Intentional Leadership and the Power of Relationships: A Vision for St. Louis

I’m very intentional with where I invest my time. You and I both need to be intentional to be effective—what has your week been like?

For me, this week has been a whirlwind, filled with multiple events. One of these was with Kelly Pollock, CEO of the Berges Foundation, and many of their partners, discussing leadership. There, I presented a challenge:

“I have an idea for St. Louis: most social service organizations should tap into a broader marketplace vision. What do I mean by this? At the highest level, your role is ultimately to help create the conditions for people to become well-adjusted individuals who earn enough to contribute positively to the economic vitality of society. Why do I think this? From a systems-thinking perspective, I believe the highest leverage point to solve many of our social and cultural issues is tied to household income and economic participation. If I applied the Socratic method to most social services, they would ultimately arrive at the goal of promoting economic mobility and stability.”

The second event was with my alma mater, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where I shared a key lesson I’ve learned over time:

“As I’ve taken on leadership and board governance roles, I am struck by how MANY unethical decisions made by business leaders stem from being seduced by power. We see this across sectors, where governance fails and power distorts leadership. Power corrupts if we are not careful. This reminds me that none of us are immune from poor decisions if the conditions are right.”

Finally, it was fitting to conclude the week with the Nonprofit Connector event we host through Midwest BankCentre. This is a community event, and Twice Over a Man—which served as the foundation for all of my remarks this week—emphasizes the importance of relationships. UMSL is a key relationship. The Berges Foundation is a key relationship. And what made the Nonprofit Connector event successful, now in its fourth iteration, were the key relationships in the room.

At another event earlier this week—a groundbreaking for the Normandie Golf Club in North County—Senator Brian Williams spoke about projects and businesses “moving at the speed of relationships.” His point resonates deeply; relationships are how we get meaningful work done. People like my friend Keith Williamson at Centene, who called others to join; Yemi Akande from Focus St. Louis, who encouraged attendance; Trezette Dixon from Greater St. Louis Inc., who invited people; Karen Branding from the Regional Business Council, who showed up; and Gwen Mizell from Ameren, who came straight from the airport, made the Nonprofit Connector event a success.

The event was born out of the many calls I received years ago about joining nonprofit boards. When I pressed these organizations on why they were reaching out to me, the answer was clear: they wanted a more diverse board to better serve all of St. Louis. I saw this as an opportunity to open my network and invited my friends to do the same.

My message to the group was, “Only 18% of people on boards identify as minority, while we represent 40% of the population.” We need to do more. I also reminded them that diversity includes white people, and it was uplifting to see all facets of diversity in St. Louis represented in the room.

I love this region, and seeing so many people show up in different settings this week confirms that I’m not alone in that love. When you’re intentional about something, you push it to be its very best. For St. Louis to reach its full potential, we need more of this spirit. We need more businesses, more people with good jobs, more people starting businesses, more population growth, more shared economic prosperity and, above all, more vision.

If this message resonates with you, please share it with your network and add your thoughts. And let me know about your week—I’d love to hear what’s been on your agenda!