PUBLISHER’S CORNER
Inspired: Tales from the STN EXPO 2018
WRITTEN BY TONY CORPIN |
TONY@STNONLINE.COM I
feel inspired. I’m standing in front of a huge audience at the opening of the Transportation Director Summit at the 2018 STN EXPO last month, ready to introduce our first speaker duo from People Centric Consulting
Group in Springfield, Missouri. Te message from trainers Matt Griswold and Jarrod
Underdown is that company culture is king. “It’s not about managing the mistakes, it’s about eliminating the barriers that cause them,” states Griswold. Te duo goes on to pro- vide some shocking statistics to our audience, such as that two out of every 10 employees are toxic. Is this a problem where
you work? Do you know any toxic employees or even leaders? Tose after-hours meetings of people who are gathered to complain and disparage, are damaging to the entire organizational culture, since it’s the toxic employ- ees who are leading those conversations.
A good leader must have the difficult “watershed” conversations with these types of employees, to either turn them around or send them on their way, so the team can improve. Good managers or supervisors build up their team, not themselves. Underdown said meaningful communication can be fostered by not objecting to ideas straight off the bat, but instead allowing employees to research and develop their own ideas in more detail, so they come to more informed conclusions. One attendee I spoke with said, “Te most important thing a leader can do is listen and allow employees to share their thoughts and feelings.” Griswold closed the session on July 13 by sharing that, “Empowering your people aligns them with the goals for your specific organization.” Te next morning, I introduce Ryan Avery, the youngest
50 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2018
Toastmasters International World Champion of Public Speaking. Te room buzzes with excitement then suddenly a hush falls over the audience as Avery deliveres his opening thought: “Words are free, but they can cost you a lot.” Attendees are at full attention. “Whenever you aren’t confi- dent, it’s because you aren’t passionate,” he stressed. While having confidence in all you do is vital to being the leader, not just a leader—beware of arrogance. Avery had the audience participate in an exercise that challenged them to think of a person who is a confident leader, then write down three traits that they felt exemplified a leader. Mine was my mom, who is passionate, inspiring and hard working.
A personal takeaway was
Keynote speaker and trainer Ryan Avery energized the Transportation Director Summit last month in Reno.
to never minimize yourself or the team. Which sounds better? I’m only a manager or I am a manager? I’m just a mechanic or I am a mechanic? I’m only a bus driver or I am a bus driver? It’s amazing the difference when you insert or remove the words “only” or “just” from those statements. Tose were two words
Avery suggested that every leader remove from their vocabulary, altogether.
Avery’s walk-away advice to the audience was that,
“When your actions inspire others to take action, then you are the leader.” Become THE leader, not just A leader, he said. Leading, he concluded, “is about going from A to Z in everything you do, to be the leader.” My favorite quote Avery left us with was courtesy of
Eleanor Roosevelt. “Do what you love, because people will criticize you anyway,” she said. Avery added that he has found “confidence is the byproduct of being courageous.”
Tony Corpin, Publisher
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