Good Leaders: How are you supporting equality?

As part of a leadership exercise at a 2015 Good Leadership Breakfast, the 250 professionals in the room brainstormed synonyms for fairness. A common suggestion was “equality”…and leaving that morning, I realized that I wasn’t fully practicing equality at the Breakfasts. Historically, only two of our eight speakers each year have been women, even though women make up a full half of our attendees. So we put a special emphasis on inviting women to speak at our 2016 Breakfasts – and this fall, all four keynote speakers will be women.

The Breakfasts this fall are all about working together. Many of us have long aspired to the role of the “superhero,” who flies in to call the shots and get the rewards. But the Superhero model of leadership is too risky. In the age of information transparency and collaboration, the sustainable style is Good Leadership, which focuses on The Cornerstones of Goodness: Rewarding Excellence, Living Generously, Promoting Fairness and Spreading Positivity.  Giving generously of our time, sharing credit fairly, striving for excellence in a team environment, and staying positive throughout is what good leadership is all about.

Read on to learn about four women who are experts in working together and living the Good Leadership message – and register now to hear them for yourself this fall!

Jennifer Myster

In 2015, Buffalo Hospital was named one of the nation’s 100 top hospitals, and they got there with Jennifer at the helm. She and her team work together to continue exceeding national benchmarks for patient care and satisfaction. Beyond healing sick people, Jennifer supports spiritual, emotional and financial health – a message echoed in our Seven Fs Wheel, a tool to measure satisfaction in Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness, Friends, Fun, and Future.

Patience Ferguson

As the Chief Human Resources Officer for the City of Minneapolis, Patience works to recruit, hire, develop and retain the public servants who make Minneapolis a strong and vibrant community. She understands working together: her employee engagement strategy earned her a “Best in Show” award from the Greater Twin Cities United Way two years in a row.

Rita Johnson-Mills

Rita works to improve people’s health in her role as President and CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee. She experienced firsthand the importance of Medicaid access growing up in rural Missouri, and now she is giving back by making communities healthier. She prioritizes working closely with her team and knowing the value that each team member can contribute.

Jodi Harpstead

Jodi helps people in need every day as the CEO of Minnesota’s largest human services non-profit. She knows that her work requires compassion and competence to create both real trust and real change. This mission-based work is based in generosity, and epitomizes working together for a common good, rather than for one individual’s success.

Good leaders work together to grow businesses, improve communities, and create a hopeful future for all of us. And they support fairness and equality in word and action.

Please join us at the Good Leadership Breakfasts this fall – register now!