BOS Breakfast – Appreciating Our Supervisors on a Whole New Level

Have you hugged your Supervisor today? That was the question posed by moderator Casey Veatch at the 20th annual Board of Supervisors Breakfast on Friday, March 11th, noting the hard work, dedication and passion our Board of Supervisors bring to the job.

The sold out event lived up to its reputation as one of LFI’s most popular events of the year. Attendees were treated to personal stories from the Supervisors that were both touching and humorous.

The program began with several award presentations. The first two were “Remarkable Resource” Awards to Cathy Chianese and Colleen Gillis Snow for their dedication and time over the years to Leadership Fairfax.

The 2011 Katherine K Hanley Public Service Award was then presented to Gloria Addo-Ayensu, better known as Dr Gloria. Her tireless efforts and love for the community were evident by her long list of initiatives and accomplishments in the area of public health. “I didn’t know it was possible to be overqualified for an award,” noted moderator Casey Veatch.

“I didn’t know it was possible to be overqualified for an award,” noted moderator Casey Veatch.

Chairman Sharon Bulova then presented the State of the County, noting we are doing better than most places around the state and the country. Highlights include numerous national awards, Dulles Rail Phase I on schedule, and property values showing a modest increase. Chairman Bulova also spoke to the current 3.5 billion dollar advertised budget, the challenges of redistricting and BRAC.

When it then came time for each Supervisor to get a turn at the microphone, moderator Casey Veatch changed up the traditional format, challenging the Supervisors to speak to one of the following subjects-Your best story; the one thing no one knows about being a Supervisor; or your most unusual request.
Supervisors rose to the occasion with vignettes that ranged from supermarket encounters to challenges of mistaken identities, and what it is really like addressing constituent’s needs from squirrels to chicken farms.
Following a brief question and answer session, Casey Veatch noted, “We have Supervisors with personality!” and reminded us how this event provides us with the chance to honor and thank our Supervisors.

Goodness Greatness

Do you want to be a great leader? Not just somebody who’s good at your job. Not just somebody who gets promoted and earns awards.

But a great leader. Somebody whom others willingly follow — with enthusiasm. Do you want to be a person whose opinions matter? Someone others look up to, and want to be like?

Then, according to Jack Zenger, you need charisma.

At LFI’s September 29 Leadership Briefing, keynote speaker Jack Zenger said that most people believe that great leaders are born, not made. Most people think that it’s hard to learn the skills that make leaders great.

But Zenger believes that charisma, the ability to connect emotionally with others, is the main quality that separates great leaders from the runners-up. Zenger believes it’s a skill that can be learned.

Once mastered, charisma generates a contagious enthusiasm that people find inspiring and motivating. Research shows that inspiring leadership increases cooperation among employees, heightens creativity and ups productivity.

As LFI members, we obviously want to be great leaders. Hearing messages like Jack Zenger’s reinforces the knowledge we need to excel. We’re fortunate that LFI’s support of our goals doesn’t end with our class year, and that we can benefit from LFI involvement through events like the Leadership Briefings.

Why waste a good crisis?

The last twelve months have been extraordinary. None of us recalls a more challenging time for our economy. We take no solace that Fairfax has been less impacted than many parts of our country. For our vulnerable neighbors, preserving or finding basic needs is critical. Nonprofits face the combination of increased service requests and diminished resources available to meet them.

For LFI and other nonprofits, this is a critical time to look at our mission and the ways we are focused on it. In good times, there is little sense of urgency to fix things or to redesign delivery of services. In times like these, we must focus on our mission and instill innovative ways to fulfill it.

We have realigned our staff to better serve our members, and are launching new initiatives to help the nonprofits do what they do better. Leadership Fairfax will emerge stronger, more relevant, and more responsive to community needs than ever before. Our glass indeed is half full.

— Wayne Hill, CEO and Chief Concierge