Tag Archives: leadership

Climbing Up and Reaching Down

By Kim Fernandez, CAE

Larry Culp, CEO of General Electric, has been in the news a lot this week. I must admit that I didn’t know who he was until last winter, when my daughter and a tiny college in a tiny town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore chose each other. I told a neighbor about it when I ran into her walking dogs, and she said “Oh, you know, Larry Culp went there,” sending me scurrying for Google when I got home.

A few months later, the college hosted an online gathering for its incoming freshman class–and Larry Culp. I expected him to stay on the call for five minutes, maybe read a carefully worded statement about his affection for the school and some keys to achieving success, and make his exit.

What actually happened is that he talked a bit about the school and the town, shared his love for his farm nearby, told the students about the small shops and restaurants he’s invested in the little downtown and invited him to try them and let him know what they thought, and then stayed for quite some time answering whatever questions they wanted to throw at him. He was friendly, approachable, insightful, funny, instantly likeable, and more than generous with his evening, even after what I can only imagine was a very busy day of work that probably hadn’t ended yet.

The school’s entire student population is less than 1,500–super tiny by university standards. Culp spent that evening with less than a quarter of that number, sharing his appreciation for the school, the lessons (in and out of the classroom) he credits with his success (in and out of the boardroom), and without saying it, the value of giving back. Lots of people in his position make generous monetary contributions that make a huge difference and he has too, but this was different. He took the time and energy to reach back down the ladder from his top rung and start encouraging others up. And that’s something.

Kim Fernandez, CAE, is IPMI’s director of publications.

 

Rethinking Leadership, Workplaces, and Why Places are Important

Partnership of business concept. Business network.By Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP BD+C

The last 18 months have challenged leaders in every home office and corner of the world. Whether you are leading a large staff or a small but mighty team, the way we work together is fundamentally different (and yet very much the same).  Many leaders will be ready to leave remote work and get staff back to the office in a return to the familiar patterns and schedules that shaped our professional lives. Yet many aren’t quite ready to do that, as demonstrated by a hesitancy to return to work as we knew it.  The nature of work has been evolving for some time. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated these changes and made evident both our resistance to change as well as our resiliency and adaptability.

At a fundamental level, there are significant budgetary and logistical challenges faced by our industry. How do our teams shift their work and operations while leveraging technology to be more efficient as we move forward? Our industry is innovating and learning every day–our members, bloggers, authors, and volunteers share their thoughts and insights as we navigate these questions together.

As an industry, we are focused on revenue recovery and rebuilding our operations and programming. We are also focused on the health and well-being of our families, teams, and communities. In the face of the pandemic, we were all forced to take a step back in the interest of that well-being.

Our people are our greatest asset, and leaders must recognize that their teams have been subject to a period of prolonged stress and trauma. Industry professionals learned (and continue to work through) tough lessons leading teams that became remote overnight.  We may need to adapt and cultivate skills sets that may not have been as essential in the past. Emotionally mature and relational leaders are needed now, more than ever.

Temple University Fox School of Business Real Estate Program & Temple Real Estate Organization (TREO) hosted the “Real Estate Optimization and Social Infrastructure in a Post-COVID World Symposium” recently. Panelists and speakers addressed how real estate can and should respond post-pandemic to shifting trends.  Kay Sargent, director of workplace at HOK, emphasized that the return to normal shouldn’t be placed on autopilot. Her comments (paraphrased here) struck me as both insightful and difficult to answer: Returning to the office of yesterday is not the answer. What does the workplace of the future look like? How do we create and rebuild social capital and rethink the importance of place, and embrace a human-centric standpoint to create better workplaces and communities at large?  Let’s talk about it–please share your thoughts with us!

Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP BD+C, is IPMI’s vice president of program development.

Leading with Authentic Concern

Business people shaking handsBy Brian Wolff

Leading in good times is challenging enough, and with all that has happened this year, the degree of difficulty has escalated by a factor of at least two. Today’s leader must be able to connect with their people on a different level to be effective.

As a leader, my teammates want to know I am leveling with them all the time. It doesn’t really matter if this is their first job or if they’ve been on the job for 20 years–people respond better when you speak the truth, even if that truth is bad news.

We call that being authentic or operating with authentic concern, which simply means demonstrating that you value the other person enough to provide positive and negative feedback with empathy, without patronizing them with false praise or treating them as a tool to get a job done.

There are many facets to authentic concern, but it starts with doing what you said you were going to do. A phrase I borrow from my old boss is “thought, word, deed.” In the end, leaders must do all they can to create an environment where people feel safe to express their true feelings, knowing the recipient will listen and consider another perspective. We don’t always have to agree, but we do owe our colleagues a commitment to being open to ideas and their point of view.

Of course, authentic concern can’t just be a cute phrase on the wall; it must deliver business value. In fact, my experience is that when leaders operate with authentic concern, their people follow the lead and deliver authentic concern to their customers. Customers feel that authenticity and return the favor with their dollars and loyalty, creating a virtuous cycle of fulfilled employees and repeat customers.

Brian Wolff is president and CEO of Parker Technology. He will present on this topic during IPMI’s 2020 Leadership Summit, online, Oct. 6-8. For details and to register, click here.

IPMI Webinar: Teleworking: An Alternate Mobility Mode. Presented by Perry H. Eggleston, CAPP & Ramon Zavala University of California at Davis.

Teleworking: An Alternate Mobility Mode

Perry H. Eggleston, CAPP, DPA; Executive Director for Transportation Services; University of California at Davis

Ramon Zavala, Transportation Demand Manager, UC Davis Transportation Services

We are currently launching a new member portal. Please contact us at professionaldevelopment@parking-mobility.org to register.

Or purchase the entire 2021 professional development series bundle.


Rahm Emanuel said, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”

Last year brought discussions of campus closures, telelearning, and teleworking. Within a week, these discussions were reality. When the awareness that this COVID thing would last longer than a few weeks, we started to look at how the lull could be used to keep the momentum of teleworking going as a demand-reduction tool.

To address all the issues for making teleworking an ongoing mobility strategy, we created a telework committee. Stakeholders from human resources, technology, safety and ergonomics, employee/union relations, communications, and finance. Transportation Services coordinates the committee, which will address the physical, legal, supervisory, and training issues and keep teleworking a viable mobility option into the future.

Attendees will:

  • Illustrate how teleworking is a mobility advantage.
  • Recognize the institutional needs of a teleworking program.
  • Detail best practices and measure the effectiveness of amnesty and relief programs for constituents and revenue recovery efforts.

Offers 1 CAPP Credit towards application or recertification.


Presenters:

Perry H. Eggleston, CAPP, DPA; Executive Director for Transportation Services; UC Davis Transportation Services

Perry Eggleston, CAPP, DPA, has more than 25 years’ experience developing, refining, and implementing mobility programs as an officer, supervisor, manager, director, consultant, and executive director. In his career, he has served organizations in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Texas. He is an active member of the IPMI and California Public Parking Association.

Ramon Zavala, Transportation Demand Manager, UC Davis Transportation Services

Ramon Zavala holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from UC Irvine, where he began his work in transportation demand management. After seven years with UCI’s Transportation department, he transferred to UC Davis’ Transportation Services, where he manages the TDM program, transit relations, and overseeing the overseeing the bicycle program.

 

Register here.

 

 

 

 

What’s the Answer, Part II

Diversity Management blogBy David Feehan

As I thought about my previous blog, I realized that there is much I wanted to say but did not. I raised the issue of diversity in the parking industry and even looked to our leadership at IPMI to ask if we were doing enough.

But having just concluded a town meeting sponsored by Leadership Montgomery, the leadership program where I live, I realized that my life journey has a bearing on how I view the issue of race, and I wanted to share some experiences with those of you in our profession.

I am a native of Minneapolis. I grew up in a racially mixed community in that city’s Northside, and became acquainted with discrimination at an early age. My best friend, who was African American, thought we should look for jobs in a neighboring business district. But when I proposed a day of cold calling on businesses, he told me he had tried that and been told by several proprietors, “we don’t hire n***rs here.” He told me without a letter of introduction from the Urban League, there was no way that he would endure that kind of humiliation again.

When we started college, I found a job at a major downtown financial firm. When I told my supervisor I had a friend who needed a job and was a college student, my supervisor told me that if my friend was Black, he could apply for a position as a janitor or on the loading dock. This company did not hire Black people in sales or management.

These were only a few of the examples of overt racism I witnessed as the years went by. Redlining was common in housing; discrimination in employment was frequent and almost expected. Black business owners were few and generally limited to barber shops, beauty salons, and bars.

Today, I am 75 years old. I have been married to a beautiful African American woman for 32 years. We have two biracial sons and four multiracial grandchildren. But the recent incidents involving murders of Black people, sometimes by police officers, leaves me searching for answers.

The parking industry has made great strides since I joined IPMI’s predecessor back in the 1990s. The board has become more diverse, and I know CEO Shawn Conrad has worked tirelessly to encourage a more diverse industry at all levels. But perhaps the incidents of the last few days have made us aware that the job is not finished. We have the talent and the courage as a vital industry to look once again at what we do and seek new ways to welcome people of color into our field. Perhaps a partnership with HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) is worth exploring. I proposed that when I was president of the International Downtown Association, but it never came to fruition. Let’s put heads together and see what more we can do.

David Feehan is president of Civitas Consultants, LLC.

 

Free IPMI Webinar: Self-Care for Leaders During Crisis

Offered by Presented By: Andi Campbell, Senior Vice President, People and Culture, LAZ Parking.

Access the recording here

Navigating the “usual” leadership and management work, coupled with providing 24/7 consult, comfort and crisis-management for COVID-19 pandemic, has become the new normal for industry leaders. But, the emotional impact of urgent demands – like developing new policies and managing mass furloughs – is taking its toll.  Considering that most of us are working remotely, while doing a dance to also maintain normalcy for family life outside of work, it’s no surprise that leaders in our community are feeling exhausted. Come prepared to think about how we maintain personal and professional well-being, and how we can safely help our employees get back to work.  Andi offers real, immediate takeaway strategies to help you and your team stay well.

 

About Andi

Andi Campbell is a workplace behavior expert with an emphasis in strategic talent management. As the SVP of People and Culture for LAZ Parking, she leads human resources for LAZ’s 15,000+ employees across the U.S.  Prior to joining LAZ in 2012, Andi was the VP of Learning & Development for LPL Financial.  She was listed as one of the “Top 40 Young Trainers” by Training Magazine in 2012 and a “Game Changer” by Workforce Magazine in 2014, as well as having received acclaim in CLO, ELearning and Parking Magazines for her work with people strategies.  She speaks at many events, conferences and organizations about her cutting-edge work with people and culture initiatives at LAZ Parking. Andi was a featured speaker at TEDx Hartford in 2017 (“Bringing Humans Back to Work”) and a speaker at DisruptHR 1.0 in Hartford in 2018 (“HR on the Frontline of the Self-Care Revolution”).  In addition to having a master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, she is a yoga teacher, a certified intuitive coach, an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, a black belt in karate and is best known for giving hugs, not handshakes!

Free to IPMI Members. Pre-registration required.

Sign up here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Free Online Shoptalk: Leadership on Their Terms to Ease Stress and Enable Focus

Wednesday May 6, 2020- 2:00 PM EST

Free Online Shoptalk: Leadership on Their Terms to Ease Stress and Enable Focus

Free to all Industry Professionals

Access the Recording here

IPMI invites all industry professionals in parking, transportation, and mobility to discuss how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted your various mobility programs and options, including how we plan for municipal on street operations post COVID-19.

Now more than ever, empathy, self-awareness, and sensitivity are key aspects to leading teams and maintaining healthy relationships (just ask any celebrity busted on social media for complaining about cabin fever from their palatial home). Meeting employees where their heads are to communicate change, celebrate success, and break bad news are the leadership qualities that win the day in today’s environment.

If you’re leading others and, would like to go from good to better or haven’t really had to lean on these aspects of leadership until now, this online Shoptalk will be well worth your time. Join Colleen Niese and Vicki Pero from The Marlyn Group for a highly interactive session to discuss key strategies and take away easy-to-implement tactics to ensure your leadership from a distance will:

Objectives:

·        Make decisions that consider team members needs in a COVID-19 world.

·        Help manage stress for your team and you(!).

·        Support all in accomplishing the work at hand with as much focus as can be expected.

 

Speakers:

Niese headshotColleen M. Niese, SPHR understanding of what makes a business tick comes from her nearly 25 years of parking industry experience, and her insatiable curiosity about high-performing business.

With a background in leading an international shared services center to then consulting in strategic HR and customer service to now overseeing new business development, sales and client relations for Zephire, the people-first complete monthly parking solution, Colleen is well versed when it comes to a parking operator’s priorities in managing seamless monthly parking.  She possesses a unique skillset to listen to a client’s needs and connecting Zephire’s holistic solution to each individual’s expectation.  In her spare time, Colleen is a hopeless Cleveland Browns fan (there’s always next year!).

 

 

Leadership is Not Complicated

Leadership business developmentBy Perry H Eggleston, CAPP, DPA

During the last 30 years, I have seen much written and taught on leadership. I attended leadership courses and read many books that provided step-by-step instruction. I became overwhelmed with all the “right” ways to become a leader. I did realize that leadership is a skill and while many natural leaders can come to mind, the rest of us must learn on our own.

So, where do you start? Every organization is interested in leadership and would like its employees to exhibit those skills. However, we all know there are varying levels of investment by those same organizations. In my first career, as a law-enforcement officer in California, the state organization for peace officer standards and training provided several classes, including an intense nine-month leadership course for sergeants. This was my first formal course on leadership and the course reviewed many different types of books and films on the subject.

Dictionary.com defines leadership as “The action of leading a specific group or organization.” What is the action of leading? Each piece of literature or film contained their version(s) of the action of leadership. Finding a starting point is difficult using any of these recommended actions. However, I discovered a more natural way.

As I studied leadership theories and styles, I saw two common themes: the first in the goal of leadership—the creation of active organizations utilizing teams. The second is caring for the people in these teams. Include these themes and you will be well on your way to becoming an effective leader.

Perry Eggleston, CAPP, DPA, is executive director for transportation at University of California Davis. He will present on this topic during the 2020 IPMI Virtual Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo, June 1-2, wherever you are. Click here for details and to register.

Free Online Shoptalk: Leading Remote Teams and Best Practices

Wednesday April 22, 2020 – 2:00 PM EST

Free Online Shoptalk: Leading Remote Team & Best Practices

Pre-Registration is required to attend

Free for all Industry Professsionals

Access the recording here

IPMI invites all industry professionals in parking, transportation, and mobility to discuss how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted your various mobility programs and options, including managing employees from home and best practices for working from home. We understand this is an extremely busy time and will record the online shoptalk and distribute to all members and colleagues.

Working from home comes with its perks, but also its challenges and frustrations. Join us to collaborate about how we’re managing people, organizations, and our own work and time while working from home during COVID-19. Bring your questions and the solutions that have worked for you for a discussion about the best ways to keep our companies, staffs, and selves at our best while the office is where we live.

If you have a question or would like to share something that has worked for your organization in advance, please email Fernandez@parking-mobility.org.

 

Moderator:

Vanessa Solesbee headshotVanessa Solesbee, CAPP, is Parking & Transit Manager for the Town of Estes Park, Colorado. In her role, Vanessa manages on- and off-street parking for a small mountain community that welcomes 4.5 million visitors each summer. Vanessa also manages Estes Transit, a free seasonal shuttle system with five routes serving 55 stops throughout the Estes Valley. Vanessa is currently leading one of the Town’s four COVID-19 operational response teams focused on accelerated economic and business recovery.  Vanessa is also President of The Solesbee Group, LLC (TSG), a management consultancy founded in 2013. TSG specializes in designing public involvement processes that support parking, transportation and mobility planning efforts for cities and universities. Vanessa was also part of Kimley-Horn’s parking planning practice from 2015-2017.

Free Online Shoptalk: Leadership on Their Terms to Ease Stress and Enable Focus


Free Online Shoptalk: Leadership on Their Terms to Ease Stress and Enable Focus

Download the Shoptalk here.

IPMI invites all industry professionals in parking, transportation, and mobility to discuss how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted your various mobility programs and options, including how we plan for municipal on street operations post COVID-19.

Now more than ever, empathy, self-awareness, and sensitivity are key aspects to leading teams and maintaining healthy relationships (just ask any celebrity busted on social media for complaining about cabin fever from their palatial home). Meeting employees where their heads are to communicate change, celebrate success, and break bad news are the leadership qualities that win the day in today’s environment.

If you’re leading others and, would like to go from good to better or haven’t really had to lean on these aspects of leadership until now, this online Shoptalk will be well worth your time. Join Colleen Niese and Vicki Pero from The Marlyn Group for a highly interactive session to discuss key strategies and take away easy-to-implement tactics to ensure your leadership from a distance will:

Objectives:

  • Make decisions that consider team members needs in a COVID-19 world.
  • Help manage stress for your team and you(!).
  • Support all in accomplishing the work at hand with as much focus as can be expected.

Moderator: 

Niese headshotColleen M. Niese, SPHR understanding of what makes a business tick comes from her nearly 25 years of parking industry experience, and her insatiable curiosity about high-performing business.

With a background in leading an international shared services center to then consulting in strategic HR and customer service to now overseeing new business development, sales and client relations for Zephire, the people-first complete monthly parking solution, Colleen is well versed when it comes to a parking operator’s priorities in managing seamless monthly parking.  She possesses a unique skillset to listen to a client’s needs and connecting Zephire’s holistic solution to each individual’s expectation.  In her spare time, Colleen is a hopeless Cleveland Browns fan (there’s always next year!).