Saying Goodbye to the Dome; A Legacy of Leadership
An interview with Steve Mermell
By Larry Hammond
The City of Pasadena, California, with a population of approximately 140,000, is the 44th largest city in California. Pasadena is a complex city for a municipality of its relative proportions. It operates more like a large city than one of comparable size. It is known around the world for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and the Tournament of Roses Parade. It is also the home to California institute of Technology, the ArtCenter College of Design, and other internationally known institutions.
The city’s complexities extend to managing a truly diverse population, ethnically and economically, as well as a deep historical commitment to its cultural and physical structures. First, it owns and operates a football stadium and does not have a football team. It operates its own water and power department that supplies water, sewer services and electricity to Pasadena residents and businesses. It has its own police and fire departments with over five hundred dedicated public safety staff that includes a helicopter operation. Running a city that is laser focused on its citizens’ diverse needs, with over 2,300 employees and has an annual budget approaching $1 billion, takes a certain type of dedication and leadership. Enter, Steven B. Mermell, who served as this city’s city manager from 2016 through 2021.
Steven B. Mermell
Pasadena City Manager (2016-2021)
Before becoming the city manager, Steve’s more than 30-year stent with the city included serving as assistant city manager, finance director, budget administrator and purchasing administrator, just to name a few. Steve’s resume states that his areas of expertise include improving operations, municipal budgeting, policy analysis and project management and that he has a history of creative problem-solving, building consensus and strategic management.
I went on to explore Steve’s journey to become city manager and I asked him what he thought helped him to ascend to this position. He replied that he believed that his writing ability and analytical skills gave him a leg up. These attributes helped him to shine and get noticed. He also sees himself as a generalist which allowed him the flexibility to work in a variety of roles and not to be pigeon-holed in one area.
Steve said that one of the things that he believes made him successful in bringing his team together was that he never saw himself the smartest person in the room, “you can’t be totally egocentric and be an effective leader.” Success requires a team effort. You pull from their strengths, manage weaknesses, and support the team. He relied on his team to get things done. During the COVID Pandemic he met daily with his leadership team to assess the situation and discuss options. “When facing a problem, you are just looking for an answer.” He says that he does not have to be the person with the innovative idea but that he knows a good idea when he hears one.
Then, there was the response to COVID. While this certainly was an extraordinary event for all cities and was challenging for all municipal leaders, Steve pointed out that one of the major highlights of the pandemic was that the City of Pasadena did not lay off any employees as a result of the shutdown. This was not the case for many other cities. All staff pitched in to help get through the crisis. “The staff responded fabulously! It was a true team response. The pandemic rolled out in a crazy way. We all thought that the shutdown was only going to be a brief time.” As we know, that was not the case. The shutdown dragged out for months and the pandemic continued to get worse. Steve took immense pride in the team he was able to put together. During the pandemic, he saw them come together and do an amazing job keeping vital services going in Pasadena. Staff were eager and able to step in and help wherever needed to keep things going. When a crisis occurs, a talented team will rally and work collectively to keep operations functioning. This is the sign of good leadership. No one person gets through tough situations alone. Amassing a strong and capable team will help ensure that an organization can be agile and adapt to any situation.
After becoming city manager, and having been awfully familiar with the city’s budget, Steve knew that there were short and long - term issues that needed to be addressed. He immediately began to focus on these budget concerns. He was instrumental in modifying the contribution agreement with the city’s legacy fire and police pension system that ensured stability in this substantial financial obligation for years to come. The city’s budget needed a long- term structural solution. This problem was addressed, in large part, due to the efforts of Steve Mermell. He was the driving force that pushed a sales tax proposition that won approval by the City Council and the citizens of Pasadena to increase the local sales tax that helped to stabilize the city’s budget. These actions helped to secure the city’s AAA credit rating, a critical factor in fortifying the city’s financial status and borrowing power.
During the lockdown, Steve said that he sent out encouraging messages frequently to uplift the staff. People thanked him for the messages and talked about how much they appreciated personal concern. Leaders can play a key role in encouraging and uplifting staff during tough times. Showing support during a crisis and extolling positivity are crucial to coalescing a team.
When I asked him, what kept him up at night? He replied, “lots of things.” When you go to sleep, there are always five other conversations going on in your head. The city’s budget was a big worry and the times that he had to make big presentations to the City Council usually rose to the top. Concerns with the city’s health department, which was in a serious budget emergency, was one of the issues that caused him to lose sleep. Pasadena is one of only three cities in the state to operate its own health department. The department is a unique and vital service provider to the city’s residents. It is true benefit was fully revealed during the pandemic. The department was losing $2 million/year out of a $14 million annual budget. This could not be sustained. Helping to rectify this problem is also one of the things that he is most proud to have resolved. The reward comes when you can truly make a difference. “We did right by the people that used the JWCH - Andrew Escaped Clinic – three hundred patients in the clinic receiving care for HIV were about to lose funding. Finding a solution to that issue had an immediate and direct impact on the people needing the services of this vital clinic.” He reflected on a time when he had seen one of the patients on the street. She saw Steve and said the care was even better than before and expressed how happy she was that the clinic was providing excellent assistance to her and the other patients. “Situations like that makes it all worthwhile."
In the leadership realm, there are many different approaches to leading. When asked to describe his leadership style, Steve described himself like this: “I am a shy person. Being out in front is not my first choice.” He said that he had to step into this role and go beyond his comfort level to function in the limelight. He says when he makes decisions, he sticks with them. He says that he tries to always “lead by example” and model the behavior that he would like others to emulate. He always tries to lead with integrity, honesty, and a sense of what is right, what is ethical - even when it would be easier to do something else or not having to tell your boss no.
One of the most important leadership qualities that Steve thought served him well was his ability to compartmentalize issues. He also says that his ability to compartmentalize was a benefit. In the city manager role, you need to be able to go from one extreme situation to another on a dime. While not everything matters equally, every problem is important in one way or another to some facet of the community.
Leaders are often faced with conflicting, often dueling, concepts and issues. Leaders that can effectively compartmentalize, can provide laser focus on complicated matters. The issues concerning local residents, are of paramount importance to various constituencies. As city manager, every issue must be delt with at an appropriate level of concern and diligence. Leaders also must set aside their personal thoughts and feelings to get the work done.
Leaders often have mentors that they look to for inspiration and guidance. When asked did he have a mentor or a leadership figure that he learned from to help him lead, he responded that he did look up to others for inspiration and he also looked at people that did the wrong things where he learned not to follow their example. He saw historical figures like Churchill and Roosevelt as leaders that knew what needed to be done during their challenges. He admired people in the city over the years that had more experience than he did. Great leaders do not operate in a vacuum. We have already established that having a formidable team is key to a leader’s ultimate success. I believe that it is equally important to seek out others that have set to right examples and build on other’s strengths, successes, and mistakes.
“A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”
-- Winston Churchill
This leads into how he managed really difficult situations. He did not consider dealing with problems to be difficult. He sees problems as challenges; “dealing with them is my job.” Of course, problems related to police shootings that legitimately upset members of the public are disconcerting and are “angst ridden” bring about a great deal of anxiety and apprehension throughout the community. Getting to the root causes of these issues are complicated but not insurmountable. Steve believes that there are so few things that are so intractable that they cannot be solved.
He says that “What was difficult is when you have a solution to a problem and now you have to get others to sign on.” One example of this is what to do with the historic YWCA building. In this case, there was a solution placed on the table and for other political reasons the city did not avail itself to the solution on the table. Now the problem continues.
One of the things that is getting lots of attention these days is finding work/life balance particularly in high demanding jobs like his. When asked about how he found balance in his life, he responded, “There was none.” In this job you could get a call from the police chief in the middle of the night or while you are out to dinner informing you of a situation or even a tragedy that has just occurred in Pasadena. These types of circumstances happened relatively frequently and need to be addressed 24/7. He also stated that the City Council demanded immediate answers and when you have eight bosses that require answers to a variety of issues then you need to be constantly updated on the issues and prepared to provide answers. “You are expected to know everything.” Steve was meticulous in staying on top of emails, text messages and whatever other forms of inquiry or communications that he needed to be addressed.
“Life balance is not really true. That’s a joke.” The idea of letting a text or message wait was not an option for him. That just caused more anxiety. For Steve, it was job first and, yes, his family did suffer for it. Even when traveling on vacation he still responded.
It is a tremendous benefit to knowing the organizational culture but Steve points out that within any large organization, there are many micro cultures. Cultural perceptions for all employees are shaped mostly by their specific experiences in their particular work groups. Getting to work in the different areas gave him a good sense of how the city functioned overall. This was especially important in managing the entire organization. The city is a multipronged organization that does a wide variety of things. It doesn’t just produce one kind of product. The city is responsible for multiple lines of work ranging from many extremes like public safety, water and power, transportation, libraries, to emergency medical care and much, much more. There are certain things that you need to know. “When you have been around as long as I have, you have seen where things have worked and where things have gone wrong. That is a good way to learn stuff. “
A leader’s success is directly associated with their ability to maximize working in their strengths. One of Steve’s dominant strengths is that he is an insatiable learner. This talent has served him well as he has climbed the ladder within the city. His ability to learn new things, coupled with a really good memory, allowed him to move from one job to another with confidence and competence. He also says that his ability to remain calm was a positive attribute. A large part of remaining calm in challenging situations is a leader’s confidence in accepting that their actions are the only thing that they can really control and knowing that those actions will surely find a way out of difficult situations is the root to remaining calm. Also, knowing that difficult situations are a part of life and certainly in jobs like city manager. Problems and difficulties are part of self-development and should be seen as an opportunity to gain experience and learn.
We all have reflections on the decisions that we have made, paths we have chosen and things that, if we could, do differently. When I asked Steve, what would he have done differently if he had the chance, he said, “nothing really. There are a few things that I may have wished turned out otherwise, but I would not change anything. There are some things that you look back on that didn’t work out that well and you can say maybe I shouldn’t have tilted that windmill but those are few and far between.” He is proud of what he has done. He did add that he would have networked more because he did not do much of that. Although, it should be noted that during the pandemic, networking events and conferences were extremely limited.
Motivating team members in the best of times is a challenging task. When asked how he kept his team motivated during the pandemic, Steve said, that “it was always important to keep it top-of-mind that people are the most important aspect when leading any organization.” His approach was to treat people as peers. He was not one that attempted to use gimmicks or tokens to motivate people. He felt that it was really important to be genuine and sincere and he believed that if you show people that their contributions are important, that was usually the best motivator. People will see right through you when you lack sincerity, and you will surely lose credibility.
One of the most important factors in leadership is the ability to prioritize effectively. Steve’s approach to prioritizing is to focus on big issues and to push decision making down to the lowest reasonable level. People tend to push things upwards, and leaders have to learn not to get bogged down with smaller issues that should be managed by others. In his role as city manager, he would prioritize about a half a dozen issues that he would focus on in a year. He would direct his attention to work to get those things done. If you lose focus on the really important things, then you will find yourself lost and bogged down with lesser priorities.
Because of his lengthy experience with matters in Pasadena, Steve believed that you have to develop a feeling for issues, that he had acquired a “six-sense,” so to speak, about how certain things would play out. He believed that this acumen served as a vital part in setting the right priorities for the city that he was charged to lead.
In the 2009, documentary concert-film, Michael Jackson’s This Is It, about the Pop star’s rehearsals for his upcoming concerts, depicted the artist’s proficiency of his artistry. In one particular scene, Michael needed to hit an exact mark at a certain time to coincide with video exhibition that was running simultaneously while he was performing. In a discussion with the Director, Kenny Ortega, about how he was going to pull this off since he could not see the video from where he was positioned, Michael confidently responded, “I’ll just feel it". In the next iteration of that scene, Michael nailed it and hit his mark perfectly – he felt it. This is a demonstration of the mastery of his craft from his years of preparation.
Steve uses the analogy that some people have a very unique skill of determining the sex of newborn baby chicks. You just have to know… by looking at feathers, coloration, and other components that you just know by holding the chicks in your hand. He used the example of when he worked at Chucky Cheese, and he had to put 7 oz. of cheese on the pizza that after doing it over and over you can just pick up the cheese and you know that it is the right amount.
In his job managing the city, he asserts that with experience, you learn how to feel when you need to jump on something or wait – the level of importance of issues and whether or not it is important to your overall goals – and like Michael Jackson, you just have to feel it.
When asked, if he ever doubted himself, he replied, that “the good news is that nothing immediately comes to mind.” That means that he did not have any nagging regrets. Leaders have to be comfortable in their decisions. Some decisions will be right, and some will not. He reiterated that everything was not just on him alone and that he had an amazing team working with him. He also pointed out that they did things incrementally by moving big decisions slowly and thoughtfully. He always acted in the city’s best interest.
The job of city manager is an incredibly challenging position for the reasons explained heretofore. So, I asked Steve how he would rate his performance and what he thought of the job in general.
“The job is incredibly interesting. It was great. COVID gave a great opportunity to lead.” Problems of this magnitude show whether or not you have any leadership skills or not. It gives you an opportunity to step up to the challenge. When everything is copasetic you do not really know if you can lead or not. That’s when you see people fail when they are not up to it. Inertia is such a powerful force. It is hard to do something different and it can be a very heavy lift to get things done but it is gratifying to make important things happen. Crisis force you out of the zone of inertia. Leaders understand that one of their primary responsibilities is to solve problems. Leaders that see problems as opportunities thrive in their roles as leaders.
In reference to how he would grade his performance, he made a baseball analogy and said that he felt that he had a Rod Carew batting average. Rod had a batting average of 0.328 – 34th of all time. Average for the league is about 0.250. So, I would put that in the top percentile in the world of public administration. While certainly many others will have varying opinions about Steve’s performance, it is amply apparent that his leadership skills and acumen were the right combination of aptitudes for a very unusual and demanding time.
Conclusion:
Excellence is not achieved in isolation. Excellence is created through the merging of people's differing strengths and creating teams that that are aligned on goals. Finding the right leader is where the true excellence and success happens.
It is said that great leaders motivate others; assert themselves to overcome obstacles; build trusting relationships; make informed, unbiased decisions for the good of their team and organization; and create a positive culture that will flourish. Finding the right person to fulfill these responsibilities is a daunting task for any organization. While the debate as to if it is more advantageous to promote leaders from within or from the outside will continue, the bottom-line is that whichever decision is made, the new leader needs to be effective and consequential in moving organizations forward. When a person comes from within the ranks of your organization that can stand up and lead the organization through an unprecedented pandemic and the many challenges that have faced the city over the past several years, then, for this city, the answer of leadership, for this time period anyway, has been answered.
Sometimes saying goodbye to a place, to a culture and to the people, who have been so much a part of your life can be extremely difficult. The memories, the successes and the challenges that were faced have become an integral part of you and will never be forgotten. In the case of Steve Mermell, saying goodbye to “the dome” is bittersweet. The friends left behind the laughs and maybe a few tears too, will all continue to be a big part of him and will guide his future endeavors. As for Pasadena, Steve’s legacy of leadership with the City of Pasadena will be part of the tapestry of the history of this great city for years to come.
City Hall, Pasadena, CA
When the Tide Changes – Leading During the Pandemic
An Interview with Cyrus Afshin, General Manager
The University Club of Pasadena
In August 2021, hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm, slammed into the Louisiana coast with winds over 125 mph directly into the mouth of the Mississippi River. Hurricane Ida was so powerful that it temporarily reversed the flow of the Mighty Mississippi. When the pandemic shut down the world, businesses and other organizations scrambled to adjust. Working remotely became the norm, restaurants converted to take-out only operations, sporting events were played in “bubbles”, and the list goes on and on.
There are literally thousands of stories, triumphs and defeats, that emerged during this extraordinary event. In each case, there are accounts of leadership stories that portrayed valiant efforts to adapt to the state of affairs in order to survive during the crisis.
To illustrate such a story, I chose to interview Cyrus Afshin the General Manager of the University Club in Pasadena California. The University Club is a historic membership organization and event venue. The club was established in 1922 and just celebrated its centennial anniversary. I wanted to see how the club had weathered the pandemic storm and how Cyrus used his leadership acumen to steer the organization through this catastrophic event.
The University Club’s primary role is to encourage networking and host social events. Its whole purpose is to bring people together for meetings, weddings, and other communal activities. The pandemic impacted literally every aspect of the club’s purpose. For the University Club, as with so many other institutions, this was a crucible occurrence. The pandemic was an intense, unplanned, and transformative experience. It required exceptional leadership skills to overcome its repercussions.
Cyrus is a skilled administrator in the club membership and hospitality arenas. He has over 30 years of experience in this unique business enterprise. I started our conversation with Cyrus by asking how he reacted when he first realized what was happening as the awful and ever deteriorating news about COVID -19 became more apparent. “I was in shock, this can’t be happening”, he said. His surprise was driven by the fact that he had never even heard of a pandemic before COVID-19. He, like many others, was holding out hope that it would all be over soon – but, as we know, that was not the case.
Cyrus reflected on when he started as the club’s GM and how he had to face many challenges upon his arrival. He started working at the club in the midst of the great recession. With his vast experience, he knew that he had to hit the ground running to make decisions that would get the club back on a sound footing. He adopted the philosophy that he was just going to say “yes” to every possible revenue source and make it work. He convinced the club members to open for more events and he reached out to large organizations, like Kaiser Permanente, to show them the benefits of utilizing the club facilities to hold meetings and retreats. His actions proved to be fruitful, and the club was “riding high”, pre-pandemic. This all came crumbling down in 2020. Cyrus likened it to flowing down a river, comfortably moving forward, and then, all of a sudden, in a flash, the river violently changes course and is now taking you the other way. It was devastating, and no matter how hard you paddled, you were being pushed in the wrong direction. Like hurricane Ida reversed the flow of the Mississippi River, the pandemic of 2020 changed the tide for us all.
The Club was forced to close, per COVID requirements, on March 16, 2020. Cyrus knew, this was bad - really bad. He had no plan for this, no immediate options and no idea how he would meet this challenge. Still not knowing the duration of the lock-down, Cyrus watched as cancellations mounted for scheduled events and things just kept getting worse. How was the club going to survive? What was he going to do?
The world began to view businesses in primarily two categories: essential and non-essential. Certainly, the University Club was not a “necessary entity”. On the scope of importance, especially during a pandemic, it probably didn’t rank all that high in most people’s eyes as essential in any way form or fashion. So, I asked, what makes the University Club valuable? Why should people care? In a pandemic, you are essentially the leader of a relatively inconsequential institution. How did you lead through this paradox? Boldly and confidently, Cyrus recoiled at this assertion and declared that “it was the members that made the club valuable. It was there for them, and, to some, it served as an extension of their home” And, then he asked me, “is your home important to you?” He said that “this pandemic, if it has taught us nothing else, it has shown us how important engaging with each other is and that the club offered the opportunity for people to come together and share what they do and a part of themselves with others. People can learn from and about each other. The club provides a place to network in a way that you can’t in most other meeting locations. People can get information about just about everything here and that’s valuable!”
When asked how the staff responded. He mused that he would tell the staff that, “every day is not going to be a glory day. Some days will be dark and when the glory days do come then you need to ride that wave of triumph through the challenges that will certainly come. And, while it seemed dismal now, this too shall pass.” The staff was very supportive. They wanted to stay with the club and wanted to ride out the storm – and most of them did. When asked what the toughest challenges were that he had to make during the pandemic and what kept him up at night, he said that he would ponder the questions, “what was he going to do and where would the money come from?” But the one thing he did know was that the University Club would need to stay a club. The notion that having to sell this historic venue at the pinnacle of its almost 100-year existence was untenable. The idea of repurposing the club to a restaurant or something else was, also, just not in the cards. He had to find another way to keep the club afloat. He had to be resourceful, he had to use the assets available to him to try to survive.
The University Club is adorned with a large parking lot and, of course, the benefits that come from the legendary Southern California weather. When food establishments were given the green light to have outdoor dining, Cyrus turned the parking lot into a barbeque extravaganza. The idea came, after a visit to Texas, where he modeled the BBQ event after a neighborhood BBQ he had attended in the Longhorn state. He garnered the assistance of a popular local well-known restaurateur, who had closed his barbeque restaurant prior to COVID. This partnership turned out to be a huge success. The outdoor venue had music and served a multitude of BBQ favorites. The BBQ served as a welcome respite for COVID-weary patrons looking for welcomed relief from their pandemic induced isolation.
“A foundational element of leadership is the ability to be resourceful. The capability to adapt to fluctuating circumstances is the cornerstone to adjusting to changing tides.”
I asked him, what kept him going through it all? He said that like other people, he had his down times, but he was able to keep motivated by talking to other people, relying on people that he trusted for their opinions and he got input from many as to how he should proceed. It was through this council that gave him the confidence and conviction to move forward and to advance his ideas. Through this ordeal, he indicated that the Board of Directors for the club gave him their full support as did the club members. Steeped in the rich tradition of the University Club, its members were and continue to be deeply committed to building the membership and diversifying activities to make sure that the club continues to thrive. This dedication was apparent during the pandemic.
I had not been inside of the club for over 2 years. During this time, I wanted to know what Cyrus thought was the most important decision that he had to make during the pandemic. As we toured the club, he showed me all for the upgrades and changes that had been made. He said that completing these major renovations was his most important decision. He asserts that it was definitely the right decision even though it was being Implemented during such a time of uncertainty. With the club essentially closed, he said, “what better time to engage in construction. With the disruptions that construction inevitably causes, it was the perfect time to do it.”
“Making decisions is one of the most important obligations for all leaders. The choices that a leader makes can have far reaching implications and consequences for people and institutions. How a leader carries out this important duty is paramount to an organization’s success. ”
In regard to setting priorities, Cyrus works to always focus on the person that he is engaging with at the moment. This was clearly evident during our interview. He was not distracted by his phone or other people during our time together. He gave his total focus to me and what we were doing now. He says that in his business, he centers on doing what needs to be done immediately to ensure that events get done right and on time. He assesses the impacts of his actions on the here and-now, as well as, on the future to determine the importance of his decisions
“One of the most important responsibilities that effective leaders possess is to determine and set priorities. Deciding what is important is crucial to successfully leading any organization. ”
It is important to keep staff motivated. Cyrus’s philosophy is that most people are motivated to do well. Some are moving at 100 mph, and some are moving at 50. As a motivator, his job is to push those that are at 50 to their fullest potential. He says that it is also important that employees know everything about what is going on at the club at all times to do their best. He has regular meetings and makes sure that staff has digital access to scheduling and other information relative to club activities so that they can make the right decisions related to club activities.
I had the opportunity to work with Cyrus and his staff to talk about their strengths. After taking the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment, Cyrus’ top five strengths were revealed to be: Communication, Restorative, Ideation, Harmony and Relator. Cyrus is the poster child for actively working in his strengths. All of his top five strengths perfectly align with what he does on a day-to-day basis at the University Club. Obviously, with communication being his number one talent theme, he exemplifies this talent in his work as the club’s chief ambassador. All of his talents have played a major role in successfully navigating the University Club through the pandemic. While I won’t go through all of them, I will focus on Cyrus’ restorative talent.
“Leaders that are transparent in their operations with their staffs, will find that their operations will run more efficiently and that employees armore empowered to effectively carry out their daily task. Staff will be more motivated when they are included in the decision-making process. ”
According to Gallup, people that are exceptionally talented in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it. Cyrus demonstrated a tenacity in tackling the problems created by the lock-down and has shown how using your top talents and strengths can help you to overcome problems and help you succeed in a crisis.
Along with his other strengths, Cyrus was able to communicate effectively through the crisis; he came up with creative ideas that help move the club forward; he brought harmony among staff and members during the storm; and he used his collaborative skills to bring people together around a common cause.
It was by using his strengths that Cyrus was able to alter the course of his pandemic river and stem the changing tide not just for the club or his staff but for the community at large and the businesses that have depended on the institution over the past 100 years.
I invite you to help others by sharing in the comments how you saw your leadership and talents activate to keep your business during the difficult time we collectively lived through. We also invite you to visit the University Club of Pasadena for more information on how to become a member and take advantage of all the benefits.
Larry Hammond Sr.
Certified StrengthsFinder Coach
A Journey from Love to Leadership
An Interview with Ricky Lewis
Ricky Lawrence Lewis
Introduction
It’s been said that when you believe in something with all of your heart and mind, you bring it to life.
There is a song inspired by the 1970’s soul rendition of “Love, Peace, and Happiness” by the Chamber Brothers by the name of “All of My Love…”. It is sung by multiple university based Black Greek lettered organizations including Omega Psi Phi, Fraternity. Inc.
Love is about Prospering relationships, Preserving what you have built, and Protecting what you love.
As a student and teacher of leadership, I have observed and studied leaders in multiple facets including public and civic sectors, private and non-profit domains, and the religious provinces. One of the things that I seek to understand is what drives those leaders to be successful (or not successful) and what motivates them to take on the mantle of leadership in their respective areas. Leadership isn’t easy. Every day brings a new set of challenges and obstacles to overcome. Those that aspire and choose to take on leadership roles are often compelled by a myriad of forces that inspire them to succeed and prosper.
In my work as a leadership coach, I see my clients consistently bombarded with problems, issues, complaints, and crises. The choices they make as they tackle these day-to-day challenges are a big part of what distinguishes them as good, or great leaders (or in some cases, bad leaders).
In this article, the question you will learn the answer to is, “What drives Ricky Lewis to lead a 110-year-old historically significant organization?”
Ricky Lawrence Lewis was born in Pensacola, FL later moving to Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, where he was initiated into the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. in 1981. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., founded in 1911, at Howard University, is a historically African American fraternal organization. Lewis is a life member now seeking the highest office in the organization as the 42nd Grand Basileus leading the fraternity.
I first met Ricky about fifteen years ago. I became involved in a program that he founded and is now the Executive Director, the Youth Leadership Conference and Mentoring Program in Los Angeles (YLC). This program has impacted the lives of over 8,800 young men over the last 28 years. Lewis sees this conference as one of his greatest accomplishments. This is where I experienced Ricky’s leadership abilities first-hand. He is a no-nonsense leader, stickler for time, and a detail-oriented person determined to get it right. Ricky was direct and assertive and accepted no excuses for falling short on goals. I also saw a man truly caring about the young people the program is intended to serve. This task was a mission of commitment – it took time, effort and dedication to pull it off; there was no paycheck, no financial gain, only the satisfaction of serving and making a difference in the lives of the youth participants.
I also had the opportunity to experience his leadership acumen when I attended several meetings at Ricky’s home chapter, Tau Tau, one of the largest chapters in Omega Psi Phi where I observed Ricky working with his “Team.” Because of the size of the chapter, meetings are run in a very disciplined manner. Members that want to speak have to be recognized by the president and line up to address the body and are governed by strict time constraints. Ricky seemed to always have something to say about almost every issue. Now, everyone did not always agree with him, but they always listened intently because they knew what he was saying came from the heart and was meant to strengthen the organization and its purpose. It was evident that his intentions were related to duty and honor towards the fraternity.
Prospering
One of the most important elements a leader needs to focus on in guiding any organization is to ensure its prosperity. Seeing that an organization grows and thrives is one of the most essential challenges a leader must face. Leadership does come with its own rewards and benefits. Among them are, reflecting your leadership values, and gaining the commitment of the people you are leading. Most important is effectively elevating an organization’s status and stature.
When I sat with Ricky Lewis to talk to him about his views on his leadership style, his values and goals, I wanted to know his plans for prospering the fraternity. I pondered why he thought he was the right man to take the reins of leadership of a fraternity trying to emerge from a global pandemic. His response was, “This fraternity has been a huge part of my life for over 40 years. I know how things work.”
Lewis wants members to look at what he has done and let his body of work speak for itself. Along with leading the YLC, he has served in multiple leadership roles in the fraternity including serving as the 12th District Representative, and currently serving as “second-in-command” as the 1st Vice Grand Basileus of Omega Psi Phi. These attainments only scratch the surface of the leadership roles that he has occupied in the organization.
While Lewis admits that he is not a perfect leader and that he is constantly looking to find ways to improve, he asserts that he is a “servant leader” and that he works to be a tool that serves those inside and outside of the fraternity. When asked, why should people follow him, he replied that “I will always do what is best for the organization and not what is best for me”. His goal is to move the needle forward. He wants to “build to the next level”.
He mentioned that during his campaign stops around the country, he was told that he can’t use that idiom because that is what the current leader of the organization said during his campaign. Lewis’ retort was, “why not? – The Ford Motor Co. builds their cars to the next level; Apple® builds their devices to the next level. They didn’t produce the first iPhone™ and then jump straight to the 13 model. It came in increments, with each reiteration building on the previous model.” Ricky’s mode of operation is to lead incrementally.
In some leadership circles, and in this instant gratification world that we live in, leaders are often pushed to make grand changes and solve problems overnight. Ricky’s approach leans towards building on previous accomplishments and continuing to build on the successes of the organization. Lewis sees his leadership role as a relay race. Leaders of this organization pass the baton to the next leader to build on previous achievements. He will take what he has learned from others and infuse that knowledge going forward to grow the organization and protect its standing in the community. He intends to work to give people the resources that they need to succeed. He seeks his guidance and inspiration from other leaders in the fraternity and likes to talk to those who will “give it to him straight”. It is with the help of his leadership team, and fraternity members, that he is confident he will make sure Omega prospers under his stewardship.
Preserving
The history of Omega Psi Phi is steeped in tradition and customs. Preserving its legacies and mores are essential to its survival. When I coach leaders, I use a strengths-based approach to help leaders focus on what they do best and how to accentuate those qualities to further their leadership objectives.
When Lewis was asked about his leadership strengths, he says he listens to everyone because “you never know what you will learn.” Lewis says he has no problem talking to leaders from the Devine Nine (Black sororities and fraternities) for advice. He says it is important to listen to a variety of opinions, as well as descents, and ideas from all facets. Lewis sees himself as a consensus builder and embraces the “huddle up” approach to garner other people’s perspectives. He wants to hear what is going on and does not like surprises. He strives to treat everyone with respect. Good leadership is about listening and respecting others and their opinions. Much too often leadership goes wrong because of a failure to listen. Dealing with complex situations and solving problems rests on the leader’s ability to hear what is actually happening, and respecting and gaining viewpoints from a wide variety of people.
As a child, Ricky says he never wanted his parents to go to a PTA meeting at school and receive bad news about him. Their opinion of the son they were raising was important to his development as a man and a leader. Lewis says he leads with integrity – his word is his bond, and you must do what you say you are going to do. He says that he attributes this philosophy to his parents, Harvey and Ethel. They taught him these values that he now lives by.
One of his father’s moral codes was don’t owe anybody and pay your debts. He would say, “If you owed somebody $20, and you only have $20”in your pocket then you don’t have any money”. His mother would exhort him to keep his affairs in order and stay in good stead with others. She would say, “When somebody knocks at your door, you should not have to worry about who it is.” A leader that builds trust with their followers encompasses these values and shows people they matter. These are qualities that successful leaders possess, and what great leaders exemplify consistently in their leadership roles.
In his current position as 1st Vice Grand Basileus, and while campaigning for the new position as 42nd Grand Basileus, Ricky travels frequently around the country and connects with the membership to attend events and meetings with the senior leadership team and fraternity members constantly. Lewis works tirelessly in his effort to promote the fraternity’s agenda while advancing its programs. This, along with countless other duties and responsibilities fills his days. Oh, and did I mention, that while doing all of this, he has a full-time job in the aerospace industry and a wife and two sons. One son is an adult and a captain in the U.S. Army, the other, a tenth grader. So, I asked him, with an already full plate how do you balance time between work, family, and the fraternity. He says he strives to be a good husband and father and that it is only because of their unwavering support he is able to meet all of his obligations and goals. He avowed that we all only have 24 hours in a day and believes that it is necessary to get things done early.
Lewis rises most days at 4:30 a.m. and sends out emails sometimes after midnight.And, as good leaders must do, he makes plans.Planning is a crucial element for leaders to set priorities and get things accomplished.Plans set boundaries and drive decisions that help leaders to accomplish their goals.
Protecting
I asked Ricky Lewis, what keeps him awake at night (as far as the fraternity goes)? His response - “protecting the brand, brother, protecting the brand”. Despite the mountain of good that fraternal organizations do in the community, they do get their fair share of negative impressions. The motto of Omega Psi Phi, Fraternity is “Friendship is Essential to the Soul.” The brand of the organization is grounded in supporting the activities and thinking that constructs a positive image rooted in friendship and service. Maintaining a positive identity of the fraternity is of paramount concern for Lewis. Any actions that damage the perceptions about the organization hurt the fraternity’s viability and reputation. “Having a positive brand gives you a seat at the table at the highest levels of influence”, says Lewis.
Brand stature is a vital element in the growth and survival of the institution in the 21st century. When I queried Lewis on the fact that if he is successful in his quest to become the 42nd Grand Basileus of Omega, he will be listed as one of the 100 most influential Black Americans, he recoiled with a sense of humble acceptance. He insisted that nothing changes for him. His commitment and intentions don’t change and his goals remain firm. While he does not expect to solve all of the organizational problems if he is elected, he will give his all to enhance its imprint. Lewis also believes it is important to, “do everything in his power not to sink the ship”
Lewis concedes that in this world of social media and cell phone cameras, it is increasingly more difficult to maintain a positive image that exudes the image and principles that most members expect to portray.However, he believes that with faith and a strong reliance on his leadership skills that the organization will continue to flourish and grow.To him, “protecting the brand” means keeping it around for generations to come, and that it means coming together to ensure that the brand remains strong.
Conclusion
So now we come to the question at hand, what drives Ricky Lewis to attain this lifelong goal of leading this great organization? While other leaders that I have studied are driven by virtuous causes, business successes; financial gains; or political motivations, it became apparent during this interview with Lewis that none of those reasons applied. It was obvious that his motivation is driven by apparently something more powerful. His inspiration is driven by love. When he speaks, he sounds like a man with an incorruptible dream; a passion that at its inner core is about love of ideals woven in friendship and brotherhood. It is about a love for the people in this organization and the purpose they serve to each other and the community. When he refers to “protecting the brand” he speaks as if he is talking about a loved one; something that he deeply cares about. His journey to leadership is not guided by money, power, or cause, but by his love and devotion to the organization and the members.
“All of my love, peace and happiness I will give to Omega” epitomizes Ricky Lewis’ inspiration and aspiration. It’s a journey from love to leadership. I wish him the best in life and in his future endeavors.
By Larry Hammond, Sr.
Working in Your Strengths – Let our Talents Shine! →
We have recently witnessed the 2020 Summer Olympic Games (in 2021 due to COVID-19). This sports spectacle allows athletes from all over the world to compete in a variety of sporting events that allows them to vigorously demonstrate their talents and abilities in the sporting world. It always fascinates me how these incredible athletes, through their hard work and practice, exhibit their perfected competitive talents. I marvel at the amazing feats that they can execute. Even the ones that may not win a medal excel in their chosen sport.
These Olympic athletes are the epitome of manifesting one’s talents into strengths. Gallup defines strengths as the ability to use your talents to consistently provide near perfect performance. The competitors in the Olympic Games demonstrate what it looks like to perform at the highest levels at near perfect performance. This is truly an amazing thing to witness. While the Olympics is a place that highlights this abundantly, it is not the only place. The Olympic spectacle itself is an amazing accomplishment. To make these international games materialize is a monumental task. I know that to pull off this incredible event, there are an incredible number of people that are behind the scenes that make this extraordinary tournament possible. These individuals are also using their talents and strengths to make the Olympics a success.
You witness this phenomenon all the time. In the world of entertainment, we see masters at their crafts show us how they have perfected their talents. In the business sector we see many creating innovative technologies every day. We see it in healthcare, politics, in the arts and virtually every sector of our society. Outside of athletics and sports, people use their talents in all facets of life and work. We have recently witnessed civilians being launched into space. This new era of space travel is being made possible by many, many people using their skills, talents, and strengths.
Talents are not restricted just to the Olympic athletes. You witness people excelling in their excellence all around you. It is the singer in the church choir that makes you shed a tear; it is the teacher that gets your child to a breakthrough moment. When you see that movie that touches your soul; that is evidence of people working in their strengths. When you see a sports team win that championship; they are demonstrating their strengths. When you hear that song that you cannot forget; some exceptionally talented people have worked in their strengths to make that happen. Watching people work in their strengths is magical. It shows the power of human creativity and productivity. It shows how teams work together to create great outcomes.
Achieving near perfection in using your talents requires dedication and work; just like the athletes.
You must first hone in on what your talents are and discover your talents. This is a crucial step in perfecting them. Just as Olympic athletes learn that they have abilities of speed and agility and then master those talents into track and field and other games. Understanding that you have talents in communication, strategic thinking or relationship building lets you focus on advancing these talents into strengths. People that are working in their strengths, then embrace their talents and declare to themselves and to others that they have these abilities and are now ready to cultivate them to near perfect proficiencies. Through coaching and practicing techniques, you can expand and develop your talents into strengths.
Most Olympic athletes have coaches; state of the art training centers to help them achieve their goals.
You too, can perfect your talents using Gallup’s Clifton StrenghtsFinder’s Assestment.
Based on Gallup’s 40-year study of human strengths, they have created a language of the 34 most common talents and developed the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment to help people discover and describe these talents. These talents can be viewed as your talent DNA. And, just like your biological DNA, your talent “DNA” makes you unique in why you do the things that you do in your work and other life activities.
Just as the Olympic athletes, your talents make you unique. The chance that two people share the same top five talents is an astonishing one in 33 million. So, you need to know that there is tremendous diversity in how people express their strengths. Applying these talents, just as the athletes, depends on many factors including knowledge, culture, experiences and practice. To master your talents, you must cultivate them and nurture them so that you can flourish to achieve your goals, build higher self-awareness and confidence and are more engaged and productive.
To do this, you must develop those talents That is why the sports analogy works, especially using the Olympics as an example. To be proficient, Olympic athletes get a great coach to help them refine their talents and techniques. Then they practice their sport while developing their minds to compete at the highest levels. When they are working in their strengths, amazing things happen during Olympic competition; records are broken, and stars shine on the world stage.
You too can shine when you develop your talents and work in your strengths. When you are working in your strengths you are strong. Working in your strength’s cultivates excellence. Working in your strength’s garners positive attention. Working in your strength’s bring self-satisfaction and joy into your life. Working in your strengths makes you a better person when you do what you love and let your talents shine!
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Larry Hammond, Sr. - V1H Consulting, LLC
When Leadership Fails
As we are all dealing with the impact of the global pandemic, we have observed the good, the bad and the ugly of this international crisis. The pandemic will give scholars, authors and historians the opportunity to debate, access and analyze this global cataclysm for years to come. Much will be talked about as it relates to COVID-19, the human toll it has inflicted, as well as, it’s impact on our economy and our daily lives. As a student of leadership, my focus is on the “how” leaders responded during this event and how they served those they were charged with leading.
Read moreYou Were Built to Lead
My dad used to say “Life is a wonderful thing once you learn how to live it.”. For a long time, I thought that this aphorism was about the big things in life, like building a solid career, raising a family or having a positive impact on your community. While all of those things are certainly important, it wasn’t until I had an epiphany in my back yard that enlightened my idea on what my dad really meant. This realization was demonstrated to me while I was folding some lawn chairs for storage. For a couple of Summer seasons, I had great difficulty folding these particular chairs until one day in frustration, I slammed the chair legs on the ground only to find, much to my surprise, that the chair just collapsed and folded almost effortlessly. After successfully testing my system on the other chairs, I was elated. A great burden had been lifted from my soul. It was then that I began to see the value of how knowing the nuances about things can be very liberating. This led to me focusing on the “little” things that can really make a difference in maximizing my experiences on multiple levels.
For example, there are so many little things that if you just know how they function it would make your life easier. For years, I did not know that the hole in a soda can tab was designed to hold a straw. I also did not realize that the lid on a standard paper coffee cup was designed to be used as a coaster. These are only a few things that when you know how they work can make your life just a little bit better.
Applying this principal to understanding how things work like computers, smart phones and televisions can really make your life so much easier and richer. Now don’t get me wrong, I am no expert at any of these, but I do know that the more you know about these technologies the happier life can be.
Cars are an excellent demonstration of what I am talking about. Now when I go to rent a car it is a whole new experience. With all of the new technology that is now infused in automobiles, you never quite know what you are going to get. Not knowing the different features that a particular car has to offer; you can’t maximize the functionality. After driving the car for several days, you begin to figure out the different features.
Looking at something that is a bit more complicated, just like soda cans, cups and rental cars, children don’t come with a manual either. Parents raising children kind of have to figure it out as they go along. And, as most parents that have more than one child know, raising one child is entirely different from raising another.
Knowing how things function and knowing how to apply the different functionalities to meet specific purposes to achieve specific goals is critical to successfully accomplishing your objectives. Certain things are specifically designed for distinct functionalities. Keeping with the car themed analogies, certain vehicles work better in different situations. While race cars are perfectly suited to drive fast and handle with precision on a racetrack, they are not well suited for picking up groceries or carting the kids off to school. And, while your SUV or mini-van will do a much better job moving kids and groceries, they are not designed for speed or precision maneuvers.
Obviously, people are exponentially more complicated. Knowing how people in organizations function is fundamentally just as important as knowing the functionality of a car. As a leader, it is important to know how specific parts of your organization work and how the people work together to get things done.
Athletes develop their natural skills and talents to become the best at what they do. Whether their skill set is to dunk a basketball, score a goal or steal a base, it is the coach that needs to know how to put these talents together to formulate a winning strategy. Just like athletes that hone their skills to propel a team to victory and use their abilities to work in conjunction with other team members for the success of the team, people in organizations must do the same. Leaders should focus on developing talents and work to maximize teams using their collective strengths to attain successful outcomes. Just like knowing how to get the most out of your car or your technology; knowing how to get the most out of the people that you lead will get you the best results.
Unlike cars and technology, it is the human factor/emotional intelligence that connects us to others and enables us to lead with purpose; leading with heart matters. How you motivate, retain talent and improve morale are crucial leadership skills that require a human approach. All of us have had to make decisions, maintain relations and adapt to changes in our lives. These are the same challenges that leaders face on a daily basis.
Just as there are features on our cars and technology that we need to master, there are many elements of the people that you work with that you need to take the time and effort to learn and cultivate. You may work with people for years and not know their talents and nuances that may play a vital role in adding to your organizational operations. Learning these abilities will bolster your leadership impact. Maximizing an individual’s potential begins with knowing their talents, developing their abilities and building their work and careers around their strengths.
As with the cars you were built differently - for different purposes - but ALL of you have talents and skills that are distinctly yours. And, like the cars, can achieve a particular purpose in the leadership realm and make significant contributions to your organizations.
So, what does all of this mean? Leading in the 21st century requires a new style of leadership. I am not suggesting that everybody will be the CEO of a major corporation, or hold a high office in the political arena or marshal in a large scale cultural change – What I am saying is that we all poses talents that when cultivated contribute to organizational success.
No one person knows it all. Leaders must rely on those that they associate with to make good decisions, implement effective policies and to execute changes effectively.
We have long built our organizational objectives by molding people around our leadership goals; we now need to mold our leadership goals around the people. Change from boss mentality to coach mentality”
- Jim Clifton
Leadership is no longer judged by accomplishing big changes but by the small but significant operational contributions that move the needle and promote positive change.
Marin Luther King once said, “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”.
An example of how making independent, relatively small decisions can make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things and can make a lasting imprint; Last year, one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history occurred at an Orlando nightclub. Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany had been filling in as medical examiner for the county. Dr. Stephany made the decision to separate the bodies of the 49 victims from the body of their executioner. He said, - “There was no legal reason, no protocol” for separating the gunman, “It’s just what I felt was right.”.
“True leadership is doing the right thing and making the right decision at the right time.”
“Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult.”
- Warren Bennis
As automobiles were built to transport people and things, each with their own unique features and capabilities contribute to getting the right job done with the right capabilities, so are you. How this is done is defined by the specifications of the vehicle. How you lead is defined in your specifications. Your specifications include many factors. Talents, thinking and emotions are defined in your unique specifications. They are your leadership tools.
You are built to make decisions and take actions to resolve problems. You are specially designed to build and cultivate relationships that create synergistic teams. When things go amiss, you are built to take decisive actions. When making plans, you think strategically and when executing those plans you use your powers of persuasion to influence others to help you accomplish your goals. When leading, you are built to instill trust in others and demonstrate courage when taking risk while managing change. These are your talents - Your talents are your tools -Your talents are the keys to your success!
Contact us and let’s get your leadership style identified to help you flex your skills and improve your work and life.
You Were Built to Lead!
Written by: Larry Hammond, Sr.