Lessons from the Leaders at Connect

One of my favorite sessions at Connect 2019 was the leadership panel that hosted our innovative customers including Bob Zimmer (PepsiCo), Tami Ryley (Starbucks), and Jamie Hobor (HRSD); our wonderful partner at Infor, Heather Preu; and my courageous leaders at Advoco, Paul Cowley, Steve Brindle, and Marty Osborn – all led by our emcee, Chris Oakley, also a leader in the business sphere.

I would like to share some of my favorite quotes from this session on how to lead.

“Don’t come to me with problems, come to me with solutions.” – Bob

“It brings you a lot of grace, when you take things off your leader’s plate, and not add stuff to it.” – Chris

“Get your people to own the data, share what it means to leadership, and have transparency.” – Jamie

“I don’t mind change as long as the team explains the why.” – Steve

“Empathy needs to go in both directions – up and down.” – Paul

“Think through your succession plan – onboarding and enabling the next generation. See what others are doing. Bring someone new in.” – Heather

“There’s a lot of self-discipline involved with learning.” – Tami

“Take advantage of the professional development your work offers.” – Jamie

“In where to grow next, it’s about balance. We are inundated with technology. We have to shut off our screens. Be aware and shut it down.” – Heather

“I can’t be the ‘go to’ for everything and have to trust others to do their jobs” – Jamie

“If you haven’t embraced mobility, that’s one thing you need to take a look at.” – Heather

“The culture for good data has to be set. We will not allow for bad data or incomplete information.” – Bob

“You want a team with diverse opinions, you want transparency, you want people who are energetic and solution oriented, and most of all people who are able to work as a team and excited about moving forward and doing better.” – Tami

There were so many good thoughts and pieces of advice on leadership during this session, and I’m looking forward to getting the gang back together in 2020!

Until next time…we are Advoco, make every minute count.

About Mary: Mary Devine is our Director of Marketing and Events. Affectionately referred to as “Make it Happen Mary,” she's been around since the early days of Advoco—making things happen! Whether it's planning exciting surprises for Connect attendees or spearheading new marketing initiatives, we're so happy to have Mary on our team. If you have a question for Mary, please send her an email.