Business leaders cite challengers at event.

By CHRISTAN M. THOMAS Press Business Writer cthomas@johnsoncitypress.com

Leadership challenges may be as different and as vast as the types of businesses found across the region today. Many of the Tri-Cities leaders, however, face similar issues and overcome them by developing certain qualities, according to a panel of local businesspeople.

“I’m writing down some of the common themes from our panelists (in developing as leaders) — trust, respect, integrity, ethics rapport, relationships and finding what’s most important to the other person,” said moderator Natalie Hoffmann, of Natalie Manor and Associates.

“I think it’s great that we have leaders from all different types of industries and all different walks, here, all different ages, and no one has said ‘It was this one book that I read or it was this one program that I went to.’ It’s the qualities that we’ve talked about and what we continue to talk about in ASTD.”

The discussion took place as part of a leadership panel discussion Tuesday that was sponsored by the American Society for Training and Development’s Tri-Cities chapter. Panelists included Scott Emerine, public relations director for Creative Energy; Phil Rasnick, owner of PML Programs; Cindy Tauscher, training specialist with Institute for Business and Industry Services at Northeast State Technical Community College; Richie Torbett, owner of NAC Service; and Meg Watters, account executive with the Business Journal and associate editor of generatioNext.

Panelists cited overcoming perceptions, recruiting and retaining quality staff and transitioning into a new business or new community as some of the biggest challenges that they have faced over the years. All said overcoming them involved proper training for themselves and managers, becoming involved in organizations and activities that benefit the community and practicing good business etiquette as ways to overcome those difficulties.

“When I was struggling with it (adjusting to a management system and getting employees to work together), I went to our management development department and said ‘We are having problems,’ ” Tauscher said. “I was sure that the problem wasn’t me. They said ‘We need to look at your leadership skills.’ That is what has made me such a believer in leadership training ... Being able to actually influence people and getting them to want to work with you was a lifesaver for me, and a career saver.”