Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1518149
Business Leader of the Year (Small Nonprofit) Connie Askin, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters Central Mass and MetroWest MY BELIEFS, MY QUOTES: 1. We are in the relationship business. Organizations are communities of individuals, serving individuals. The golden rule is to treat others as you want to be treated. To create lasting relationships, use the platinum rule: treat others the way they want to be treated. 2. Non-profits exist in an ecosystem, and we all do better with a "bounty" not scarcity mindset. The problems we address are so massive and so important, no one person, no non-profit, no corporation, and no government can solve them alone. Collaborating with partners in a spirit of generosity moves our mission further than competing for dollars. 3. We are all made of stardust. We are collections of hopes and dreams, aspiring to a higher purpose. 4. Ambiguity is your friend. Whenever there is change or ambiguity, there is opportunity to find a new path to success. 5. Happiness is a positive cash flow. Need I say more? FAVORITE OTHER QUOTES 6. "Vision without execution equals hallucination." Attributed to Ben Franklin. As our staff and Board of Directors are currently engaged in developing our next strategic plan, this guides us in both leading with an ambitious vision, and to mindfully planning step-by-step execution. 7. "Strategic change doesn't just start at the top. It starts with your calendar." Andrew S. Grove, Only the Paranoid Survive. Related to the above, one-to-one weekly meetings with staff start with 'what will make you feel successful this week?' At the end of the week, if you feel like you have accomplished something, you'll not only feel job satisfaction, you will have incrementally moved closer to a larger goal. 8. "When I'm old and dying, I plan to look back on my life and say, "Wow, that was an adventure," not "Wow, I sure felt safe." Tom Preston-Werner, co-founder of Github. This tracks to my curiosity: when I travel to a foreign country, I try to speak the language even if I know I am butchering it. I paint even though I am no good at all— this is not false modesty and of course I find satisfaction in doing things well. However, it's freeing to have a wonderful time just chasing an interest even if (especially if) it's a little uncomfortable. 9. "I don't care what you know until I know that you care." Gerald Chertavian. Passion is essential in our work, so this is the key question I look to have answered when recruiting professional staff or board members. 10. "If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." Mario Andretti, champion race car driver. I used to say, "if you don't fall down occasionally, you aren't skiing hard enough," but after some bruised ribs, I've revised. "Best Ideas & Key Philosophies" from 2023 Business Leaders of the Year management generally as the tools, techniques, and processes required to optimize short-term business needs and long-term success. Worcester Business Journal Hall of Fame Chizoma Nosike, President and owner, Acclaim Home Health Care, Inc. CERTAIN PRINCIPLES/ PHILOSOPHIES HAVE GUIDED ME Have good Mentors: As a business owner, surrounding myself with knowledgeable people from the beginning. My mentor, Jay Herlihy gave me an advice to form a great Board of Directors and they have stood by me for 17 years guiding and encouraging me along the way Trust and Integrity: I built a relationship with my staff based on trust. They know I count on them to succeed and they in turn count on my integrity. Rely on your Network: As a minority female entrepreneur, break through initially was difficult, but I called on a network of people I worked with in other jobs to help me break through the market. Know your Business: I educated myself early on about every job in my organization, so that I am always a resource to every one of my employees. Good Product: I never put profit above quality care especially as a trained Physical Therapist. Community: I align myself to the right people in the community who build me up and not drag me down including Banking relationships. Perseverance: Being able to stick to it has got me through rough business patches. The COVID pandemic was a true test of my commitment to healthcare provision in the Community. Family is Important: Staying engaged as a wife, mother, daughter/in-law has been my sanity as a business owner. Take Time off: Almost every year I step away on vacation no matter how short to recharge and see things from a new perspective. My life has a Purpose: Lastly my faith has carried me through many trying times as a business owner, with belief that what I do is a calling and there's a purpose for my life. Worcester Business Journal Hall of Fame Terry Shepherd, Managing partner, S&G LLP LEADERSHIP – VALUES – EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT – COMMUNICATION Over the last 20 years, the business process I helped develop in the Business Exit and Value Growth Planning space, has been very consistent. No jumping from one method to another in search of a silver bullet. To successfully build and manage a sustainable enterprise (or a division) for the long-term, it starts with leadership. Leader should be team first. Taking responsibility for missed team goals and giving credit to the team for fulfilling them. Leaders need to succinctly describe the why. What's the purpose of the organization? What's the mission the team can wholeheartedly embrace and align themselves with. Does it need to be tweaked? Changed?