Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1464710
"Best Ideas & Key Philosophies" from 2020 Business Leaders of the Year cont. for advice. Join discussions. Read! There is no business owner who knows everything there is to know about sales, marketing, finance, and products. Be open to learning new things. • You have the ability to make someone's day, every day. Smile. Lend a listening ear. Go the extra mile. Don't have something a customer or client needs? Help them find it elsewhere. Something that took an extra minute of your time, will be remembered by the person you helped for years to come. Worcester Business Journal Hall of Fame LINDA CAVAIOLI, Executive director, YWCA Central Massachusetts 1. Family is first – everyone has one! (However they define it). 2. Want to make transformational change, embrace diversity, inclusively and equity. 3. Don't hire people like you – everyone has something to contribute. 4. Integrity is everything – it's only yours to lose. 5. Leadership is shared, not owned and is devoid of titles. 6. Know when to lead, know when to follow and know when to walk side by side. 7. Take risks – mistakes are not failures if you learn from them. 8. Admit when you are wrong. Say you are sorry. It allows others to own their mistakes. 9. Forgive yourself and others. Holding grudges prevents you from achieving personal and community goals. 10. Following your passion may not bring you financial wealth but will bring you a deeper meaning to your life. 11. Passion and negativity are equally contagious. Choose passion! 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." Worcester Business Journal Hall of Fame SCOTT RICHARDSON, President, Gorman Richardson Lewis Architects • On leadership – a leader needs to be compassionate, humble, an excellent listener and focused on empowering their employees to become leaders as well. A company cannot grow successfully if there are not employees that want to lead and are encouraged to lead. As a business leader my goal is to ensure that all my staff are continually challenged and encouraged to grow and take on more responsibility on a regular basis. • On Family – family is everything – and I am fortunate to have a large and loving family who help each other on a regular basis. We are always there for each other and we realize that time spent with each other is invaluable. I am so proud of all of my children as they grow and develop their interests, look for feedback and guidance from me and further pursue their goals and dreams. • Commitment and Passion for what you do – if you are not totally enthusiastic and committed to what you are doing it will never be as rewarding as it should be. Find something that you really love to do and pursue it relentlessly. Enthusiasm is contagious, so surround yourself with like-minded people at work and you will have more fun and be more successful. • Trust and Respect – I believe that these are 2 of the most important words in business as well as life. You have to be truthful in all aspects of life - whether it is at work, at home or in your community. If you cannot be trusted, then people will not want to do business with you. Respect is a 2-way street – you have to be respectful in order to receive respect from others. It does matter. • Be Brief and Concise – in