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Inspirational

Rochester Leadership Digest – Major General Robert W. Mixon, Jr. (USA retired)

November 19, 2018 By Lisa Hill DiFusco

The Land of Leadership Opportunity

By Major General Robert W. Mixon, Jr. (USA retired)

“I believe there are three distinct advantages we have here that can provide us with an edge to grow and sustain leaders.”

—

       Having lived in the Rochester area since my retirement from active duty in late 2007, I’ve worked in and observed a number of companies here. From those experiences and observations, I have come to believe this area of western New York offers tremendous leadership opportunities – if we choose to seek them out and develop them. But, like most opportunities, they are not just there for the taking. It’s far more challenging than that.

The post – Kodak environment I came into over a decade ago was soon in the grip of the 2nd Great Depression, and like the rest of America we had to persevere to survive. We did, and now we are in an economic boom where the unemployment rate in the Rochester area is at historic lows. “Help Wanted” signs are everywhere you look. In every company I work with, they tell me one of their biggest challenges is they cannot find enough good people to fill the jobs they have open.

So, what’s the leadership opportunity in this environment? Seems on the surface we are all being successful these days, and we can succeed with just about anyone in leadership roles.

As the old saying goes, “Nothing could be further from the truth.” We are in the most challenging leadership environment in my lifetime, dominated by the emergence of the Information Age. More than ever perhaps we need leaders who get it. And if we commit to the journey of becoming more adaptive, innovative leaders, the opportunities are extraordinary.

What’s in western New York that provides us with unique leadership opportunities to grow these leaders? I believe there are three distinct advantages we have here that can provide us with an edge to grow and sustain leaders who will lead successful companies and organizations into the Information Age successfully:

  1. We have a community of tremendous diversity.
  2. We have a core of committed business, academic and community leaders.
  3. There is significant potential here for cultural growth.

Let’s address each of these advantages in more detail, because they may not seem obvious at first look. However, in my travels across the country I’ve had the privilege of seeing a number of communities of similar size, and in comparison to many of them we do indeed have some genuine opportunities.

First, we have a community of tremendous diversity. Merriam-Webster defines diversity as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements.” Let’s think about ourselves in this context. We are diverse in a number of respects – not the least of which is the business diversity of our greater Rochester community. Manufacturing, services, construction, medical, technology, education – these are but a few of the key components of our local economy. Many communities I have observed are far more one or two dimensional in their economies than we are.

Second, we have a core of committed business, academic and community leaders. Beneath the surface of political rhetoric and hand-wringing that we are constantly bombarded with in social media, there is a dedicated team of professionals in every segment of our community. Dozens of local business, university and community leaders are fully committed to being successful here in the Rochester area, in every sector of our economy. They don’t want to go anywhere else; they want to see our community grow and prosper.

Third, there is significant potential here for cultural growth. I cannot think of a similar size community in America where there is more untapped potential than the one we live in. We have far too many neighborhoods and schools where we are failing to provide people with the opportunity to grow and succeed. Think of what we could do if we raised the high school graduation rates by 10 or 20% across the Rochester metro area, for example.

What does this mean for leadership opportunities here? Quite simply, it means we can learn from each other, and apply best practices to different organizations efficiently. We can share good ideas, develop leadership tools and techniques that work, and benefit from the success of different organizations and their leadership programs.

The proverbial “$64,000.00 Question” (that’s a term from a TV game show long ago) is: “How do we make these opportunities come to life?” The answer lies in our ability and willingness to form a leadership development coalition across the business, academic, and community sectors in the Rochester area.

This coalition will need champions to make it successful. These champions are leaders who understand the proven benefits of leader development as an enabler of economic and cultural growth. The Rochester Leadership Digest is an important first step in identifying who these potential champions of the coalition might be. And the Global Leadership Summit is a tremendous forum to exchange leadership lessons from experienced leaders around the world. We already have a number of established organizations promoting opportunity here in the Rochester community. They can become more focused, though, on leadership development as an opportunity. That’s where we can take advantage of our advantages.

I don’t believe opportunity knocks at your door – you have to find it. The great innovators and entrepreneurs of this country went out and found opportunities, which were sometimes “hiding in plain sight.” Our leadership development opportunity may well be one of those hidden gems. Who will be the champions of the Rochester leadership development coalition? This is your chance to be one of them!

Robert W. Mixon, Jr. is a retired U.S. Army Major General, former President of a manufacturing company, EVP of a diverse, innovative not for profit company, and Leadership Consultant. He serves as a faculty member at the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point and various premier business schools including The Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester, The Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, and the Cox Business School at Southern Methodist University. Throughout his work Robert is inspiring audiences, motivating teams, building better leaders, and creating cultures of excellence.

Filed Under: Education, Inspirational, Intentional Leadership, Leadership Development, Rochester Leadership Digest, The Global Leadership Summit, The LightHeart Institute - 21 Prince Street - Rochester NY Tagged With: Major General, Robert W Mixon

Changing the Paradigm

March 10, 2015 By Lisa Hill DiFusco

2015 Integrated Health International Conference

 

 Learn from the Leading Edge Experts, Doctors, Naturopaths, Health Advocates and Cancer Survivors and Thrivers During the Second Annual Integrated Health Conference in San Diego March 20 – 22, 2015.
2015 Integrated Health International Conference

To Register click here

Livestream Tickets Available $35

Filed Under: Education, Emotional Health, Food as Medicine, Functional Medicine, Health, Holistic Health, Holistic Psychotherapy, Inspirational, Mind-Body Connection Tagged With: Cancer, Food as Medicine, Functional Medicine, Healing, health, Holistic Health, Holistic Psychotherapy, Physical Health, Physical Vitality, Reverse Degenerative Disease, The LightHeart Institute, The LightHeart Institute Blog, wellness

A Leader is a Reader…

January 17, 2014 By Lisa Hill DiFusco

A leader is a reader, and a reader is a leader!

Mother and daughter reading

To develop the leadership skills of your children begin reading to them at a very young age.

To fill your leadership shoes, create a goal of reading minimally one to two books per month.

Start with topics about which you feel genuinely interested.

One of our favorites, “The Art of Possibility – Transforming Professional and Personal Life” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Boston Philharmonic Conductor Benjamin Zander, will surely keep your attention!

Let us know what you think!

Filed Under: Communication, Health, Holistic Psychotherapy, Inspirational, Intentional Leadership, Self-awareness, Self-care Tagged With: Emotional Health, Emotional Intelligence, Intentional Leadership, Leadership Development, Rochester NY, The LightHeart Institute

Rule No. 6

June 13, 2013 By Lisa Hill DiFusco

Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apologetic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him: “Peters,” he says, “kindly remember Rule Number 6,” whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologizes and withdraws. The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by an hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: “Marie, please remember Rule Number 6.” Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology. When the scene is repeated for a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: “My dear friend, I’ve seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?” “Very simple,” replies the resident prime minister. “Rule number 6 is ‘Don’t take yourself so seriously.’ ” “Ah,” says his visitor, “that is a fine rule.” After a moment of pondering, he inquires, “And what, may I ask, are the other rules?”

“There aren’t any.”

Excerpt from The Art of Possibility, Rosamund & Benjamin Zander

Come listen to Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra,and co-author of the book The Art of Possibility, at Touch the Sky!

REGISTER TODAY for Touch the Sky!

Filed Under: Inspirational, Special Events

Confidence

June 11, 2013 By Lisa Hill DiFusco

Bernie Siegel MDThere’s a story about two businessmen who were driving to an important meeting. Each was to receive $50,000 tax free, but they had to get there in an hour. On the way, each had a flat tire. The first businessman got out, looked in the trunk and found he had not jack. He looked at his watch, saw that he had to reach his appointment within ten minutes, and had a heart attack on the spot. The other businessman looked in the trunk and also had no jack. He stood by the car. A passerby stopped, changed his tire for him, and he made his appointment in time.

I subscribe to the Jungian idea of synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence. I believe that there are very few accidents. After one of my talks a man handed me a card on which was written, “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”

Excerpt from Love, Medicine & Miracles by Bernie Siegel MD

Come see Bernie Siegel MD speak at Touch the Sky!

REGISTER TODAY!

Filed Under: Emotional Health, Health, Holistic Health, Inspirational, Physical Health, Special Events Tagged With: Amy Shinal, Benjamin Zander, Bernie Siegel MD, Bernie Siegel MD-Love Medicine & Miracles, health, Holistic Psychotherapy, Judith Ranaletta, June 28 & 29 2013, Michael Krasner MD, Nazareth College Arts Center, Physical Vitality, ROC City Singers, Rochester NY, Self-awareness, self-care, The Art of Possibility, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, The LightHeart Institute, The LightHeart Institute Blog, Touch the Sky

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