We each have moments in our lives that change us, impact our future and even define how we lead.
We were all reminded of that last week when the three finalists for 9NEWS Leader of the Year – Priya Burkett, Joshua Hunt and Jodi Rolland – continued to share their stories at our Leadership Foundation’s Leading Colorado luncheon, where the Leader of the Year was announced live with our partners at 9NEWS. Joshua Hunt was named the 2018 9NEWS Leader of the Year.
He, Priya and Jodi have been sharing their leadership journeys these past few months, including moments in their life that were challenging. Personal struggles of worth. Finding your path in another country. Dropping out of school. Losing a parent as a child. They were incredibly vulnerable in sharing such personal experiences.
These stories made me reflect on my own similar moments where the course of my life was significantly impacted. For example, I never imagined when my father was injured on the job and couldn’t work anymore that he would go back to school and graduate from college – learning how smart he really was and rebuilding his esteem and confidence. Instead what happened in that moment was my family felt a great deal of shame because we needed government help and community support.
It doesn’t take long as you reflect on those moments in your own life what determines if a challenge will turn into a negative or a positive. It was clear that the three leaders we recognized last week intentionally chose HOW they would respond to the setback or challenge before them. They were victims of circumstance, and yet they chose to focus on what they could control. And, just as important, they invited the support of others during that time.
Today, their own approach to leadership continues to highlight those two factors. They all clearly hold themselves responsible and accountable for their actions, and they seek ways they can support others. Priya is the director of business development for American Express, Joshua is founder and CEO of TRELORA and Jodi is the Colorado State and Denver Market President for Bank of America.
Joshua shared a beautiful philosophy from his own life: You never know someone’s story and the experiences they carry with them, and because of that we should all strive to live in curiosity and not judgment.
You can see why he is an amazing leader! That is a powerful way to think about how we work and how we build our community. When we can be vulnerable with each other and share our most impactful experiences, it reminds us that we are more similar than different, that we don’t have to shoulder the weight of those experiences alone – but there is an entire community willing to support us.
I want to thank Joshua, Jodi and Priya for being such impactful leaders in our state and sharing their stories so we can all learn and grow to be better human beings and, yes, leaders.
Please let them know how much you appreciate their leadership, and join us May 2 at Your Conversation With to hear Joshua’s leadership story.
Kelly Brough is the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber.