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Worcester Business Journal Hall of Fame Karen A. Koller, President & CEO, RCAP Solutions, Inc. This is the toughest of exercises that the WBJ has asked. Being retrospective is hard. You go to work everyday and over a period of time all of sudden you have a voice. I chose to frame my voice with my executive team. The "quotes" is a real message from a member of the Leadership Team here at RCAP Solutions. I am so happy to say they are on point with my thoughts, but it is best to hear from them rather than me. Enjoy the sparkle. 1. SING, DANCE & HAVE FUN "she leaves sparkle everywhere she goes" …from my wonderful husband John. "One of your most valuable assets is your incredible sense of humor and sense of fun. It helps to make very challenging work easier for all." 2. BRAND YOURSELF BEFORE OTHERS BRAND YOU "You have a sense of style that sets the pace of professionalism for the organization. You set a high standard that sets a tone for RCAP' 3. CREATE A REPUTATION FOR WHAT OTHERS CAN EXPECT "You are a supportive leader and trust your team to do their jobs." 4. CUT YOUR LOSSES SOONER THAN LATER "You are pragmatic in your approach…. most of the time." 5. BE WILLING TO GIVE IT ALL AND RISK LOSING IT FOR A PURPOSE "You prioritize your fiduciary responsibility and adhere to contractual agreements and priorities. You have enormously succeeded when others have struggled or failed." 6. BE RESILIENT "You are a motivational and inspirational leader. Whenever things become challenging you have motivated us and inspired us" "You are adaptive in an ever-changing environment with rapidly changing situations." 7. CANDOR WITH KINDNESS "Empowerment/giving employees the opportunity to grow" You allow staff to lead and make mistakes, there are so many lessons to be learned from both good experiences and mistakes and you allow your team to grow and expand their roles organically." "You trust and empower us to make decisions on our own as long as there are "no surprises" at which time all hell breaks loose. "Firm but fair & focused" "I have always felt wiser or better equipped in handling a situation after discussing with you." "You care about your team and everyone in the organization. You are thoughtful about how things will affect staff and consider ways to improve quality of life for all. Examples include the vacation account for staff who need time off to care for family; merit increases even when the budget is tight; repairing morale after funding cuts; encouraging staff to vote and get flu shots during work hours." 8. THINK ABOUT THINKING ABOUT IT "You are a good listener who weighs the facts to make sound fair decisions. When you make a decision, you stick with it and you are decisive." "You are a confident leader who genuinely cares about RCAP's success. You elicit feedback to develop achievable and realistic goals." 9. FROM THE REAL PEOPLE WHO KNOW "You lead by example and mentor with purpose. You set a tremendous example by your actions, your dress, your presence and your advice." Your ability to mentor staff and provide resources. Many of us have started in other positions and have grown in the organization. I never thought the first day I walked through the door I would be where I am today." "As a manager you allow your employees to grow without restriction and support areas of growth that they are interested in developing. You continually support these initiatives including the employee's ability to make mistakes and learn from them." "You share your experiences and your story of growth to support employee struggles, learning curves and successes. This is especially important when you are a woman in business and the hurtles that may be faced along the way." "I appreciate that you practice what you preach. Your family comes first and mean it." Honesty. We know exactly where we stand and there is open communication." I have never misunderstood your leadership or vision." "You are a good judge of talent and character and this is why I have worked for you for 12 years."

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