Western Montana InBusiness October 2009 – Advice on leadership good for any profession

One of the things I love most about being a reporter and editor is how much I learn every day.

Back when I was the Missoulian’s environment/natural resources reporter, I was likely to find myself at the Milltown Dam powerhouse counting migratory trout one day and at the National Bison Range chasing buffaloes the next – and at a City-County Health Board meeting in between, writing about wood stoves or wastewater discharge permits.

It’s true for all of us here in the newsroom – and in every newsroom. Every day brings dozens of new people, places, issues and events to cover and learn about. As an editor, I get a megadose of that information as I work with reporters on their stories, learning as they learn.

This month, one of the joys has been hearing the advice of five Missoula business men and women – and one international executive – on the qualities of a strong leader, the topic of our cover story for the October edition of Western Montana InBusiness.

Interviewed by Betsy Cohen, these business leaders were candid and articulate. You’ll want to read her in-depth report on the pages that follow. I’ve picked out a few of my favorite quotes to get you started:

"I keep a hit list of people to steal. It’s a list of people I’ve met in every state where we do business. I keep an eye on them, I see how well they work with others."

Bill Woody, president and CEO of Consumer Direct Personal Care http://www.consumerdirectonline.net/

"Leaders lead from the top down, and leaders problem-solve from the bottom up. They have a clear understanding of the mission and vision of a company, but they leave the problem solving to the people closest to the problems. Leadership is owning your job no matter what your title is. Everybody is a leader if you own your job."

Michael Maibach, for 18 years a vice president of Intel Corp. http://www.intel.com/

"Embrace change, don’t fight it. Create an organization that can easily flex to meet the challenges of the time."

Larry Kolb, president of Missoula’s TSI Health Sciences http://www.tsiinc.com/

"Do what you love – and the money will follow. That’s advice from my dad. He was right."

Tom Swenson, CEO of Bank of Montana http://www.bankofmt.com/

"You get what you reinforce. That came from a consultant from Seattle I was working with in 1997. It relates to day-to-day business, and for me, it’s about taking responsibility for your actions."

Cheryl Loberg, general manager, The Good Food Store http://www.goodfoodstore.com/

"I try not to engage in the fun, easier things to do because there are more important tasks at hand. I think it’s very important to meet challenges and not procrastinate and defer action on things because it comes back to haunt us all."

Terry Payne, chairman of Payne Financial Group Inc. http://www.hoinesslabar.com/

I’m taking their advice to heart – and putting it into practice in the weeks ahead – as I learn more and grow more every day in this tremendous and ever-evolving profession of journalism.

Sherry Devlin is editor of the Missoulian and Western Montana InBusiness. Reach her at (406) 523-5250 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Full Newsletter: http://www.mtinbusiness.com/inbiz-0910/index.php