Speech: Kim Hunter, 2019 Betsy Plank Lifetime Honoree

Bridget Coffing: Great stuff. Good evening, everyone. I’m Bridget Coffing. I am the vice-chair of The Plank Center board of advisors and it is my very, very profound honor to introduce our final and very, very special award of the night. I think it’s special because of the unique and very significant nature of the award itself. I think it’s special because of the man being recognized tonight. Our highly distinguished 29 honoree, Kim Hunter, CEO of the Grant Foundation. First a word about what is just a very, very meaningful award. It was named, of course in honor of Betsy Plank, but to really recognize exemplary professionals who are in the class by themselves. It is really only given to those folks who have demonstrated an entire lifetime, a lifetime of commitment to mentoring and have had a profound impact on others and in turn those others going on to foster relationships and mentorship and influence within their organizations, within their communities, within our profession that we all share and honor tonight.

I think it’s really important to note that this award is not given out every year. In fact, the award has only been conferred two times before. So tonight’s honoree joins just two others in this category. The noted Ralph Campania, Executive Director of Chicago’s office street club, who was the recipient, the first one in 2016 and the very trailblazing Tom Burrell, who received the Betsy Plank Award just last year for his extraordinary work in marketing, multicultural advertising, communications, and a real trailblazer as well. So tonight, Kim joins this very elite group. He has touched the lives and the careers of so many people and will now hear from three of his greatest fans. So please join me in welcoming Luis Sanchez, Director of Communications and Public Affairs at the Chicago International Charter School, Natalie Godwin, Director of Global Corporate Communications Hilton, and Jessica Shih director of corporate communications strategy, Blue Shield of California, will each share a memory about their friend and colleague, Kim Hunter. [crosstalk 00:55:33]

Jessica Shih: Sorry about that. Good evening. I’m Jessica Shih and for those of you who know Kim Hunter, you’ll know why it takes three of us to honor him tonight. We represent just a miniscule fraction of the hundreds of students and professionals who are in this industry tonight, because of Kim Hunter and the Lou Grant Foundation that he founded more than 20 years ago, because he saw a lack of diversity in our industry and he made it his personal mission to change that. We’ve all had the benefit of his mentorship and because of that, I noticed when I moved back to San Francisco recently, I been able to get reacquainted with many of my friends from childhood, and many of them are smart, they’re ambitious, they’re talented, but they’re stuck in middle management. And I realized that the only reason why I’ve been able to get to leadership positions in fortune 10 companies is because I had an ace in my corner. I had Kim Hunter who’s been there to push me, to counsel me, to give me tough feedback, and to lift me up and champion for me. And I’m so grateful for his support and in complete all because I know that I’m only just one of the hundreds that he’s been able to support, including Luis Sanchez.

Luis Sanchez: Thank you, Jessica. Good evening. My name is Luis Sanchez and I’m one of the many recipients today of the LAGRANT Scholarship Foundation. Words such as leader, change agent, entrepreneur, these are the words that best describe Kim Hunter and his bold efforts in helping minorities like myself. We’ve been able to establish, we’ve been able to enter in the communications field and fulfill our dreams to go to college and beyond. He strives us, he pushes our buttons to go further. As a Latino and a communications professional, my life has been deeply impacted by the generosity of Kim and the LAGRANT Foundation. His energy is have not only helped countless folks like myself, but also fulfill other’s dreams, to build the next generation of communicators that reflect society. Kim clearly knows and understands what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, PR agent. I see that on myself, and I see it in my future. And I can honestly say, with more conviction and in my lifetime, that I will sometimes need people like Kim and Kim has always been there for me. And I hopefully plan to follow in his footsteps and do the same to other mentees I plan to one day mentor. So once again, I want to thank Kim Hunter and the LAGRANT Foundation for every opportunity because then I know without him, I wouldn’t be here today and I thank you very much. Natalie.

Natalie Godwin: Only for Kim does it take three of us to do this. I asked him earlier, how many people in this room do you know? Actually, how many people know Kim? Raise your hand. I would say just about everyone, right? I’m Natalie Godwin and like Luis and Jessica, I’m a recipient of the LAGRANT Foundation Scholarship. I was actually the first group of graduate students in 2006. And back then the application was similar to a mini-thesis. And I’ll admit, I was working full time, graduate studies at night and I almost didn’t complete it, put it down, I was like, I’ll get to this later. The deadline was the next day and I stayed up all night and I got it in. I was probably the last person to get in my application. I’m so glad I did because it changed the trajectory of my career.

In the years that I’ve known Kim, I’ve called him before every opportunity that I’ve taken. He’s helped me evaluate responsibilities, job titles, where the position lies in a communications team and the company structure and he’s actually even helping me navigate my latest career move. And that’s really important for communicators who are really trying to find their way in this industry. More importantly, I’d like to thank him for helping professionals of color, especially black women, to have our voices heard and to be seen. He’s a natural leader who forces us to elevate our work, think globally and strategically. His tenacious effort to support the LAGRANT Foundation helps him speak truth to power. And it is my honor to welcome our mentor, Kim Hunter.

Kim Hunter: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This will be the shortest acceptance speech ever. These three speak for why I get up every day. I always remind people I am two years shy of 60, I’m seven years shy of Medicare, and every day I get up knowing my runway is short, their runway is a lot longer. I want to thank The Plank Center board of advisors, all of the honorees tonight, but there is one person in particular I want to thank because it was this gentleman who was flying in from Detroit when I was already at the Page Spring Conference and he texted me and said, “Kim, have you arrived?” I said, “I have.” He said, “You want to join me for dinner?” I said, “Of course.” And it was Tony Savant who’s the chief communication officer for General Motors. And Tony called this dinner to ask me, was I available on this particular day, but unfortunately, at the time, Tony didn’t know the day. So when he talked about the date, he didn’t have the date and what happened was, he had to go to a couple other board members to find out because apparently, if I could not make the date, I would not be a recipient of this award tonight. So Tony Cervone, I’ll never forget you for that.

But Tony, you are a good man. I miss interacting with you. Tony is a member of the board of directors, he’s an active board member, he’s an engaged board member. And Tony is very much like a few people in this business that I absolutely respect and adore and I’m a put him in the same category, which most of you have always heard me talk about, because I’ve known him for 17 years, and she was just elevated to the CEO role of Weber Shandwick in that scale Heyman. And Gail has always been one of these individuals who never pigeonhole me. And Tony, you are very much just like her. You’re the male version in many ways of Gail without all the other stuff that Gail we know about her. Good stuff, right Rhonda. But I will tell you, when Tony called me one day and asked me his son is here today, at least one of the sons, Tony has two of them. Tony said his son was coming to LA to go around meeting a couple of practitioners and he asked will I do it. Well, people know my mission, my passion is diversity inclusion. Everybody knows it. I was trained by the general market. I know who I am. I have no illusion about it. But it gives me great joy when Tony, Gail and others will pick up the phone and says, Kim, I got a family member, I got a friend who doesn’t look like me and Michael Neil’s another one at American Express. It gives me the greatest joy to know at the end of the day, my man, you know you’re the future. I’m not, but whatever I can do, I’m happy to.

So on behalf of the LAGRANT Foundation, all of the former scholarship recipients who are in this room and there are a number of you, could you please stand up? Everyone, that’s the future. Thank you.

Q&A: Kim Hunter, 2019 Betsy Plank Honoree

 

The Plank Center recognizes and promotes the critical role mentors play in helping to develop leaders and advance the profession and honors leaders throughout the profession who, by word and deed, have demonstrated a superior commitment to mentoring others, and who are committed to accelerating the success of others in the field at its annual Milestones in Mentoring Gala.

Our question and answer series introduces the 2019 Milestones in Mentoring award recipients.

Kim HunterMeet Kim Hunter

Kim L. Hunter brings 36 years of corporate and agency experience in the advertising, marketing, and public relations industries. During his career, Hunter has founded three enterprises, all of which are privately held: LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS, The LAGRANT Foundation, and KLH & Associates.

What have you found to be the most important key to having a successful mentor/mentee relationship?

Transparency has proven to be the most important key to a successful mentor/mentee relationship. When my mentees ask for advice regarding the industry I do not shy away from the sometimes ugly details about a career in communication. I am honest about what happens as a result of mistakes and how important their decisions will be for future clients. My mentees respect that I am truthful about all aspects of communication, not just the interesting aspects. My honesty prepares them for their future positions by providing them with a real world perspective.

What is one powerful thing you’ve learned from mentoring someone?

You can learn something from everyone no matter their age nor position. This was by far the most powerful thing I’ve learned from my mentees. As a CEO who has been in this business for many years, it may seem strange that I have learned from those I have mentored but every experience exposes me to a new style of communication, cultural difference or even a new way of approaching a challenge. More mentors need to be open to learning from their mentees instead of assuming they are the only ones who can teach.

What top three ways can our profession’s best and brightest be mentored right now so they will be prepared to assume leadership positions in the future?

By teaching them the importance of:

Taking the initiative: The first step to any communication plan is identifying a need or an opportunity. This is the step that everyone is aware of which can make it both very simple and very difficult. Simple because it is usually obvious what trends are occurring in society and as a professional communicator, you see those and react. However, the difficulties lie in the fact that there are many other communicators just like you who have also identified the same trends. This is when it becomes imperative to take the initiative. As soon as you recognize an opportunity or in my case, an issue, be the person to make the first move and make sure it is a recognizable one.

Pushing the envelope: In my letter to the top 10 agencies in the world, I stated that the entire industry ‘lacked courage.’ This statement, among the rest of my assertive letter, shocked the media. The publication in which I was featured for the letter specifically said my statements “rattled the industry as never before.” However, if I had played it safe and made general comments to a general audience, my letter would not have caught nearly as much traction as it did. More importantly it would not have reached the people who needed to see it the most, the CEO’s with resources to make change.

Being inclusive: Last but certainly not least, you must make sure that everything you do is inclusive. Having the responsibility of professionally communicating on behalf of others is extremely complicated. It involves balancing between your voice and the voice of someone else. You must also consider all possible reactions of your communication from both your intended audience as well as the many others your message reaches. Some companies run into major crises due to the lack of consideration and inclusivity of their messaging. In order to avoid one of those inexcusable reputational nightmares, ensure your message is including as many types of people as possible. I say ‘as many’ because no message is perfect and there will always be at least one person unhappy with your decisions. However, one unhappy person as opposed to an entire race, sexual identity or religion.

What do you see as the differences between mentorship and sponsorship, and how do you approach each one?

Being someone who works in philanthropy and education, I experience both mentorship and sponsorship often. The most obvious difference between the two is the presence of financial support. In a mentorship, the resources being given are things such as pieces of advice and recommendations. In a sponsorship, the main resource given is a financial investment that usually allows for the person being sponsored to be a part of something that benefits their career. My approach to both is very similar in that my main goal is to provide those seeking my resources, with as much as I can to be successful in this industry. I always provide them with the advice I would’ve wanted in their position.

There is a myriad of changes around us. What issues have or will become a “wake up call” to the profession?

An issue that has been and will continue to be a “wake up call” in this profession is the lack of equal representation. I am very passionate about the need for diversity within the communication profession because although there has been some progress since I entered the industry, there has not been nearly enough. It is imperative that as our world becomes more diverse the profession does too because if not we are threatening the accuracy and effectiveness of what we do.

What’s your favorite way to spend a Saturday?

First, a great brunch. I absolutely love cooking and I am known for my brunches…three cheese souffle, turkey sausage with pears, orange/banana/strawberry smoothie, and then going to whale watching (seasonal), hiking Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens or Lotusland, or a drive to Lompoc/Buellton and then entertaining friends at home for dinner and having a myriad topics of conversation.

Favorite app?

Open Table

If given the choice to trade places with anyone (living or dead) for one day, who would it be and why?

Warren Buffet. I find his demeanor and his approach both to life and the financial markets spot on…

Favorite place to vacation and why?

Anywhere in the Mediterranean:  Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain.

My leadership tip is…

lead with conviction.

My mentorship tip is…

be transparent, honest, thoughtful, and direct.

Every mentor is…

different in his or her approach to leadership, problem-solving, and life…be a great listener.

The lesson that took you the longest to learn…

patience and I am still learning the trait…

Habits in your daily routine that strengthen your leadership skills…

plan, forecast, and reflect.

Three things you do to inspire and encourage teamwork…

collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

Published: June 19, 2019


More from Kim:

 

Kim Hunter, 2019 Betsy Plank Honoree

Hunter, Kim

Kim L. Hunter brings 36 years of corporate and agency experience in the advertising, marketing, and public relations industries. During his career, Hunter has founded three enterprises, all of which are privately held: LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS, The LAGRANT Foundation, and KLH & Associates.

Hunter served 18+ years as a corporate director for SCAN Health Plan, a Medicare Advantage plan with $2 billion in annual revenue and 1,000 employees. As corporate director, Hunter currently serves on two committees –Corporate Governance and Quality & Customer Experience.  Hunter has served on all other committees including the Audit & Compliance, Finance, and Compensation committees, as well as, chairing both the Corporate Governance and Public Review committees.

To stay abreast of leading trends and practices that define corporate governance, Hunter is a fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the highest level of credentialing for corporate directors and corporate governance professionals.

For 18 years, Hunter has attended the NACD Global Board Leaders’ Summit. Hunter has spoken on panels on emerging governance issues and how to prepare for the challenges and opportunities that will impact boardrooms in the future.  He served on both the “Strategy and Risk” and “Board / C-Suite Expectations” panels during NACD’s Global Board Leaders’ Summit. The “Strategy and Risk” panel focused on leading practices for overseeing a company’s risk management activities and capitalizing on the critical link between strategy and risk. The “Board / C-Suite Expectations” panel focused on best practices to narrow the potential gaps in information between directors and C-suite officers, including what directors should expect to receive in reports and deeper questions directors can ask of, non-core C-suite officers.

Hunter also serves as a board member of the local NACD Pacific Southwest Chapter.  He serves on the nominating & governance and member engagement committees. As a director of NACD Pacific Southwest Chapter, Hunter serves as an ambassador of exemplary board leadership, and works to advance the mission, goals, and priorities of the growing chapter. Additionally, Hunter has held high-ranking leadership positions for a variety of nonprofit organizations including the American Cancer Society, among others.

A recognized leader in the communications and marketing industry, The Holmes Report recognized Hunter with an Individual Achievement SABRE Awardand named him as one of In2’s Innovator 25. He also received PRWeek’s PR Professional of the Year- Agency Honorable Mention.Hunter is also the recipient of the Distinguished ServiceAwardby Arthur W. Page Society, Diversity Distinction in PRAward by PRWeek, and PRWeek’s 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018“The 50 Most Powerful People in PR.” In addition, Hunter has been inducted into PRWeek’s 2017 “Hall of Fame”.

Hunter has a master’s degree in International Management from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with a minor in Cultural Anthropology, from the University of Washington in Seattle.


More from Kim:

 

Speech: Tom Burrell, 2018 Betsy Plank Mentorship Honoree

Bridget Coffing: Alright, good evening everyone, I’m Bridget Coffing, I’m vice chair of The Plank Center Board of Advisors, and it is my very, very distinct honor to introduce our final and very, very special award, as all of them are tonight, but the Betsy Plank Award. And I say special for two very important reasons.

First, because of the very unique, and very significant nature of the award in and of itself, and special because of the very great privilege that I have to introduce two people tonight to this stage. Our very highly distinguished 2018 award winner and honoree, Tom Burrell, founder of Burrell Communications, and Michelle Flowers, founder and CEO of Flowers Communications Group, who will bring Tom up and introduce him shortly. But I wanted to first just mention a couple important words about the significance of this award.

I think you would all know that it is named in honor of Betsy, clearly, and it really is intended to recognize, exemplary professionals who I can only say are in a class by themselves. Certainly everyone we’ve seen tonight, is just that as well. But this award is given only to those folks, who have demonstrated a lifetime commitment to mentoring. Who have had not only a profound impact on others, but in turn those others having nurtured relationships, and having fostered influences within their organizations, within their communities, within the profession as all.

I think it’s really important to note that is award, is not given out annually. And in point of fact, tonight is only the second time that this award has been bestowed. So it has only been conferred once, so tonight’s honoree, joins just one other in this category, and that was the noted Ralph Campagna, who was the founder and executive director of Chicago’s Off the Street club, and he was awarded that in 2016. So a pretty rarefied group of two in this particular category.

Personally it is very, very meaningful for me to share the stage tonight with Tom and Michelle, because I personally intersected with both of them in my professional tenure at McDonald’s. I can only tell you that Tom’s body of work is absolutely extraordinary. That his creative product has been nothing short of precedence setting and that his contributions, and I think this is important to the McDonald’s staff, and often from his own staff, were over time just incredibly gracious and very, very generous.

As it relates to Michelle, her pioneering work in the multi-cultural PR world, has been, I think a very distinguishing factor in her career. It’s absolutely true that when she started Flowers communications Group, agencies that worked in both the African- American, as well as the Hispanic communities, were unheard of at the time.

So I can only say that, along with Tom, she was banner carrier for such an important and significant effort that today is just so widely accepted. So, I would say that distinguished senior leader award of the Chicago PRSA Group, Michelle Flowers is the one to appropriately introduce and bring forth her friend, her mentor, and her colleague, Tom Burrell to share more about his story, and his journey as well. So, Michelle…

Michelle Flowers Welch: I had to bump tradition a little bit and enter on that side. Thank you Bridget for those very, very kind words.

Good evening. Tonight, I am honored to present the 2018 Betsy Plank Mentoring Award to Tom Burrell, whose mentorship played an important role in my career, and so many others who walked through the doors of Burrell Communications Group. I’m delighted to see Faith Ferguson here, McGhee Osee here, Leonard Jefferson here. We were all together and a part of one of Tom’s classes, so I’m sure they can attest to the impact that he has had in their careers as well.

How appropriate that Tom is receiving the Betsy Plank Award, which, as Bridget stated is in a class by itself, just like Tom. Let me share a little bit more about our distinguished honoree.

Tom is the iconic visionary behind ground breaking, award-winning campaigns for such global brands as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Crest, Tide, and many other brands. His pioneering philosophy that black people are not dark skinned white people. I will repeat that, black people are not dark skinned white people. Revolutionized the way advertisers marketed to African-Americans.

Now, while Tom is typically known as an ad man, I’ve always professed that he’s a trailblazer in Integrated Marketing Communications, or IMC. He recognized very early on, the symbiotic nature of advertising and public relations, and embraced, truly embraced whole-heartedly public relations as a part of the marketing mix.

Under Tom’s leadership, Burrell was among the first advertising agencies to from a public relations division, and later a promotion’s division, giving them the powerful tools to create IMC campaigns. Fortunate for me, I was brought in as one of the chief architects for Burrell public relations, and worked directly with Tom to build the division.

Tom modeled what I wanted to become. A successful, principled entrepreneur, who nurtured great talent. Conversations with him were mentoring sessions, and he shared wisdom and insight, that shaped my professional development.

I remember one particular situation, when a client on the advertising side … And Tom, I know you will remember this, because they dramatically cut their creative and media budgets, and the client was in danger of leaving the agency. Tom quickly turned that into a new business opportunity. He introduced his PR division to the client, and we developed an award-winning campaign that kept that client with the agency. His actions in that moment, taught me the power of resiliency, and resourcefulness, that are crucial to success as a business owner.

I can recall many other mentoring moments, conversations, and stories about Tom’s impact on my entrepreneurial journey. However, we’ve got a wonderful video clip developed by the talented folks at Burrell, that captures the essence of Toms pioneering vision, and the many, many live that he’s touched.

Tom, it is with tremendous respect, and deep gratitude that I present you with the 2018 Betsy Plank Mentoring Award. Congratulations, and thank you for all you’ve meant to my career, and the hundreds of others who’ve had the privilege of working with you.

Tom Burrell: I am so, so honored by this recognition, but I have to say, that I am being honored for something that has come extremely naturally to me. I saw Michelle, I ran into Michelle at the Mariano Super Market, and I said, “Michelle, do these people know what they’re doing? They want to give me an award for mentoring.” Then she described to me how I had mentored to her, and once she described it, I said, “Oh, I’ve done that a lot.”

So if it meant being receptive, being responsive, being a listener, being attentive, being empathetic, or some people say empathic, I don’t know whatever you want to say. If it means caring, then I guess I deserve this award, because that’s what I’ve been doing.

So there was that story, then there was a story about another Michelle that we may know something about. My wife just happened to be in the beauty salon after the election of Barack Obama, and ran into the First Lady, and she told her that she was married to me, and she says, “Oh, Tom, oh yeah. He mentored me.” I didn’t know that either.

Then, recently talking to McGee, oh, she considered me to be her mentor, oh. So I get it, I get it, I get it, I get it now. And I hope that that’s the easiest thing that I ever have to do to get recognition, but it hasn’t been true. I’ve done a lot of things I’ve had to exert a lot of effort to do, in order to be recognized, but mentoring is not one of those things. But thank you Betsy Plank Award for this recognition. For recognizing me for being myself. I appreciate it immensely.

After receiving the award and being told about mentoring and see what it’s all about. So I looked it up in a book, and one of the things that I want to point out, is that there were two things that I picked up. That there are two actually prongs of mentoring.

One is the professional one, where you basically work with people on developing their career, and the other one is personal. And the thing that I want to say, is that in today’s environment, where things are really kind of getting kind of twisted and messed up right now, that we really need to focus on that personal part. The part that has to do with the importance of integrity, moral courage, principals, compassion, and if we can take care of those things first, and leave the professional part as a secondary factor, I think we’ll be way much better off.

I understand that I have tremendous power here. That I am the only thing between you, and that front door down there. So I am going to mercifully stop, and allow you to go home. I hope I have said enough to warrant my being up here to receive the award, but the beautiful thing about getting older, as I approach my 80th year on this planet, is … One of the great, great gifts that all of the recipients, and all the people out here will hopefully realize one day, there’s nothing greater than being in a position in life, where you no longer have to speak for yourself.

So thank you very much, Michelle, and all others who have spoken for me. Thank you, alright.


More from Tom Burrell:

Q&A: Tom Burrell, 2018 Betsy Plank Lifetime Mentoring Honoree

 

The Plank Center recognizes and promotes the critical role mentors play in helping to develop leaders and advance the profession and honors leaders throughout the profession who, by word and deed, have demonstrated a superior commitment to mentoring others, and who are committed to accelerating the success of others in the field at its annual Milestones in Mentoring Gala.

Our question and answer series introduces the 2018 Milestones in Mentoring award recipients.

Tom_BurrellMeet Tom Burrell.
Tom Burrell established Burrell Communications in 1971 and led the company through 2004. Burrell, known as the leading marketing communications firm, is noted for its expertise in reaching African American and urban youth markets. By recognizing the unique qualities of the African- American consumer market, Tom spearheaded some of the most memorable campaigns in advertising history. A reel of Burrell’s Advertisements for Coca-Cola is currently archived at the Library of Congress for its historical significance.

What is your role as a mentor? What inspires/motivates you to mentor?

My role as a mentor is to be available, accessible to those people seeking counsel that I am able to provide. What inspires and motivates me to mentor is seeing the positive cause-effect relationship (AKA Results).

What advice would you tell your early-career self with respect to finding a mentor?

I didn’t have a mentor, I actually rebuffed people trying to mentor me. What I would tell my earlier self is to allow people who want to be helpful to be helpful.

What have you found to be the most important key to having a successful mentor/mentee relationship?

The most important keys: being accessible, attentive and empathetic with one another. As a mentor, I want to give people room to think and make decisions for themselves.

How has your mentoring style changed over time?

I don’t have a mentoring style. I wasn’t aware that I was mentoring, it is up to the people who are benefiting from interacting with me.  I don’t decide, they decide.

There is a myriad of changes around us. What issues have or will become a “wake up call” to the profession?

One issue that will become increasingly important is that people in the communications arts business are going to have to be fully aware of the power of media messaging to shape attitudes and behaviors, especially among young people. Increasingly there will be a need to use that power to do good while doing well. To do well is not enough is not good enough when you have the power through persuasive media messaging to do good.  In other words, you can’t have it both ways…  saying I am in a profession where I demand high salary and benefits and at the same time watch the world go by in shambles and say I can’t do anything about it. In this industry, the business of persuading people to do things/buy things/not to do things, people with this power can bring inclusion and diversity to its own profession.

What’s your favorite way to spend a Saturday?

Depends on the weather. If forced to be inside, I listen to music, play and practice music. If it is beautiful, I like to take long walks with my wife or when alone, take a walk and listen to Pandora.

Favorite drink?

My favorite drink is an occasional Vodka or Tequila cocktail.

If given the choice to trade places with anyone (living or dead) for one day, who would it be and why?

Out of intellectual curiosity, I would want to get into the mind and soul of someone who was willing to risk/sacrifice their life for a cause. Martin Luther King Jr. comes to mind.

Favorite place to vacation and why?

Martha’s Vineyard. Because it is a place you can be with kindred spirits, remove your armor and lay down your defensive weapons.

My leadership tip is… delegate responsibility, authority with commensurate accountability.

My mentorship tip is… listen.

Every mentor is… capable of screwing it up if they are not careful.

Go-to news source… Comedy Central.

Lesson that took you the longest to learn… That I was as smart and creative as I was pretending to be.

Habits in your daily routine that strengthen your leadership skills… I exercise and try to eat wisely for physical well-being. I use resources including books, podcasts, the news, Google, people, and Alexa & Siri to gather knowledge. I enjoy writing and reading. I study, play, and listen to music… gaining discipline by engaging in practices that sharpen deductive reasoning and keep me in line with a full range of emotions.  The more you engage in deductive thinking, the more in position one is to lead. I also practice the full expression of emotions, including joy through laughter… I LAUGH. It is CRITICAL to practice the art of FEELING. I think all of this strengthens leadership skills.

Published: August 17, 2018


More from Tom Burrell:

The Summit Conversation

Read what others thought about the Plank Center Leadership Summit as it was happening.

Follow Us