Maine business leaders share management insights at Mainebiz forum
Photo / Tim Greenway
The Mainebiz CEO Breakfast Forum brought forth some innovative leadership ideas from its executive panel.
A former Harlem Globetrotter who leads Portland’s pro basketball franchise, a nonprofit leader who’s also a drummer and a bank executive with a psychology background were among six Maine CEOs who shared tips for business success at a Mainebiz forum earlier this month in Portland.
More than 200 attendees heard “60 Ideas in 60 Minutes” during a panel discussion moderated by Yellow Light Breen, president and CEO of the Maine Development Foundation. Below are some tips.
Dajuan Eubanks, Maine Red Claws
Life is simple, but we as individuals tend to make it complicated, according to Eubanks. Yet that’s something he said he struggled with for a long time before concluding that there’s more to life than career success.
“Time is precious, particularly when you have family,” he said.
Kevin Hancock, Hancock Lumber
Hancock believes that restraint is the key 21st-century leadership skill — something he learned the hard way, once he was afflicted with a rare neurological voice disorder that robbed him of the ability to speak for a year. That experience prompted him to tweak his management approach so that when employees ask him for guidance, he puts the ball back in their court and ask them what they would do.
His takeaway: “People already knew what to do and they didn’t need CEO-centric solutions.”
Patricia Weigel, Norway Savings Bank
Corporate culture reining supreme is a guiding principle for Weigel, who shared an anecdote about a 2001 merger with another institution that at first didn’t mesh. Today, Norway Savings puts a priority on having a good, healthy corporate culture, which includes talking about it.
“It doesn’t really matter what it is,” Weigel said. “It’s more that you’re bringing people together and working as a team to improve things.”
Richard Cantz, Goodwill Northern New England
Cantz shared several insights into change, including the fact that it can create stress and is not always positive for everybody. Reflecting on his path from social worker to business leader, he underscored the need to understand the long-term impact of change. “It’s being aware, having good radar, [and] being a good listener,” he said.
Sean O’Leary, Hussey Seating
Don’t be “low bid,” be different and sell your value, advises O’Leary.
Back in his late 20s, when he founded a general contracting firm and 95% of the work was low bid, he learned that’s a difficult, high-stress way to make a living. His recommendation: Sell quality and be authentic.
Don Oakes, Sea Bags
Though he holds himself to high standards, Oakes believes that “perfect is the enemy of the good.” The self-confessed introvert didn’t embrace that until he joined Sea Bags, whose totes and bags from recycled sails he sees as part of that metaphor.
“As long as we’re improving constantly, that’s the key, not striving for perfection,” he said.
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