President’s Message: A Sucker Punch For Me, an Invitation For You
“We make time for the things that we truly value. We build habits and routines around the things that really matter to us.” – C.J. Mahaney
Don’t you hate when a quote you claim to live by sneaks up behind you and sucker-punches you? In anticipation of a week of professional development training at the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management at the end of July, I meticulously planned out my work schedule for the next three weeks. My return-to-work schedule was packed, and there was no room for changes or additions. I’d even resorted to scheduling high fives with my six-year-old for 6:45 a.m. each morning using the alarm on his Spiderman watch. Yikes.
On the last day before I left, I had one last meeting with a member – LCBC recently welcomed a new campus pastor, and we hadn’t yet met face-to-face. If you’ve met Brad Travelpiece, you know he’s thoughtful, kind, and genuine. We had a lovely conversation centered around leadership and the Chamber’s several leadership programs, and he shared with me his affection for great conversations, small groups, and podcasts. We chatted about opportunities to connect through the Chamber, and then he graciously invited me to pop in and see an event that they had slated for August 8 and 9. I thanked Brad for the offer, and tried not to get his hopes up too much - chances were good he wouldn’t be seeing me.
Training went as expected – long hours and grueling brainwork, and my return was as prophesied. The days and the work blurred together and suddenly it was August 7, and Brad was emailing to ask if I’d given his event any more thought. Even a pop-in. I’d decided that I couldn’t, but I hadn’t emailed him an answer. Something within me was holding out hope. Suddenly, a tiny sliver of hope – a cancellation on Friday morning meant that I could do something else on my to-do list, or I take Brad up on his invite, and C.J. Mahaney’s quote punched me right in the calendar, which seemed to whisper to me, “If you value leadership, Chris, you might want to see what this summit’s about.”
My mind was made up. “Brad, I’ve got an hour, but I’m coming. Thanks again, see you there.”
It was the best decision I’ve made in weeks. The event was the Global Leadership Summit, and if you’ve heard of it, it lives up to the hype. Greeted by an overwhelmingly enthusiastic and welcoming group, I grabbed my seat, and was mesmerized by Dr. Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School as she discussed the right kind of wrong – the kind of failure that leads to progress, which she deemed “intelligent failure”. For my hour of invested time, I walked away with two pages of practical tips for improving how the Chamber does business – how we serve members, and how we build better communities. Time well spent, thanks to Brad Travelpiece.
I tell you this story to say this – your Chamber will be hosting an event in November that we’re getting increasingly excited about.
We’re calling the event the “Business Leadership Forum," and our theme is empowering business through storytelling. We won’t have the global reach or the six-figure budget of a nationwide event, but we’re doing something that we think will meet our members’ exact interests:
Hyper-local: We’re hosting the event at the Pine Barn Inn in Danville, and it’ll feature local business leaders who will tell stories about the lessons they’ve learned.
Practical: Practical advice and tips across various facets of business will come from leaders in engaging panels, keynotes and roundtables about topics such as customer experience and marketing.
It’s designed with for-profits in mind: We’re proud to support the work of the Community Giving Foundation’s Elevate2 Conference in October, which is designed for nonprofits. This is not that. This is meant to be one day that you take to hear the empowering stories of leadership from our business community and celebrate all the great things that we have going in Columbia and Montour Counties. Nonprofits are welcome because they’re businesses too, but we’re geared up to hear stories from local industry, and we’re thrilled with our lineup.
The date matters: November 6 will be an interesting day – regardless of the outcome from the day before, we’re hoping to bring a voice of gentleness, leadership, kindness, and hope after a contentious election season. We’ll discuss what leadership means to each of us as we care for customers and employees.
The foundation is already built: You’ve been to our Leadercast events, and our Rise & Thrive Breakfasts. The foundation for this event is already on solid ground. It’s a blend of Leadership Central Penn, Rise & Thrive, and the Holiday Open House – for its content, look, and networking feel. It’s designed to be fun and educational.
It’s about the Chamber getting out of the way, and our members being front-and-center.
I would have missed out on some great programming if I’d not made time to take up Brad Travelpiece’s invitation to attend GLS.
Consider this your invitation to take me up on mine. Join the Chamber on November 6, and hear the stories that unite our region. I promise it’ll be worth it.
Registration for Business Leadership Forum is now open.
Special thanks to Geisinger, the Business Leadership Forum's Founding Sponsor!