Just ahead on Leadership Lessons for Home, Work, and Life, it's question time, what leadership decisions deliver the greatest return on your investment?

Tonight's critical conversation puts four more great central Illinois leaders in the spotlight, and it all starts right now.

(upbeat music) Good evening, thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Amy Burkett.

Harvard Business review states, "The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership."

There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders, and continually develops them.

Leadership development is often seen as a leader's greatest ROI or return on investment.

Let's meet tonight's panelists and learn how they invest and grow leaders for their organizations.

First up, we're gonna meet Laurie Kaplan, she's a registered dietician.

Laurie, thanks so much for your time, let's talk about your biggest leadership ROI, personally.

- Yeah.

Thank you for having me here.

Well, I've gone through a lot of transitions recently, so looking at ROI and what I choose to invest in both monetarily, my time, my energy, 'cause those are all expendable, it's really been a challenge, but this past year I made some decisions to do quite a bit of research into what I'm offering my retreat business, my coaching business.

So I went out and attended a number of retreats, I connected in with some very, really high-level exciting coaches to learn from them, so I could pass that along, and I feel really excited and pleased with that.

It felt a little risky at first, 'cause it was a little outta my comfort zone, but I'm very, very glad that I went ahead and took the risk, and made those decisions.

- Excellent.

Next up, let's meet Jacobie Proctor.

She's the CEO of the Carver Center.

Jacobie, thanks for your time.

Talk to us about what you see as your greatest leadership return on investment.

- Well, thank you for having me tonight.

Working with Carver Center, working in the nonprofit industry, we have really worked on bringing some community investments back in and making sure that we're looking at what everybody needs.

This last year has been really hard for everybody, so one of the things that we, what I really wanted to do with my people and with our organization is to make sure that everything we were doing was valuable.

It was just about looking out on what we were, our goals, and our plans, making sure it made sense, getting rid of old, bringing in the new, making sure our professional development was on queue to assess everybody that needed something from us.

And it was really, like Laurie said, it's been a really good investment for us, it's been something that we took, I guess, a prompt from another organizational leader and we wanted to make sure that it aligned with our mission.

It was unique, we were doing it, we were the only or the best, it was needed, and that's what we've been doing, it's been really good.

- Thank you.

Next up, Gary Ebeling it's with SCORE.

Gary, first help people understand what SCORE is.

- SCORE is a resource partner of the US Small Business Administration.

There are about 250 chapters around the country.

The chapter here in Peoria has been around for 57 years, most of us are retired managers or executives in the community.

We provide free business counseling to small business and to entrepreneurs, it's all confidential, and we really focus on the small business person who needs a little bit of help getting the business over the hump.

- What do you see as your greatest return on investment as a leader?

- Well, I think recruiting good volunteers for SCORE.

Mentors who have experience in the community, who know the business community here, who have experienced some success themselves.

One of our mentors was a former franchise owner of all the Kentucky Fried Chickens in the area.

He was perfect for some person who needed some coaching if they were interested in starting a franchise.

So I look for people who have served in the community previously, their track record, and I do that through networking and other opportunities to reach out to people that might be good volunteers for us.

- Finally, on our panelists, we wanna meet Sid Ruckriegel, he is a WTVP board member, Chair of the Development Department, and city council member.

Sid, thanks so much for being with us, talk to us about your greatest leadership ROI.

- I think that would have to really go to an approach which is going outside those walls we traditionally think of.

In business, for example, we traditionally think of what we do as opposed to who we interact with.

And I think taking that aspect of trying to make relationships among community organizations, businesses, and really try to set your mission as a person beyond just that, what do you do from a work aspect, to really, what do you do, and what do you mean for the community?

How you can actually play a role and build those relationships.

- Jacobie, I wanna go back to you with, at the Carver Center.

What are you seeing the importance of leadership investments?

- Well, I think it all kind of boils down to what you're trying to get out of it.

For Carver, we were kind of rebuilding, restructuring ourselves, and so we had to go out, and rebrand, and everything.

So my job was to make sure that the things that were getting out there was uniform, but also kind of worked with the nostalgia of what people felt about Carver Center and the history, it's 100 years old this year, so making sure people still had those memories connected, but it was also.

So, I guess, what Sid said, it was being mindful of what was happening outside of the walls, what people remembered, what we were, what our actual goal was, our mission was, and who we were trying to reach, and so it is become a big thing to make sure that the community remembers what they remember, but also have the plan of what we're trying to accomplish going forward.

- Laurie, you were talking about doing new things and exploring new possibilities as a coach.

Do you see that sometimes leaders want to rely on what worked for them in the past and be a little more reluctant to the change and the new opportunities?

- Absolutely.

Change can be challenging for all of us, and yet that's where the growth really happens, right?

When you sort of live on that edge of chaos, that's where the expansion and the new habits are made, and the new leadership potential comes in there, and which then creates the outcomes that, whatever product you're presenting or you're putting out there, will deliver.

- Now, Gary, during these crazy COVID times, have you seen more of a demand for people looking for your coaching through SCORE and that sort of mentorship, helping them create their own new type of returns on their leadership investment?

- Absolutely.

We've seen an awful lot of people who've decided that what they were doing prior to the pandemic isn't maybe what they really wanna do with their lives, and the break that COVID has caused allowed them some time to reflect about what do I really wanna do?

And this might be the opportune time to venture out into a new area, a new career.

Now, that creates transition issues in business, and it also causes a lot of people who maybe are getting into a new area, to need a little coaching, because this isn't what you've done before.

You might have to adjust your business plan, or your model, to fit what you really wanna do, but it also has led to an awful lot of turnover in organizations, not just business, but in nonprofits as well.

So it's a challenge, but it's also an opportunity for SCORE, and we've been very busy as a result.

- Sid, let's talk about the fact that, as a city council member, talking about government, and as your volunteer work here with the WTVP Board, do you see any differences and/or similarities between being involved with nonprofits and government entities?

- I think there are a lot of similarities.

In both of those you really have to take a larger approach to the vision of what you wanna be able to add value to, and that value can be in small components, the individual being able to be active with the community organization, to be able to make their voice heard, to be able to come down and talk at city council meetings, and to give their opinions, or it can be larger, into where they're maybe leading some of those organizations.

But one of the things that I think that is extremely important on this timeframe is that, during that, that everybody gets involved, and we've seen that with the pandemic, people have felt this little bit of isolation, and they've had that time to reevaluate where they fit in their community, and it has reopened that ability, I think, after the pandemic.

And as we're starting to see the end of this as to what people really want to do and contribute to the communities that they call home.

- Well, social marketing strategist, Paul Gillin, says, "When you say ROI, do you mean return on investment, or risk of inaction?"

And the Apple founder, Steve Jobs, said, "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

Panelists, let's talk for a bit about how action and innovation deliver great ROIs, and I'm gonna begin with you, Jacobie.

Action, innovation, what do you see as your greatest ROI between the two, and how do you implement it?

- I think they're kind of one and the same.

I think you have to take some risk, and I think innovation is a risky thing to do, especially as we spoke earlier, change is hard for people, but I think action is completely necessary.

I think one of the biggest things that should guide you is a little humility, ask for help when you need it.

I think going forward a lot of times, people think because they're in the leadership position, they can just do, but a lot of times you need to rely on the people underneath you, rely on the people around you to make sure that all areas and all checkboxes are being checked.

So innovation, of course, is a great, you need it, you need change and you need new things, but you also need the action to go forward.

And I think you just kinda have to apply it based on your organization.

- Gary, add to that.

- I think it has to come from below, the top-down approach doesn't work as well if you're seeking change.

And I know in our organization and our chapter meeting, some of the best ideas come from our volunteers, not from the leadership, but from those who are out there doing the mentoring, volunteering at webinars and workshops.

So I think it has to be bottoms-up as opposed to top-down, I think that's how some of the best ideas surface and how change occurs.

So good leaders allow that to float up as opposed to imposing down.

- Sid.

- I think innovation is more successful when there's action involved, because it goes to buy in, and people actually see that as a positive force moving an organization or moving an idea.

Without that action, the innovation just seems like change for the fact that something may not be working, and so action, I think, is extremely important to set the basis for true innovation.

- Laurie, I'm gonna ask you what role does vision play in all of this?

- Mm, oh, vision is key.

I think it allows a leader to step back.

And when you can let go of any bounds of somebody else's vision that you think is how your business or organization is supposed to be, right?

Just let go of those and truly tap into what your vision is, and follow that, even if it feels, perhaps, risky, because that's exciting, and that's gonna get you where you wanna be.

- The next step is always on the other side of the unknown.

- Yes.

- Sid, talk to us about that, how do you implement vision and still get a great return on your investment as a leader.

- As a vision, I think you need to know who you are and where you wanna go, and you have to be able to communicate that to your team, there's authenticity that comes with that.

And then that allows you to be able to take those steps, which otherwise are uncomfortable because you've been able to build the framework through there.

But if you are using somebody else's vision, somebody else's mission statement, somebody else's direction, that doesn't seem natural, that is gonna be felt throughout the organization.

- Jacobie, have you seen a change in your organization's vision because of the pandemic?

- Absolutely.

And I think that's across the board, I think a lot of people are seeing different things because of the pandemic, but just like we said, I think because we were very adamant on pushing what the new vision of Carver Center would look like, I think people are excited to get behind it, I think people are ready for the change, I think people are ready for innovation and action, I just think that it's becoming, we're kinda just waiting the pandemic out, right?

Everybody's just waiting for COVID to go away, and I think one of the things we were kind of realizing is it's not really going anywhere anytime soon, so you have to restructure what you're doing and that's why the vision framework is important, that's why making sure your team is prepared to know what's gonna happen next, even if you don't know what's gonna happen next, and so, yeah, the pandemic has messed up a lot of different people's visions and plans, but I think everybody's kinda going forward to know that they're not the only person with everything's messed up, it's just going forward.

- Gary, talk to us a little bit.

You've been doing this a long time, and you help, and you guide other leaders through these challenging times, and over all the years, just don't look at the pandemic now, what have you seen as the greatest investment, as a leader?

- I think it's investing in the people that will follow you.

I had the benefit of having some great mentors in the corporate community here in Peoria, people that saw some potential in me and gave me an opportunity to do something that was kind of outside of my range of possibilities.

So I think, as a leader, if you can look to others around you and say, "What might that person do?

What is their potential?"

And give them that opportunity, I think we all, at some point in our careers, our lives, we need a mentor, somebody that saw the potential in us and gave us the opportunity to execute on it.

- Sid, it's so challenging to lead during these difficult times, but to make sure that you're making the leadership decisions that are going to give you that greatest return on your investment, have you found that, in government or nonprofit leadership, that people are really a little ambiguous about which way to go?

- I think it's easy not to make those decisions which will create that change, it goes back to the earlier question on innovation, because it's a little scary sometimes, because there's a safe area, and I think, whether it be both in government or WTVP here, which I sit on the board, we've had to change and adapt with COVID, and it has taken us some time to be able to make for sure that those changes are comfortable for us, as we take those.

And I think that, as we work as a team, to be able to know that we can take those together, we can actually provide a better ROI to the community, and that ultimately is our mission.

- It is all about service to the community, no matter if you're a for-profit or a nonprofit, but Laurie, when you talk about running your own business, and how do you, sometimes resources are incredibly limited.

how do you decide what resources to use to get that greatest ROI?

- Yeah.

So a lot of it is trusting my intuition and feeling like, "Yep, this is the investment I wanna make," and it hasn't always hit the mark, but I feel fortunate.

The ones I've made in the past couple years have really led me to the place where I'm at now, and it's exciting, but sure, there's gonna be times when you might spend money on a fence and it breaks, (Laurie and Gary laugh) and the sheep get through, and you gotta go back and.

It's part of life, right?

So knowing that you will get through that.

- Life isn't always rosy or perfect.

- Oh, right, right.

- But that's part of what we need to do.

So the advice and what we want to encourage leaders is to not be afraid.

- Right.

- So that's what I kinda wanna run through the group.

And so many times when you're the head of the organization and the buck stops with you, but it's hard some days, not to, even as the leader, some days I have levels of fear that I have to push down.

Talk to me about how you push down the fear of your own leadership, to help move your organization forward.

I'm gonna start with you, Jacobie.

- I believe it really goes to looking at what's important.

The fear that comes from knowing what you're doing is gonna make a difference, right?

So we all have personal stories too.

I have kids at home that have to feed in and then I think about, "Well, so does the community peoples that I serve?"

So I think it's pushing past my own self doubts, and just making sure that what I'm doing is affecting the greater picture.

Some days we come in and like, I don't know about anybody else, but I wonder where things are gonna come from next, right?

- Yeah.

- Is this grant gonna come through- - Right.

- Is this donor gonna come through?

And so, payroll, is that gonna be made?

And those are just questions that I'm sure every leader has, and if you miss it, you affect 100 people, and it's not just about yourself, and I think people have to really remember that you have to push past your fears 'cause it's not just about you anymore.

You have that as a parent, you have that as a teacher or a community member, so that is the biggest goal, just to remember, "Hey, I got this to take care of and I have to take care of it."

And sometimes it's like, "Okay, what am I gonna do?"

But I just gotta do it, and that's just how it looks in the end.

- Sid, talk to me about fear and suppressing that fear, or pushing through that fear, as a leader, to help get investments.

- Well, and I think one of the things you have to do is put that fear aside, you can't let the things that you've done wrong, that the wrong choices you've made, the choices that you would maybe rethink, to let those be known, because all too often we think that leaders can't fail, and we have to change that within our team.

One of the best mentors that I ever had years ago, and this is probably 25 years ago, spent two days with me and he said, "I won't tell you everything I did right, because everybody will tell you that, let me spend the next two days, because we have a limited amount of time, telling you every mistake that was wrong so that you can learn from those."

And I think that that true leader is not afraid to share that part of themself.

- You might have had a few mistakes in your life, Gary.

(Amy laughs) - Many, yeah.

- We all do.

But talk to us about building off of what Sid just said and how that can be beneficial to others.

- I don't think there's any doubt that we, even though it's painful at the time, we learn more from our mistakes, from our failures, and if you don't step out, and I tell that to our volunteers, and to the clients that we serve, sometimes being successful in business or as an entrepreneur, it involves great risk, and while we try to help them kind of measure that and anticipate it, I think most of our clients will agree that they learn more from their mistakes than their successes.

I know there have been several individuals in this community, some of our developers in Peoria who had numerous failures before they had great success, and our community was better for it because they didn't let those failures defeat them, they actually learned from their mistakes in the community, and they were better for it.

- Is that one of the greatest ROIs then, are failures, would we agree?

Well, quick, yes or no?

Laurie.

- It's very important, yes.

- Jacobie.

- Yes.

- Absolutely.

- Yes.

- Sid.

Okay, so failure is a necessary part of success and a great return on our investment, even though I don't know a human on earth who says, "Gee, I'm gonna set out to fail today."

- Right.

- So how do we build on that?

Before we run out of time, we've gotta look for, is there something that we haven't talked about yet that you would say, "My greatest leadership ROI is X."

I wanna start with Laurie.

I think, for me, it's coming back to my mission, why I'm doing what I'm doing, and when the fear sets in, and when the failure happens, and when the things crash and burn, going back to my mission, "Why am I doing this?

Why am I putting this effort in?"

And then, okay, so I still might be a little fearful, but I know this is right, it still feels right, I'm carrying on and through that.

- Gary.

- The number one thing we do with our clients is encourage them to craft that business plan, sometimes that's not fun to do because it forces them to think about their mission for the business, but having a plan, and then we, as mentors, try not to judge that plan, we suspend judgment as SCORE volunteers, and let them kinda work through the process, but without a business plan, their chances of success in that business or that business idea are more limited.

- Sid.

- I think true leaders can answer the question of who I am without a label.

They are not the business they create, they're not the position they hold, but it is more about who they are and what they contribute to the full community as themselves.

And I think that's why we see that leaders, failures aside, can actually pop up in multiple industries and in multiple ways, and can reinvent themself, because they're not afraid to fail, they're not afraid to be able to be who they truly are, and that characteristic comes out time and time again.

- And that's because they're leaders.

- Yes.

- Not just the leader of organization X or organization Y, they put those leadership skills to work.

Jacobie talked to us, it's just so hard sometimes not to identify yourself as, "I'm the CEO of the Carver Center," because I'm sure there's a lot of pressure in that as well.

How do you not identify yourself as that first?

- Well, I don't know about anybody else, but as a CEO, you find yourself doing everybody's role anyway.

(all laughs) So it's easy to kind of fall into being the program director one day, or maybe even the janitor one day.

I think you have the ability, like Sid said, to be flexible, to be all types of different characters in an organization or outside in your community.

And I think one of the things that my mentor always taught me was that you should be able to do the hard work from the floor up, all the way up to the CEO's position, and so I think that is one of the things that I always remember.

That doesn't define me, that doesn't make Carver Center what it is, because I'm the CEO, what makes Carver Center is what we put into it and what we get out of it, and it doesn't matter if I'm the CEO or if I'm the program director, or if I'm the janitor, if I'm giving my best every day and making sure that people around me are successful, then we're doing what we're supposed to do.

- I would like to add to that.

- Sure.

- That I can remember the first time that I met Jacobie many years ago, and that leadership quality was there.

It's so wonderful that it has come now to the Carver Center and been an asset, but the leadership qualities will not be defined about the organization, and I think that that's why we see them early on in so many young people, and I can remember that first meeting, and I knew right then that Jacobie was somebody that was gonna be very fun to be able to follow to see what she would do, and what she would contribute.

- Gary, talk to us a little bit, it's your final thoughts about this that people need to know.

- Well, I think, to pick up on what some others have said, I think when you're a leader, you have to put yourself in the position of the people that you're leading, and if you can do the tasks that you're asking them to do as a leader, you'll have a better understanding of what they're going through and set an example for them that you're not afraid to get your hands dirty in a job that maybe isn't really in your job description.

So I think leaders have to show a certain amount of humility.

- Laurie, your final thoughts.

- Absolutely.

Being able to work all those positions helps the entire system thrive.

- Jacobie, you're gonna get the last word, my friend.

- [Jacobie] Okay.

- Leadership return on investment.

What do you want people to know?

- Want people to know that you don't have to be afraid, as Gary said, as Sid said, as Laurie said, to go out and be who you can be, and still run an organization.

If you take yourself out of it a little bit, just enough to look around and make sure that everybody is walking forward with you, or that you gotta get rid of people that are not walking forward with you.

I think it just comes down to knowing where you wanna go, who you wanna go there with, and where you end up, and so that's my end.

- Well, I just love conversations about leadership.

There's always something new to learn, and I can't wait to apply the great advice our panel has shared about their greatest leadership ROIs.

That does it for now, goodnight, my friends.

(upbeat music)