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Greenville News Feature | April 21, 2024

Roughly eight years ago, I participated in Leadership Greenville, a year-long program managed by the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.

As you may have guessed from the name, this program aims to teach people about leadership, hoping they will take more active roles in shaping the Greenville community. The class days were enlightening, intense, and inspiring, and I always felt exhausted afterward.

While thousands of graduates of Leadership Greenville have been present over the past 50 years, each person’s memories and experiences are different. Leadership Greenville brings together many people who may never meet in any other way. It also opens capable eyes to the needs within our community, a comprehensive way of understanding how one’s time, treasure, and talents align with real community needs. 

For me, it led me into the world of affordable housing. As a real estate professional and broker, I determined that professional abilities developed within real estate were most needed within the affordable housing preservation space. 

What did I learn from Leadership Greenville?

• Leaders have a bias toward action. Getting caught up in planning and deliberation is easy, but true leaders understand the importance of moving forward, even in uncertainty. They recognize that inaction can be more costly than making an imperfect decision. This bias toward action doesn't mean recklessly jumping into things without thought; instead, it's about not getting paralyzed by overanalyzing.

• Combining "partnering to your weaknesses" with "who not how" creates a powerful synergy for personal and organizational growth. This integrated strategy emphasizes the importance of recognizing one's limitations and the value of collaboration. You cultivate a culture of teamwork and mutual support by focusing on who can complement your weaknesses and who can best achieve specific goals. This leads to a more adaptable, resilient, and successful organization or project, where challenges are met with collective expertise and diverse strategies.

• Leaders must have a forward-looking perspective, which involves understanding the dynamics of their industries, the global economy, and societal changes. This foresight comes from experience, strategic thinking, and continuous learning. By anticipating future trends, leaders can position their organizations to take advantage of emerging opportunities and to mitigate potential risks.

• Aligning hearts and minds requires emotional intelligence: A leader with high emotional intelligence can recognize and understand his or her emotions and those of their team members. This awareness allows for better management of emotions, leading to a positive and productive work environment.

• By aligning their hearts with those of their team, leaders demonstrates empathy. This means understanding team members' feelings, perspectives, and challenges, which fosters a supportive and trusting team culture. Aligning minds involves sharing a clear vision and inspiring the team toward common goals. It's about ensuring everyone understands the direction, their roles, and how they contribute to the bigger picture.

• Leadership takes practice. It’s essential to reflect on each project or task completed. Consider taking 10 minutes each day to reflect on what you did throughout the day and list your successes and challenges. Write down some solutions to those challenges if they occur again.

• Never stop learning: Even though you might help others develop their leadership capabilities, it's also essential to continue learning. By focusing on your professional development, you can show others you're committed to growth and progress. Additionally, you can learn new leadership development strategies to implement in the future.

Decisive leadership is a key to creating success and health in an organization. Leadership can constantly be developed and strengthened.

Mario Brown is a co-founder and principal of Affordable Upstate. He and business partner Brian Albers were named the Leadership Greenville Alumni of the Year in 2024.