The LightHeart Institute

Rochester Leadership Digest

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.”

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       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. Jona Wright

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Intentionally Grow Everyday!

By  Dr. Jona Wright

Director for Human Resources, Garlock Sealing Technologies

“I learned about serving others, everyone, regardless of marital status, gender, ethnicity, background, or economic status.”

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       As a child growing up I would sometimes walk to my grandparents house afterschool, especially if what I heard announced in the morning for evening dinner was not quite appealing. My grandparents did not live far from my grammar school, and around 4:30 p.m. I would hear the phone ring and my grandmother answer, “Yes, she is here. We can bring her back after dinner or why don’t you join us?” My mom was one of seven and my grandfather supported his family with the ownership of auto service stations. It was through stories and stopping by “the station” I became acquainted with servant leadership, yes, at a very early age. I learned about serving others, everyone, regardless of marital status, gender, ethnicity, background, or economic status, especially economic status. I recall stories of my grandfather fixing a
single woman or widow’s car and telling them to pay when they could. I did not understand what this meant until much later in life when I would think about his own need to feed eight mouths at home – servant leadership, putting someone’s else’s needs in front of your own.

My grandfather was my first teacher of my own leadership alignment. As I reflect on the Global Leadership Summit (2018), Criag Groeschel opened with a statement, “a humble leader can learn from anyone.” I have continued my commitment to be a “leader as lead learner,” and have sought different ways to continue my development as a servant leader. Kouzes and Posner’s (2017) Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership are foundations I use every day: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. While I am inspired by others everyday and the wisdom I gain by serving, I find energy keeping these practices in mind. The five practices help me align my work with others, and keep me positive on a daily basis. As servant leaders, sometimes we need to find ways to knock down obstacles and remove barriers for others for each one to be able to attain his or her goals.

When I learned about the Global Leadership Summit and the fantastic line up of speakers, I was very excited to hear that Dr. Ken Blanchard was going to be a key note live for a lunch program! I was given the  opportunity to join the Rochester-located simulcast for this world-class learning event, and firsthand enjoyed listening to Dr. Blanchard, a leader in the more formal teachings of servant leadership. Dr. Blanchard continued to model the way and challenge our thinking, sharing his thinking on the continued development of servant leadership. He called all leaders to action in a world that needs more leaders serving! John Maxwell shared his passion for learning and it is a lesson I like to carry with me everyday, “intentionally grow everyday.” As leaders we need to be more intentional, in our own learning, growing others and serving to build stronger organizations and better communities. Together, we need to model the way!

Dr. Jona Wright is the onsite Director for Human Resources at Garlock Sealing Technologies in Palmyra, NY. She is a lifelong Rochestarian and enjoys all the Rochester and Finger Lakes area has to offer to support a community of learners, professionally and personally. She recently completed her own learning journey, obtaining her doctorate in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher College in August 2017. Her research centered around creative problem solving and innovation and impacts for individuals and teams. She invites you to consider one simple practice, changing “can’t” and “don’t” to “how might I?” and “in what ways might we…?”. Questions open opportunity!

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.”

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       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.