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As IAAM advances its educational offerings with leadership training, we thought it would be fitting to hear about the leaders and leadership traits that have impacted some of our members, who are already leaders in their own right. We asked a number of members the following questions and their responses follow.

Who do you consider to be a leader—either in the facility management industry or elsewhere—that has had the most impact on your life and why? What were those leadership traits that impacted you?

Chris Bigelow, The Bigelow Companies, Inc.

Bill Lemons (now deceased), my first boss at Volume Services. Bill was a remarkable fellow, never afraid to try anything, and he knew how to get others to buy into his vision. Bill stressed that it is not always about a quick profit but that successful businesses and life are based on long-term relationships and ethical treatment of others, no matter what position they may hold in an organization or in your personal life. He also stressed the importance of recruiting others to help you accomplish your projects. And in the long run if you are not having fun, get out of the business.

Mike Kelly, CFE, Executive Director, NCC (New Zealand,) Ltd.

Tom Liegler, CFE. Tom was respected by his peers. He had a slogan for just about everything. While the sheer volume was impressive, many were deeper than surface appearances and spoke to a management methodology as well as a philosophy. Tom was a visionary and benchmark operator. Living in the shadow of Disneyland, he raised the customer service bar at Anaheim Stadium and Tom recognized and promoted concepts (Irving Goldaber’s “quivering paradigm”) like proactive “crowd management” at a time when the industry lexicon had more to do with reactivity of “crowd control.” His concept of the “Anaheim Way” for operational excellence predated the raft of “DIY management.”
Tom was a mentor. Without making a big deal about it Tom gave his time and his counsel to me and probably countless other managers. In the 1970s, stadium management was coming of age and managers were required to manage the performance of these infrastructure assets, measuring economic impact, optimizing financial performance and maximizing customer service. Tom was a management consultant on any number of start-up projects and served as the unofficial voice for an industry coming into its own.

Mark McCullers, General Manager, Columbus Crew Stadium

Lamar Hunt, who owns the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL), Columbus Crew, Kansas City Wizards and Columbus Crew Stadium (Major League Soccer).  He founded the American Football League, which eventually merged with the National Football League and became the American Football Conference within the NFL structure. Lamar Hunt’s greatest asset is the single most critical component of leadership: Vision. Vision drives the action of most leaders and creates passion. Integrity, commitment and work ethic are the other characteristics of Lamar that I try to emulate.

Peggy Daidakis, Executive Director, Baltimore Convention Center

I cannot point out any one individual who has had the most impact on me in my career. At different stages, different people were there for me when I needed a boost. My family, my colleagues and various bosses have been influential. Sometimes what seemed to be a negative situation, at the time, turned into a very positive experience for me. I have tried to follow the advice and guidance of the people who have cared about me: to set high standards; to get involved; to be a positive role model; and never be satisfied with the status quo.

I try, in my day-to-day life, to mentor my staff to set goals and to be positive thinkers. I encourage them not to dwell on problems, but work on the solutions. Leaders are individuals who believe in themselves and surround themselves with people who are achievers.

Dick Shaff, General Manager, MosconeCenter/Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

The person I most admire for his leadership qualities is John R. Wooden, the former head coach of the UCLA Bruins basketball team. During his career he won 10 NCAA championships in 12 years. But most importantly, he had a decided impact on building character and commitment. I firmly believe in his 15-point “Pyramid of Success” and in his mantra: “A human’s downfall isn’t the failure to achieve perfection, but the failure to try. You can’t be perfect, but you can always make the effort. Make each day your masterpiece.”

Dick Walsh, Senior General Manager, Convention Centers, Honolulu

Walter O’Malley, who owned the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, had the greatest impact on my professional career. I worked for the Dodgers for over 18 years, but the most exciting were the years from 1956 – 62 when the Dodgers were moving from New York to California, and I worked directly for Mr. O’Malley.
Walter had excellent interpersonal skills with a politician’s gift of gab and great foresight. He thought ‘outside the box,’ possessed a good legal mind, was patient and paternalistic. I sought to emulate his management style when I became a general manager by maintaining an ‘open door’ policy, keeping staff members apprised of ongoing developments, discussing problems with staff and obtaining their input, explaining why policies were developed and actions undertaken, looking at both sides of issues and maintaining a caring interest in my employees.

Carol Wallace, President and CEO, San Diego Convention Center Corp.

I consider Frank Poe a leader in our industry and I am sure that anything that Frank is involved in, he rises to the top. I learned this business by training with Frank. He shared his time and his talents with me and taught me so much. He presented me with challenges that allowed me to grow and he was there when I had questions on how to handle any situation. As a female and a minority entering a male dominated non-minority industry, there were times when the playing field wasn’t fair. Frank was always there to help me put things into perspective and help me focus on what counts in building a career. We shared our “When I make it, I am going to buy” stories and I have cried on his shoulders both figuratively and literally. What affected me most was that he took me under his wing, allowed me the opportunity to learn and perform and if I failed, he was there to pick me up, dust me off, set me on another path and say, “Try it again.” The most significant character trait is that he leads by example.

Jay Green, CFE, General Manager, Phoenix Civic Plaza

I have been extremely fortunate and blessed to work with some outstanding people that possessed strong leadership and professional skills. Two people who had a significant impact on my career and professional growth in this industry were Ted Bowsfield and Ray Ward. I think one of the wonderful traits of our industry is that many of us have had mentors in the business that have taken us under their wing and shared their wisdom, insight and knowledge and both Ted and Ray were those mentors to me.

Ted was a master in people skills and dealing effectively with people, and he possessed strong leadership qualities. One of his strong attributes was that he recognized his weaknesses and hired key staff that complimented his strengths. He was very supportive in allowing his staff to mature and professionally grow in their positions. He demonstrated patience, understanding and a genuine interest in my professional development. Over the years of my career, I continue to use Ted’s management and leadershipstyle as the model for how I manage and interrelate with myfacility staff and business associates.

The leadership traits I appreciate in Ray Ward are his professionalism and extensive knowledge of our industry, dedication to the betterment of IAAM and the unselfish sharing of his knowledge with his peers. Because of Ray’s influence and, at times, constructive “arm-twisting,” I gained an appreciation and made a commitment to be more involved in IAAM. Ray has been an invaluable mentor to me throughout my career.

Bob Hunter, CFE, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Air Canada Centre

I actually have two great leaders who have been instrumental in my life. One is Ray Ward, who consistently taught the importance and absolute need to be honest and trustworthy in everything you do. Secondly, he inspired me to always deliver on anything I promise. He accomplishes so much because he has passion and commitment in everything he does and he inspires others accordingly. His vision was one of the key elements of IAAM’s success in the past 20 years and it was mainly because he was able to make so many believers out of other key leaders. He sold the vision to many of our past great leaders.

The second is my current boss. A tremendous mentor and a guy who is trustworthy, honest, very communicative and always challenges me to be the best I can be. He is never satisfied with the status quo and constantly sets the bar higher for our entire company. He is very goal oriented and ensures recognition and rewards are constant when the job is well done.

Frank Russo, CFE, Global Spectrum

The person that instantly comes to mind is Professor Cleveland Williams at St. Michael’s College. He was my teacher in American Government and had a profound influence on my view of life and what I was meant to do in life changed dramatically. He took a very personal interest in me and convinced me that I had the personality and the potential to have a much greater impact on the world by going into the business of public administration, i.e., city management.

I believe a leader is one who knows what needs to be done and how to do it. Leaders have the strategic vision and intelligence to effectively organize and empower others to achieve desired results – the organization’s mission and goals. They know how to seek good advice from strong subordinates and they lead by example. They command an image of respect from the marketplace and clients. They make people want to do business with their organization because people trust in the quality, reliability, follow-through and price of the service provided.

John Benett, Executive Officer, Venue Management Association

I would consider in my working life, certainly that very large chunk that has to do with theatre, arts and venues generally, there are two people that really stand out. One was my mentor when I first entered the world of theatre as a junior technician in Sydney. Mel Condor was very influential in making my transition from being an aspiring actor to a back stage electrician. Just imagine, without Mel’s guidance I could have been Mel Gibson or Russell Crowe! Well...he did teach me to dream also. His leadership qualities were providing the challenge and being there to consult and advise.  Respect by his peers gave me the confidence to trust in his leadership.
A similar quality in leadership and with the touch of entrepreneurial flair is the second person that I would regard as being most influential in my career. He is Harvey Lister, who provided another principal ingredient to leadership...vision.

Joe Psuik, Convention Center Director, San Diego Convention Center

Leaders:

Are those who have the profound ability to get out of the way.
Are those who have finally figured out that it’s better to listen first and speak later.
Are those who know they are not right all of the time.
Are those who are not afraid to hire first class people.
Are those who have learned the art of truth.
Are those who stand others up in times of glory and stand up with others in times of defeat.
Are those who know for sure that tomorrow is going to be a better day.
Are those who know that human frailty is a great strength.
Are those who will only hear jokes about themselves.
Are those who have learned, from the depths of their experience, how to laugh most uproariously at themselves. And do.
Are those who accept the mistakes of others as progress.
Are those who know how to live to the bottom line, but don’t spend all their time there.

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