leading the way

leading n w f e a t u r e

Leadership is empowering others by listening and responding to their ideas, issues, and ways of thinking in order to achieve a common goal." her defi niti on of leadership : "

the way

As we rise into leadership roles, it’s not always easy to navigate the leadership path. After all, there are as many leadership traits as there are leaders. Lake Norman Woman talks to area leaders in the hope that we can learn from each other’s successes and failures in confronting leadership challenges.

cla udia kepner , Secretary/Treasurer and Financial Administrator, Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home & Cremation Services

When it comes to leadership, Claudia Kepner not only knows the importance of keeping an open door, she knows it’s just as essential to keep an open mind. Without open mindedness, she explains, you can’t be a good listener. And when your employees feel heard, they feel trusted enough to openly share their ideas and provide honest feedback, which in turn, helps create a healthy work environment.

So in a nutshell, open mindedness is the core trait around which Claudia’s leadership skills revolve. She learned that life lesson from both her father and her father-in-law. Her dad taught her that accepting others as they are doesn’t just facilitate good leadership— it’s what makes the entire world go round. “Not everyone is alike,” Claudia remembers her dad saying, adding, “When we respect our similarities and our differences, it opens the doors to many other opportunities, be they positive work relationships, increased work productivity, enhanced innovation at work, or simply a wider understanding of the world in which we live.” And her father-inlaw, with his open-door policies and family-oriented management style, provided an excellent role model for Claudia as well.

Being open minded, though, doesn’t just mean considering opposing or contradictory views—it also means being flexible and adaptive to new experiences. In 2011, Claudia and her husband, John, jumped wholeheartedly into a new experience when they expanded their family funeral home business in West Virginia by purchasing Raymer Funeral Home and moving to Lake Norman. And Claudia recently accepted that challenge again when she took on the role of secretary/treasurer and financial administrator of Raymer-Kepner. “It’s so important to keep our minds growing and always be open to learning new things,” she explains. “I’m gaining confidence in my new skills, and perhaps most importantly, I’m learning that asking for help is not a bad thing!” w

life as a leader

Fir st Job: Weather reporter on college radio station

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Best Ti meSa ver : Instacart

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