Warsaw Chamber Speaker Discusses ‘Sharing Fire’
Warsaw Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce held its 102nd annual banquet Thursday night at Manahan Orthopedic Capital Center at Grace College in Winona Lake. There are approximately 600 members in the chamber this year.
Alan Alderfer and Julia Moore were named Man and Woman of the Year respectively. Other awards were also presented. (See related)
Author and speaker, Dr. Marc Hardy of Notre Dame, gave the keynote address. He is the host of “Sharing Fire” radio show. He discussed “Early Leadership and Life Lesson: a Tale of Two Fathers.”
Raised in Bremen, Hardy moved with his family to Granger, where his father was the first barber in town. “He knew everybody,” said Hardy. “He taught me a lot about leadership.”
His father was able to get a South Bend department store up and running in 48 hours. “That was a leadership lesson,” Hardy said, adding that there were 1,000 people at his father’s funeral.
He talked about the Myth of Prometheus, who shared fire with the mortals. He said philanthropy is “giving people the tools to be better.”
Hardy worked at one time for Howard Brembeck, founder of Chore-Time Brock in Milford. Hardy’s role model, Brembeck told him, “We help feed a hungry world.”
“He was one of the wisest men I’ve ever met,” Hardy said. “I would not be where I am today without him.”
He said we all believe we have greater possibilities, but why is it so hard to accept praise? Because people are shy, embarrassed or think we might have ulterior motives, Hardy noted.
He had people do an exercise at their tables. He asked them to name someone who had the most influence on them and why. He also told them to write down how that person made them feel and to place a monetary value on the relationship.
He talked about personal engagement philanthropy, which has more than a monetary value, noting, “It’s priceless.”
Personal engagement philanthropy is powerful philanthropy, he said. Also, the myth of a self-made man or woman is that there is no such person, Hardy said, adding other people help make a person who they are.
He said it’s important to give back. “We can re-gift the good,” Hardy said.
Hardy noted some organizations that give back to the community, like United Way, Lake City Bank and Biomet. Hardy said companies should invest in their people. “Retain people and take care of them,” he said.
He stressed the importance of encouraging employees. “It makes us better,” Hardy noted. “We can recognize the gifts and talents of others. It’s important to give encouragement.”
He said positive psychology is figuring out why happy people are happy. “Build a culture of trust,” he noted, adding it’s important to have a culture of kindness.
Hardy said people perform best when they are in the right job. He also said employers can’t train employees for attitude and need to be authentic leaders.
“If you take care of people in your organization, they will take care of you,” Hardy concluded.