The LightHeart Institute

Intentional Leadership

Rochester Leadership Digest – Lisa Hill DiFusco

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Dear Readers,

       In August of 2017, Laslo Bock, former Senior VP of People Operations at Google, shared a story at the Global Leadership Summit about the amazing customer service for which Wegmans is known. In front of more than 445,000 people from 135 countries, he spoke of sitting on a panel with Bob Wegman. Mr. Wegman told the story of one of his bakers who, one Saturday morning, received a call from an excited bride in desperate need. Her wedding cake had been ruined and she needed help, badly. Feeling sorry for her and quick to please, he closed his bakery for the day, prepared her cake and drove four hours each way to deliver the rich tiered dessert. Mr. Wegman spoke with pride about how his baker handled the situation. Mr. Bock ended the story by asking the audience, “Did the baker do the right thing by closing the bakery and losing all that money simply to please a bride?” Apparently, Mr. Wegman thought so.

       In August 2018, by pure coincidence, another story was told about Rochester at the Global Leadership Summit. Only this time it was about the Eastman Kodak Company. A faculty member spoke again in front of 445,000 leaders from around the world. He discussed the critical role of mission in organizations and pondered the challenges of the great picture and film company. “Kodak,” he said with concern in his voice, “thought it was in the film business, when in actuality it was in the memory business.”

       Two different stories, told one year apart, in front of hundreds of thousands of leaders, both about Rochester. And of all the 1300 premier host sites around the world, Rochester alone was mentioned twice in two consecutive years. I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t a message here for us: the opportunity to grow in our leadership capacity and ability to influence others, is vital.

The LightHeart Institute has sponsored the Global Leadership Summit for three consecutive years for the purpose of improving leadership throughout western New York. This 100% volunteer effort has occurred as a result of the dedication of many who wish to see Rochester grow and thrive. Our purpose is to establish a leadership culture that enables leaders to effectively address our unique challenges. Imagine a thriving community!

       Everything rises and falls on leadership, writes prolific author John C. Maxwell. We face very serious challenges in Rochester at this time: 18,000 homeless; the third poorest city in the nation; a dismal high-school graduation rate; far too many preschool children going to bed hungry every night. And we have yet to leverage perhaps the richest God-given resource on the planet – fresh water, and lots of it!

This year we were very blessed to welcome author and leadership guru Ken Blanchard, live, at the DoubleTree for the Summit. A NY Times best-selling author of over 65 books, Dr. Blanchard has inspired audiences around the globe for decades. And his appearance at the DoubleTree was no exception! Additionally, forty Rochester leaders joined us for a VIP luncheon to hear more on his leadership lessons – in particular from his most recently published book: Servant Leadership in Action: How You Can Achieve Great Relationships and Results. It is the editor’s pick this quarter.

       The Rochester Leadership Digest is a publication of The LightHeart Institute and an outgrowth of the 2018 Global Leadership Summit. Each quarter we’ll be inviting area leaders to share their best leadership thoughts and practices. Since our goal is to establish a leadership culture, we’ll be inviting individuals of all ages to bring their best thinking to the table and communicate what has worked well.

Our fearless leader and Editor is Mikal Brown. Assisted by Advisor Frank Crombe, we welcome you to our inaugural edition. We hope you will feel inspired and equipped in reading it and will pass it along to colleagues that we may become, as pioneer John Winthrop would say, a shining city on a hill.

With gratitude,

 

 

Lisa Hill DiFusco
President & Founder
The LightHeart Institute

 

* The Global Leadership Summit is a two-day leadership event which provides fresh, actionable and inspiring leadership content delivered by a world-class faculty. Now in its 25th year of success, the Summit is anticipated to draw over 450,000 participants from 135 countries speaking 69 languages. Simulcast LIVE in HD from Chicago, experts from every sector of society – business, faith organizations, education, government and entertainment – will take the stage to inspire and equip audience members.

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

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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.

Rochester Leadership Digest – Dr. Deana L. Porterfield

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Leading for the Betterment of Others

By Dr. Deana L Porterfield

President, Roberts Wesleyan College

“A leader doesn’t have hidden agendas. She or he is clear, honest and transparent, and strives to create genuine relationships both internally and externally.”

—

       John Maxwell states that Leadership is Influence, and I believe our goal in desiring influence should come from a desire to better serve people and our organization. The degree and attitude with which one uses one’s resources to serve others is critical to the impact you can have. If your motivation for influence is self, people will see  through that and you will have less influence. If your motivation is for the betterment of others, people will likewise see that and your influence will expand.

A leader doesn’t have hidden agendas. She or he is clear, honest and transparent, and strives to create genuine relationships both internally and externally. As a purposeful leader, it is important to be an avid promoter of the mission and purpose of the organization, to be completely invested in its success and to communicate  regularly with one’s team. Whether the communication is through a town-hall-style gathering, a community-wide email memo, or simply being personally present.

When it comes to building relationships, engagement is key to developing long-term commitment. The Roberts and Northeastern family of alumni numbers more than 18,000, and they are an important component of our long-term success. Not just as potential donors—they represent a foundation of support through their past  experiences on campus, their years of professional expertise and their broad network of connections around the world. We need their input on many levels, so it is important for me to attend alumni events held throughout the year and set aside January and February for travel to visit alumni, particularly in Florida and Arizona. Although I go as an ambassador for sharing good news and campus updates, it is equally important to hear their stories and their reflections on our work. I learn so much from these interactions and am so grateful for the opportunity to see things from their perspective.

Maya Angelou notes, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” If we honestly esteem the value of all people as created in the image of God, we will reflect that dignity back to them to make them feel good, valued and important. These connections can happen regardless of one’s official position or title, so truly one can become a leader—a person of influence—at every level of an organization. My hope is that my service as leader will demonstrate that principle to each member of our campus community through empathy and authenticity. In keeping with our founder, B.T. Roberts, our faith is our primary motivation for an attitude of vigilant concern that all people, especially those who are oppressed, underrepresented or unfairly treated, deserve our attention, activism and advocacy.

Another important way to empower the people around us is through a strength-based work ethic. Using the Strength Finder inventory tool with our staff and administration has made a huge difference in our ability to grow as a team, develop and maximize each person’s potential and understand each other’s unique slate of strengths. This kind of self-awareness and understanding of one another’s contributions builds trust, confidence and hopefulness as we lean into our future together. Finally, I believe that it is critical for any who would lead to learn to listen well. Having the humility to hear and consider what others are saying is the best way to begin to serve others as their leader. Whether through a formal mentoring relationship or in a casual friendship, a leader will earn respect, foster genuine relationships and steer an organization through all kinds of situations if she can hear and receive input from those around her.

Dr. Deana L. Porterfield has served as president of Roberts Wesleyan College and Northeastern Seminary since 2014. Prior to Roberts and Northeastern, she served at Azusa Pacific University and Azusa Pacific Online University for more than 26 years in various roles, including vice president for enrollment management, chief of staff, senior vice president for people and organizational development, and executive vice president. She holds a master’s degree in organizational management and a bachelor’s degree in music from Azusa Pacific University.

Can Fasting Build Self-esteem?

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Woman with her arms raisedThe notion of “sacrifice” is oft unheard of in today’s society. Giving up, or intentionally delaying something pleasurable for a greater good or purpose, doesn’t quite make the front page headlines, or impress most friends. But the act of engaging in delayed gratification or giving something up does build our self-esteem and speak loudly to our soul.

Former Newark mayor and 2013 elected Senator, Cory A. Booker, illustrated this when he chose, after everything else failed,  to fast from food in an effort to break illegal drug trafficking in his district’s neighborhood surrounding poor high-rise projects. Twelve large men, correctional officers from a nearby facility, showed up to protect him from the anger, stones, sticks, food, and feces thrown at his tent the first night. The result…after two weeks of fasting, hundreds of people from all walks of life came together to take their city back…citizens with imams, rabbis, priests, and ministers prayed for peace and activated a plan to improve their neighborhood.

Cory’s act of delayed gratification resulted in great good. When we positively influence others, our self-esteem rises.

Does fasting or sacrificing build self-esteem? Try it and let us know what you think.