What would you do if you had access to 4,500 leaders in your community?
Brent Geist, vice president of investment securities at FirstBank, a Leadership Foundation board member and Leadership Denver (LD) 2019 participant – has deepened his connection to his LD class and has made new connections with Leadership Foundation alumni on The Network, an online community just for alumni.
Geist is The Networker of the Quarter for his active engagement on community discussions whether that’s sharing his experience at the Colorado Leadership Alliance Mentor’s Walk or asking alums to help his organization find interns for the summer. This Networker has utilized one of the best resources in our community – Leadership Foundation alums!
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Elizabeth Prutch: Why are you active on The Network?
Geist: I am active on The Network because it is an effective platform to interact with top leaders in the Denver metro area. It’s also an excellent tool to engage with a community of civic-minded leaders.
Prutch: Why should other alumni join The Network?
Geist: Alumni should join for engagement with leaders in our community, well-informed discourse regarding issues in our region and opportunities to connect for business or community service. Also, it’s free, fun and works really well!
Prutch: What is your leadership style?
Geist: I focus on people and results. I rely on my team to achieve our vision. I trust them and defer to their expertise. I make sure all voices are heard and everyone has a seat at the table. I listen, nurture their strengths and attend to their satisfaction. And, I focus most of my energy on moving roadblocks out of their way. At the finish line the result is what matters, not the path we took to get there.
Prutch: What advice do you have for others regarding leadership?
Geist: The measure of a leader’s success is the success of the people he or she leads. If your people get all the credit for a job well done, you are doing it right.
Prutch: What does civic engagement mean to you?
Geist: Civic engagement means caring about the world in which we live and using your time and resources to make it better for everyone.
Elizabeth Prutch is the manager of alumni engagement for the Leadership Foundation
