Talent Talk July 2016
LEADER OF THE MONTH A LEADER IN OUR COMMUNITY
DO YOU HAVE THE HEART... OF A BUSINESS LEADER? Every day I learn something, and I love it.
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WORKFORCE THRIVING COMMUNITIES Connect to other business leaders throughout the community, and share our challenges and successes.
PORTAGE COUNTY BUSINESS COUNCIL FOUNDATION
Foundation
DO YOU HAVE THE HEART OF A (BUSINESS) LEADER? Written by Ron Orris any years ago I was given the book “Heart of a Leader.” It’s a very small book, the kind of thing you can read quickly. I have used that book for the past 17 years, and as small as it is, I learn something every time I open it. It’s a very good book for business owners and I wanted to share some things I’ve learned from the book. Each of the following quotes was taken from it.
M
”When you stop learning you stop growing” This was a good one to start with. Every day I learn something, and I love it. Whether it is something on the computer,
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Facebook, Twitter, or from the many books that I read, I love to learn something new. In today’s business climate, you have to keep learning because things are changing so rapidly. If you’re not staying current with technology and the methods of communication, you are quickly losing your competitive edge. When you stop learning you’re done. Norman Vincent Peale once said, “When I stop learning, I might as well lie down and die.” When I retired from Wal-Mart in 2010 I had all these visions of not doing anything. I soon realized my inactivity, and not using my brain to the extent I did in business, was affecting me mentally. So I went back to work. I’m not saying you shouldn’t retire but when/if you do you should never stop learning.
Leadership is a high calling As leaders we sometimes focus too hard on results at the detriment of the people involved. If that is your leadership style, things like morale and job satisfaction will fall by the wayside. This type of leadership becomes about getting as much as you can for as little effort as possible. Leading at a higher level is the process of achieving worthwhile results while acting with respect, care, and fairness for the well-being of all involved. It’s only when you realize it’s not about you that you began to lead at a higher level.
OF THE
LEADER
MONTH
LEARNING POSITIVITY RESPECT
Mary Hansen
is the VP-
Chief Information Officer at Community First Bank. Mary is an active volunteer on the Leadership Portage County
INVOLVEMENT
steering committee, Partners in Education committee, and helps with the planning committee that coordinates Spring Celebration. She has
LEADERSHIP
been a very active Leadership Portage County alumni, and attends many PCBC events.
What we give our attention to grows Finally, the more attention you pay to a behavior, the more it will be repeated. That can be a good thing or a bad thing. If you dwell in negativity that is what you will reap because focusing on the negative often creates situations that demoralize people. When people feel demoralized, they live up to your low vision of them. Accentuating the positive and redirecting the negative are the best tools for increasing productivity. When good performance is followed by a positive response, people naturally want to continue that behavior.
What was the best leadership advice you’ve ever received? The quotes and lessons that stick make us who we are as leaders. Try to adopt more of the positive and less of the negative traits and your employees will work harder and spend more time delighting your customers. Ron Orris is the Executive Director of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, where he has led the chamber in its adoption of social media and is a strong proponent for blogging as a way to reach your audience. Under his leadership, membership has increased 40% over the past two years. He has also served as the city controller for the City of Bradford and as a store manager for Walmart, a position he values as teaching him a lot about customer service. Photos courtesy of http://yourstory.com and http://orrfellowship.org/
It is a pleasure to work with Mary. Her passion for LPC, PIE and other programs shines and makes her a terrific asset to our events and programs” -Kayla Rombalski, Director of Talent Development at the Portage County Business Leader of the month is selected from a list of members that begins with the same letter of the alphabet.
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THRIVING WORKFORCE THRIVING COMMUNITIES WRITTEN BY: PAM DOLLARD
T
his spring I completed the nine-month Leadership Portage County (LPC) program through the Portage County Business Council. I began my role as the Director of Human Resources and Affirmative Action with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in November of 2014, and as a new member of the community, the opportunity to participate in LPC could not have been more timely and valuable, both personally and professionally. LPC helped me learn about community opportunities and networking possibilities, from engaging with civic leaders, to learning about the county’s infrastructure, to touring the Lions’ Camp, I have the opportunity to become connected to other business leaders throughout the community, and share our challenges and successes. The mission of UW-Stevens Point is “Through the discovery and dissemination of knowledge, UW-Stevens Point stimulates intellectual growth, provides a liberal education, and prepares students for a diverse and sustainable world.” In addition, our vision is that we will continue to be recognized for developing, supporting and educating students and citizens to constructively engage in local, regional and global communities. We provide programs that help communities become more vibrant, healthy, prosperous, and sustainable. We are committed to helping communities thrive through education, research and outreach. UW-Stevens Point puts special emphasis on promoting inclusivity, advancing human wellness, providing excellent academic support resources, and providing a robust array of programs. As Director of Human Resources and Affirmative Action, one of my primary roles is to attract, engage and retain a high quality diverse workforce. Diversity and inclusivity are integral to our success. Diversity in experiences, thoughts, and ideas are important too. The North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission predicts a workforce shortage of more than 16,000 people
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by 2025, if we continue to attract new professionals at the current rate. We have seen an increase in turnover at UW-Stevens Point, and make attracting and retaining talent a top priority. We continue to explore why individuals join us and what keeps them engaged. One of those ways is through our partnership with the New ERA initiative. Last February more than 100 community members gathered to brainstorm how we can address the growing workforce shortage in our area. As a result, four workgroups have been formed to explore specific categories of ideas: Education and Innovation, Entertainment and Recreation, Housing and Infrastructure, and Marketing and Awareness. As a member of two of these committees, I look forward to the continuing engagement with colleagues throughout the community. Our goal is to connect our graduates and our professionals and entrepreneurs to resources such as the IDEA Center. This is a vision for a co-working space where individuals can find resources and work with others to test their ideas, perhaps for a small business or other innovative endeavors. I am eager to continue this work through the Portage County Business Council with the shared goal of supporting a thriving community through our vital workforce. For more information on Leadership Portage County and New ERA, contact Kayla Rombalski at talent@portagecountybiz.com or Todd Kuckkahn at tkuckkah@portagecountybiz.com
Leadership Portage County is now accepting applications! Leadership Skill Development Network Development Memorable Experiences Do you need any other reasons to join?
CLICK HERE
Talent Talk is a monthly digital publication published by the Portage County Business Council. For information please contact us at admin@portagecountybiz.com or at 5501 Vern Holmes Drive; Stevens Point, WI 54482 www.portagecountybiz.com 715-344-1940
Photos courtesy of http://talkroute.com/
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