Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1495967
companies ever since. I believe you need to lead by example and I'm proud to say that my key management team has been together with me for over 30 years. Resilience: With as long as I've been in the business that has spanned two real estate recessions, you are going to have one or more projects that don't go as originally envisioned. I'm most proud of my ability and focus to see a deal to fruition whether it be challenged by events outside of my control or those brought on by my poor decision making. Community: Bricks and mortar are the tangible fabric of any community. Over my career, I've developed a number of projects in other markets such as Milwaukee, North Conway, New Hampshire, New York City and Boston where the projects have represented an important part of the communities; long-term image, goals and future. I take this responsibility very seriously and respect this role in representing the various constituencies even if I'm not from that community. Business Leader of the Year (Family) DAVID WHITE, Chairman & treasurer, R.H. White Construction Co. Safety: Ensure that your company culture starts with keeping me, my family, our friends, fellow employees, customers and public safe 24/7. People first People always: Our greatest assets are our talented employees. The success of our business is about our people and their families. They are our number one customer. Culture: It starts with you! Culture is based on the values you and your fellow employees share and accept, without thinking about and are passed on from one generation to the next. Preserve your culture by living by your core values and continually setting the example for others to follow and believe in. Know your fellow employees: If you do not know your employees you do not know your Company. Hire Slow: Do not just fill positions and voids in your organization. Be sure they will be a good fit with the values you all share. Understand the complexity / competition between a culture based on family values and organizational performance. It will work. Social well-being: It is not just corporate support to community charities, but also those charities and organizations your employees give their time, talent, and money to. Develop a Company Trust Fund to help support employee initiatives. Training leads to opportunities: Invest in keeping you and your fellow employees ahead of your customers and your competition. Internally develop your future leaders! Training should be one of your largest expenses with the greatest return. Succession and Transition: There is an end to everything for everyone. Insure you have a succession plan for all key positions allowing for a seamless transition with time for mentoring. Do not wait - it is never too soon to start the plan. Set the example. Have Fun! We spend the greatest amount of our active lives working, so have fun doing it. If you love what you do, the fun and prosperity is the reward. The one phrase I continually preach to my children; "Fun can be a lot of work, but work can be a lot of fun!!" Business Leader of the Year (Large business) ERIC W. DICKSON, MD, President & CEO, UMass Memorial Health Care 1. Lead from the front: When you're a leader, you should get out of your office as often as you can and get to the front-line where the work is being done. Be with your people. Ask them questions about their work. Ask them what you can do for them. 2. Be humble and kind: Yes, it's a Tim McGraw song, but the bottom line is to do what your parents taught you – say "please" and "thank you." As a leader, being kind to others matters. 3. Everyone, Everyday: It takes all of us – no matter what your role is in the organization -- working together every single day to make a difference in the lives of others. 4. Your people are smarter than you: Innovation happens when you ask your people to come up with their own ideas to solve problems. They know more about what will work than you do. The key is to implement their ideas – not yours. People will work harder to implement their own ideas. 5. Celebrate success: Don't forget to pause and celebrate your team's successes. They're working hard. If they feel their hard work is recognized, they don't mind working hard to solve the next problem that comes our way. 6. R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin knows best. Treat others with respect every minute of every day. If as a leader you don't treat people with respect, how can you expect your people to treat each other and your customers (for us, it is our patients) with respect? 7. Go above and beyond the "golden rule: " Yes, the golden rule is important, but now more than ever, we should treat people how they want to be treated. People from different backgrounds have different expectations of how they want to be treated by others. As a leader, you should respect those differences and adjust your behavior accordingly. 8. To lead is to serve: There's a sign that says "to lead is to serve" inside my door that I see every day as I leave the office. And I ask myself when I see it if I've done everything I can to serve my people that day – to help them be the best they can be for our patients and for each other. 9. Wag more, bark less: Dogs have it right. No one wants to work for someone who is angry and always barking at you. Even when I'm having a bad day, I try to do what my three dogs do – just wag more! 10. Say thank you: The two most powerful words in the English language are "thank you." You can never say those words enough. Make sure your people feel valued. Business Leader of the Year (Innovative) DR. LUIS PEDRAJA, President, Quinsigamond Community College 1. Lead with mind, heart, and soul. 2. Leadership is not about you; it is about those you serve. 3. Surround yourself with smart, capable people….and listen to them. 4. Keep an open door and an open mind. 5. Be bold, daring and courageous –stand up for what matters and speak up for those who can't. 6. Learn from the past, but look towards the future –see where things are headed and where you want to go. 7. Be strategic, well-informed, and curious –keep an eye on trends, make data driven decisions, and consider other points of view. 8. Give credit to others for what goes right, take responsibility for what does not. 9. Show up…be visible, walk around, go to where the people are, and ask questions –to lead you have to be where the people are. 10. Be humble, have a sense of humor, and don't take yourself too seriously! Business Leader of the Year Nonprofit) WORCESTER TOGETHER FUND The United Way of Central Massachusetts and the Greater Worcester Community Foundation (Tim Garvin and Carolyn Stempler) TIM: Walk - when I was in the Peace Corps I heard that the best way to learn about a community was to walk the streets every day, to ride the local buses, to shop in the local market. Walk. Listen - I am one of those people who learns best by listening to the stories of others. I love meeting someone new and asking questions. Questions such as: "Tell me your life's story - How did you get here?", "What did you study in school – did it prepare you for what you are now doing?", and "What are you doing to make a difference in your community? What can we do together?". Desire - When applying to college, when applying for a job, when trying out for a team, when asking for a capital investment … want it. Don't hold back. Show your desire! Dig in - fully immerse yourself in what you are doing. Do not be a bystander. Do not "lean in", rather - Dig in. "Best Ideas & Key Philosophies" from 2021 Business Leaders of the Year