Dogfish-branded products that look to further to the company’s “off-centered” message. Off-centered Leadership itself pays homage to the Dogfish tagline, “off-centered ales for off-centered people.”

Dogfish Head — which reported its slowest growth in over a decade last December — shipped about 235,000 barrels in 2015. Recall that the company also sold a 15 percent stake to New York private equity firm LNK Partners last September.

Additional details about Calagione’s fourth book are included in the press release below.

MILTON, DE (February 8, 2016) – A revolutionary
 brewer and a thirsty businessman, Sam
 Calagione, founder & president of Dogfish Head
 Craft Brewery is releasing a new book with Wiley
 Publishing titled Off-centered Leadership: The 
Dogfish Head Guide to Motivation, Collaboration
 & Smart Growth. The eight-chapter book
 explores the power of collaboration in the
 business world and what happens when
 companies and co-workers stop competing and
 start collaborating. Available nationwide
 beginning February 22, Calagione shares the story of how he and his expanding team of fellow leaders have built Dogfish into a successful business.

Off-centered Leadership includes practical information and tips for entrepreneurs and leaders in all industries to apply to their own professional journeys, giving insight into the methods and approaches Dogfish has used to develop a rich and diverse brand and leadership team. Throughout the book Calagione candidly reveals the rewards and challenges of growing Dogfish in the last two decades as it evolved from being the smallest craft brewery in America to becoming one of the most recognizable names in the beer industry.

Like any growing business leader, Calagione realizes he has much to learn in his journey. He shares insights from his fellow co-workers in leadership roles and many revelatory interviews on leadership and collaboration with a range of accomplished, thought-provoking visionaries including Terri Kelly, CEO of W.L. Gore & Associates, Nick Brayton, President & CEO of Woolrich, and even the artist Will Oldham.

“In business, I believe there is good karma that comes with focusing on collaboration instead of competition” Calagione says, “both within the organization and externally in the marketplace.”

With a candid approach, Calagione gives readers a fresh and honest perspective on the counter-intuitive business model that proves how embracing collaboration and partnering with the competition can contribute to a business’ success. What started as a company basing decisions on the gut and whims of a founder, has evolved into a robust and company-wide strategic approach that allows Dogfish to stay creative and maintain its irreverent off-centered culture.  

Off-centered Leadership: The Dogfish Head Guide to Motivation, Collaboration & Smart Growth retails for $25.00 and will be available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery:

Dogfish Head is the first American craft brewery to focus on culinary-inspired beer recipes outside traditional beer styles and it has done so since the day it opened with the motto, “off- centered ales for off-centered people.” Since 1995, Dogfish has redefined craft beer and the way people think about beer by brewing with unique ingredients. Today, Dogfish is among the most recognized breweries in the country and has won numerous awards throughout the years. Dogfish Head has grown into a 200+ person company with a restaurant/brewery/distillery in Rehoboth Beach, a beer-themed inn on the harbor in Lewes and a production brewery/distillery in Milton, Delaware. Dogfish Head currently sells beer in 31 states. This is Sam Calagione’s fourth book.

About Wiley Publishing:

Wiley is a global provider of knowledge and knowledge-enabled services that improve outcomes in areas of research, professional practice and education. Wiley’s Professional Development business creates products and services that help customers become more effective in the workplace and achieve career success. It brings to life the ideas and best practices of thought leaders in business, finance, accounting, workplace learning, management, leadership, technology, behavioral health, engineering/architecture, and education to serve these communities worldwide. Wiley also published Sam Calagione’s first and best-selling book, Brewing Up a Business.