When I last saw one of my smart, loving, mommy friends…one of those grandmothers they speak of who rise up to save the world…she spoke of a video that’s inspired her:
Continue readingMore to the Story…
Book Review: Small List Big Results by Robbie Samuels
I recently made a good time investment reading “Small List Big Results” by Robbie Samuels. Here, he shows how it’s not the size of our network, but how we work it that makes the difference, offering “step-by-step guidance on how to wake up your network, discover likely prospects and likely referral partners, co-create the offer, and run a pilot.”
I met Robbie over 20 years ago when he was still figuring out who he was. At that time, he already had it more together than I suspect I ever will. At the same time, he was already helping more people more deeply and more profoundly than I can fathom. What he did for me was probably just day to day being for him. For me it was lifelong priceless…on a multitude of levels.
Robbie is one of the best teachers I have ever experienced. He is exceptionally patient, gracious and empathetic, while at the same time incredibly straight forward, organized and practical. A life-long learner, he is committed to continually improving himself at least as much as anyone else around him. All the while, he shares as he grows.
This latest book, “Small List Big Results” captures all of that. It is honest, open and intensely useful. Here, he brings an incredible wealth of experience, study and personal reflection together to gently yet firmly guide you to reach out to others and determine your best plan of action.
The major thrust is clear, and the strategy clearly articulated at a level of detail that most would gloss over. The golden nuggets he drops in passing are deeply valuable. One might think all this might result in something mildly unwieldy, but it’s a quick read that gets you immediately into action.
I recommend it, and everything else he offers highly.
Robbie was mentioned here before when he leapt out in 2020 to help people create better Zoom experiences. That program has evolved and now has a waiting list. I have also long appreciated his thoughts on Croissants vs. Bagels. Here’s a Tedx Talk on that. You can also follow him on Facebook. His “On the Schmooze” podcast is really good!
Girls Inc. of Long Island: Strong. Smart. Bold.
It was a privilege to witness Girl’s Inc of Long Island produce their Annual Gala. As an organizational wonk and a human being, I instantly fell in love with these strong, smart, empowering women, the folks they draw into their fold, and their skilled passion for the girls it is their job to nurture.
Continue readingSupport Your Local Scout Troop
Katie’s own son, Max, is the Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 205 in Syosset. Above, you can see him with some fellow Scouts gathering food for those in need last summer.
Continue readingThe Servant Leader
I’ve had the fortune to experience leadership from both sides of the fence, both effective and ineffective. In today’s world, so many claim to be good leaders or declare others to be good leaders, but how do we know if that’s true? Do we ask their bosses? Their subordinates? Do we compare them to history’s great leaders? Or do we judge them by their actions?
Continue readingCommunity Leadership, Chapter 4: Leadership and the Dianne Parker Direction
Dianne Parker, the original Executive Director of Leadership and the Huntington Township Chamber Foundation with an early dedicated sponsor, Robert Scheiner of H2M Architects & Engineers. Photo by Katheryn Laible
Diversity.
This concept of developing leaders from all groups in a community certainly influenced Dianne Parker’s thinking. Dianne Parker was Executive Director of Leadership Huntington. We must say Dianne is a serious, intelligent business entrepreneur with a love of nature and art. She also has an earnest interest in people and all their cultural diversity.
Over the last 20 years, we have developed a great appreciation of how she crafted the Leadership Program and what she brought to it. One of her most important tenets being diversity of class member’s may lead you to ask, “Why?”
The answer is because it is important to bring people together so they may learn from each other and cross economic, cultural, gender, and educational lines. Many class members have expressed revelations and new understanding of other people and their circumstances while they were in the diversity rich environment of Leadership Huntington. Libby Hubbard, past Chamber Foundation President, commented that the class mix leads to a broader view of the community.
People have at times had an opinion that only those in positions of authority or higher status should go through the program. Those opinions ring hollow in my experience. That limiting concept would hamper the effect of experiential leadership. Many Leadership Huntington graduates have gone on to help build organizations and create non- profits that benefit many folks.
Why is diversity important? The answer is because it is important to bring people together so they may learn from each other and cross economic, cultural, gender, and educational lines. Many class members have expressed revelations and new understanding of other people and their circumstances while they were in the diversity rich environment of Leadership Huntington. Libby Hubbard, past Chamber Foundation President, commented that the class mix leads to a broader view of the community.
Larry Kushnick, Esq. Class of ’97, God rest his soul, said Leadership Huntington gave him the confidence to start his own law practice. He also helped get many local organizations started. Another young woman found her own voice and advanced in her family’s business because she now had the confidence to articulate her own worth. She, too, became instrumental to many positive community endeavors. Sometimes, the impact is very personal, which is good because community leadership starts at home. One gentleman in my class remarked, after going through temperament exercises, that he now understood why his wife was so different. Awe, clarification and understanding.
The notion that leaders can be developed, who as a direct result transform communities to be stronger and more effective, is a concept derived from the exploration, experiences and observations of community organizations like the Chamber Foundation and that group of committed individuals. To quote Ken Christensen, past Chamber Foundation member, “everywhere he goes there is a Leadership Huntington grad involved.”
This is very good. Community leadership is critical to building effective, inclusive communities which work for all citizens. It is hard to imagine an effective community which isn’t full of committed, engaged, involved and evolving volunteer leaders, servant leaders, and community trustees.
Change is everywhere. Communities change, issues change, circumstances change, demographics change. Leadership programs must change, too. The program that seems to work today won’t tomorrow. Community education isn’t enough. We must endeavor in an ongoing fashion to equip leaders with skills and processes that will serve them when and wherever they encounter a leadership challenge.
One class a year isn’t enough to create leaderful communities. One format does not fit all. We encourage all with experience and insight to think of yourselves as leadership development arms of your community, and of all the implications for change that concept implies.
Diversity is very important concept, and not an easy one to accomplish, but it makes such a rich learning environment. We have separated ourselves so much over the years we have missed the richness of diversity. One can only hope we may work toward that concept for a rich future.
We hope you can take away some bits of wisdom from the idea of diversity and the concepts that are suggested. Stay tuned, Chapter 5 is next!
Thanks for reading.
Trudy & Craig
This is very good. Community leadership is critical to building effective, inclusive communities which work for all citizens. It is hard to imagine an effective community which isn’t full of committed, engaged, involved and evolving volunteer leaders, servant leaders, and community trustees.
Spencer’s Picks: Overcoming Pandemic Fatigue; Art, Science & Suggested Solutions; The Happiness of a Dog
Photo of Dr. Spencer Thomas atop the Uffizi in Florence, Italy. Photo by Katheryn Laible
As usual, when he’s not scrying into the mysteries of metals at the atomic level, or pondering puzzles of more efficient means of tapping energy, Dr. Thomas is bringing some light into our life. Here are a few of the things he’s brought to our attention:
Now that we’re about a month into the college semester with social distancing and remote learning, a lot of people I know are feeling a bit of a drag. You are not alone: Lonliness at Pandemic U: 14 tips for college students and their parents
Along similar themes, but more for everyone:: Your Surge Capacity is Depleted. This is Why You Feel Awful (and a couple good things you can do about it)
One thing that’s helpful is — to help! Here is a heartwarming and inspiring story from one of my very favorite professors from back in my undergrad time at Stony Brook. Bente Videbaek is an amazing person who has been working hard to make sure people have masks Facebook Page: “Humans of Mather Hospital”
When you feel a bit grounded and ready to stare some of the bigger challenges facing humanity in the face: Countdown is a global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis. One of the speakers, Dr. Rose Mutiso, is a friend of mine – we were graduate students together. She’s the incredible CEO of the Mawazo Institute, which supports women scientists and leaders throughout East Africa. She has also spoken at TED and written in Scientific American about the challenges that people in Africa face building digital and clean-energy infrastructure.
One for the Coltrane fans out there: The most feared song in jazz, explained. It’s not too hard for a layman to follow this breakdown of “Giant Steps,” even as it’s still among the most challenging things a musician may face
Finally, no big point here, but a bit of joy for you since we could all use it: The happiness of this dog after they put prostheses on
Spencer Thomas received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. After some time at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, we are DELIGHTED to welcome him back to Long Island as a researcher at Stony Brook University. He also happens to be Katie’s brother. For a time, Spencer studied metals at the atomic level; the way atoms are arranged in a material can change its properties; one can take ordinary metals make them stronger, more flexible, corrosion resistant, even radiation resistant. We’re still endeavoring to understand what he’s doing now well enough to explain it so simply.
Spencer believes that no matter who you are, good communication can put scientific concepts within reach. The modern world demands scientific literacy and it is the responsibility of scientists to make that possible.
The Breakfast Club is Back, Offering Comfort and Inspiration to the Unemployed
Valentina Janek’s vocation is to show that she is unstoppable, and so are you!
She is pleased to announce that meetings of the Long Island Breakfast Club, which is designed to uplift and inspire middle aged folks who are out of work, have resumed.
When: Saturdays, November 14th and December 12th at 9am
Where: G’s Club, 157 Hempstead Ave, W. Hempstead
To RSVP: Email vjanek@optonline.net
So have meetings of the Long Island Writer’s Club designed to help you get that book written!
When: Tuesdays November 17th and December 15th at 6pm
Where: G’s Club, 157 Hempstead Ave, W. Hempstead
Fee: $30
To Register: Email vjanek@optonline.net or call 516-314-8989
Additionally, their LI Breakfast Show, billed as Long Island’s #1 Talk show, has a new website! She recommends you tune in and check out “The Foodies” with their regular reviews of LI restaurants. Tina Valentina & Gregg Cajuste are confident they offer the best Podcast at G’s Club twice a week as well as a new YouTube Channel. Most recently, check out their 100th Show on You Tube. For sponsorships, contact vjanek@optonline.net or call 516-314-8989.
The Adventures of Craig & Trudy Chapter 3: Lesson in Community Trusteeship, The Huntington Township Chamber Foundation
Libby Hubbard and Arthur Goldstein, two extraordinary community trustees of the Town of Huntington. Photo by Katheryn Laible
The Early History of the Huntington Township Chamber Foundation
Leadership Huntington was founded by members of the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce. Longtime Board Member. Ken Christensen attributes the very beginning of any mention of a leadership program to Dick Bornstein a fellow chamber board member. Dick traveled to a national chamber training program every year. He brought home news of a leadership program he thought they should consider. No one took up the idea until sometime later, although The Chamber did run a one-time program called “Practical Politics.”
At that time, The Chamber’s board included a number of members who were passionate about serving the community. One big idea they had was to start a childcare center. In order to do this and other things, they needed a mechanism by which they could accept donations, essentially a 501(c)3. So, the Chamber created “The Chamber Foundation.” It was chaired by Libby Hubbard, assisted by Ken Christensen, Jill Tane and others. While Libby was forming the foundation, Dick Bornstein suggested applying for a state grant to help get the childcare center started. The grant application needed a total list of everything a child care center would need to start operation and a budget.. Libby contacted Katie Roach, a local child care center owner, who was able to give them all the details for the grant in very short order. That contributed to the success of the grant.
With receipt of the grant the Foundation hired an Executive Director, Dianne Parker, to put together this child care center, as well as a health care facility for the community and other work. At that time Arthur Goldstein, a local attorney was the Chamber Board President. For the Health care facility Arthur and Dianne were looking at a warehouse on Pulaski Road used by Huntington Hospital for storage. Long story short, Arthur negotiated a variance for a bathroom which helped make the space suitable. He was so successful in selling the idea that, next thing you know, they were ordering an MRI machine. He also found a state grant and county money to move this along, and convinced two people from Huntington Hospital to be on the new health care facility’s Board of Directors. This is how what is now known as the “Northwell Health Dolan Family Health Center” came to be.
To say Arthur was a catalyst for good is an understatement. I wish I had more interaction with him. What a wonderful human.
To say Arthur was a catalyst for good is an understatement. I wish I had more interaction with him. What a wonderful human.
The Power of Community Trustees
This group of people, some whose names I have mentioned, some I haven’t and never met, had a vision for their community. These people were and are Servant Leaders, or Community Trustees.
By that I mean they took seriously the notion that community leadership is:
- Fundamentally an act of service to the common good
- About first endeavoring in cooperation with others to understand the big picture, the components and how they work together
- About then empowering those served to envision their preferred future, and to realize their own unique roles in achieving it.
This approach reflects a life-transforming attitude for both the individuals and communities that embrace it. With the advent of the over 1000 Community Leadership programs it has inspired, it has strengthened and transformed communities nationwide by encouraging lifelong learning across interests and perspectives, and by actively strengthening relationships throughout communities.
Community Trusteeship has changed attitudes and helped participants become more effective local leaders. By focusing on exploring the deepest values of participants, it improves both sense of self and empathy for others. It advances clarity of purpose, deepening and broadening awareness, respect for diversity on multiple levels, and both the desire and ability to serve the community for the common good.
The Importance of Trust
The phrase “Community Trusteeship” identifies a key ingredient that is fundamental to a healthy community, and is too often lacking today: TRUST.
Greed, dishonesty, divisiveness, corruption, and acting exclusively in one’s own self-interest without regard to others destroys trust. Even without theses being actively perpetrated, lack of human connection fosters disbelief, skepticism, and suspicion. Lack of trust destroys relationships, undermines institutions and makes it difficult if not impossible to bring about effective solutions and public goods.
Trust requires honesty, mutual understanding, faith, predictability, and integrity. Earning trust is an act of the heart. Giving trust is an offering of vulnerability in good faith that it will be honored. When demonstrated by individuals who act in an unselfish manner to consider each other’s interests as fundamental to their own, it is a powerful benefit to society.
Community leaders who hold their communities in trust model commitment and caring competence. They recognize that each of our self interests is bound up in the health and well being of the whole. In this, Trustees provide deep service and leadership to individuals and organizations. At the same time, they empower the development of these people and organizations who comprise the communities they serve.
Trust requires honesty, mutual understanding, faith, predictability, and integrity. Earning trust is an act of the heart. Giving trust is an offering of vulnerability in good faith that it will be honored. When demonstrated by individuals who act in an unselfish manner to consider each other’s interests as fundamental to their own, it is a powerful benefit to society.
Community Trusteeship is an act of caring commitment that transcends narrow self interest to serve the whole community; taking responsibility for and acting on behalf of the common good, and endeavoring to help individual interests find a healthy place as part of the whole.
The concept reminds us that leadership is not about us; that our communities are complex organizations that existed before us and will continue long after we have moved on. It honors those who came before, endeavoring to understand their triumphs and tribulations, and the issues overcome and still before us. It recognizes the contributions that created and preserved the amenities we value today. It recognizes our duty to protect and enhance these resources effectively holding them in trust for those who will follow.
Community Trusteeship is more about personal commitment than specific skills, even as its execution is much about identifying strengths and then coordinating and putting them to good use. In this, it is at least as much about interaction as it is about individual action; a commitment to continued learning, relationship development, and endeavoring in service to the whole.
I am grateful that those who formed the Huntington Chamber Foundation and participated in all its good works took these concepts to heart. I hope that you will, too.
Uplifting Nonprofits
Image provided by Sonia Saleh
While we agree Zoom can be exhausting we are delighted to find that through it, our social media, good old fashioned telephones and dear associates, we have been able to keeping making new friends through the pandemic.
One who has intrigued us is Sonia Saleh of Uplifting Nonprofits. A decade ago, Sonia decided to apply her long experience in hospitality relationship management and her passion for helping people market their creativity to help nonprofits double their fundraising results and provide leadership training and coaching.
“Doubling fundraising results of both board members and staff is my specialty,” says Sonia, “Knowing that resolving struggles, anxieties, and worries about fundraising is one of the biggest challenges for nonprofits, I created my signature program ‘Unleash Your Inner Fundraiser,’ which teaches how to ask for donations with confidence and ease.”
We’ve only just met, but hit it off pretty quickly.A lifelong learner and joyous networker, she is also a long time Rotarian.
One thing she’s turned us on to is this podcast she finds enriching: School of Greatness Podcast by Lewis Howes is one of the top-ranked Business and Self-Development podcasts on iTunes, its content ranges from interviews with “incredible world-class game changers in entrepreneurship, health, athletics, mindset, and relationships, to solo rounds with the host,”