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By Lorene Rasmussen
Last year I had
the privilege of introducing my mother to you through a
holiday article called, Mother Mayor's Management
Style. Many of you wrote back to us saying that you
enjoyed the "heart warming" story and that it was a nice
tribute to a woman who had obviously exhibited hope,
passion, tenacity, and leadership.
I shared in the earlier article that the holiday season was
my Mother's favorite time of year and I still believe her
drug of choice was pine scent and fruit cake. Her idea of
an extreme sport was baking 15 different flavors of
cookies and 10 varieties of homemade candy. Mom was
magnificent, colorful, and quite authentic. She never went
to college; she never wrote a book; and at the time of her
passing, she didn't have a $1,000 in her bank account.
Nonetheless, she raised 6 hard working children; owned
a greasy spoon café, and stayed married to my father for
more than 50 years. Mom had a passion for good food,
good kids, and a good community.
Mom was a big woman; she stood 5'8" tall, weighed well
over 200 lbs, and her voice entered the room before she
did. Mom accomplished everything she needed to
without the aid of computers, iphones, or blackberries.
She drove a big green Cadillac and always had a
cigarette lit, which she used for dramatic emphasis when
she needed to make a point.
Mom's last paying job was mayor of my hometown,
population 272. The community called her "Mother
Mayor," a term of endearment, which followed her to the
grave. One year, Mom was elected as Mayor by the write-
in votes alone, but she declined the position in favor of the
second place gentleman who was actually running for the
position.
When introducing mother to you last year, I mentioned
she never ran a marathon; the truth is, she didn't have
to! She passed away three years ago, but her memory
ran every mile of training with me as well as the Marine
Corps Marathon. The day I crossed the finish line, I
desperately wanted to pick up the phone to say, "MOM, I
Did It!"
Even now as I am recovering from a torn calf muscle and
a few secondary issues from the injury, I just want to talk
to her. When you hurt, there isn't anyone in the whole
world that can sympathize with you, like your own mom.
Her memory will be ever present with me.
Like I said, Mom didn't have to run a marathon to be a
metaphor for leadership. Everything I learned during this
past year through training, implementing, and execution,
she knew instinctively. Mom wasn't perfect but the
woman did know how to love people and manage
projects and she did it straight from her gut, right through
her heart.
So with that said, let me share four of mom's attributes
last year's readers found inspiring. Perhaps these
attributes will help inform your leadership style, whether
you are a hometown mayor, a small business owner, or
someone who just needs to rethink some old principles in
a new, down home way.
Hope: Mom was a fairly optimistic person with a
sense that things would turn out for the best. Originally,
when she campaigned for the office of mayor she did so
because our town's water system was running through
100 year old rusty and rotted pipes that couldn't keep
pressure. The pipes needed to be flushed regularly so the
drinking water wouldn't be brown. Being a responsible
citizen and tired of living with nasty water, she believed
that someone needed to be accountable for the drinking
water before the state of Wyoming stepped in and took
charge of the situation.
Mom knew this project was unpopular with many of the
townspeople because they thought that the water bill
increase would be more painful then the unpleasant water
they had grown accustom to. Over gallons of coffee, one
cup at a time, Mom carefully took the time to
communicate her hope for clean water and a new system
that would hold the proper pressure.
Tenacity: Being elected as mayor was only the
first step of thousands required to obtain the brand new
multi-million dollar water system. Mom was faced with
learning a whole new skill set; understanding the
idiosyncrasies of DEQ's rules and regulations, learning
how to write bond applications, meeting with "real"
politicians, and playing the mediator between small town
needs versus big state politics. It was Mom's tenacity
that kept her focused on the greater good when conflicts,
details, and deadlines threatened to derail the project.
Passion: Mom would not accept the myth
that "there is nothing we can do about the bad drinking
water." Her passion for doing what was right and creating
a better community was far more important to her than
her own comfort. Settling for status quo was not an
option for her. (It seldom is for real leaders.)
Leadership: Mom was accused of being bold!
She would speak her mind, not mincing words, but I don't
believe she was ever considered brutal, just truthful.
Mom knew there was an urgency when she took office.
She only wanted to be in office just long enough to
accomplish what she set out to do. Consequently, Mom
had to have the courage to take charge and make
unpopular decisions regarding the details surrounding the
water system and community pride.
It's outrageous to believe Mom accomplished this multi-
million dollar installation by herself. As a leader, she
knew there were people she needed on board to
accomplish the mission. She also knew there were
others that would criticize her work the entire way. The
dichotomy created between the cheerleaders and
naysayers became the check and balance system that
kept Mom on target, realizing the completed project.
Mom's natural leadership style was not only
demonstrated during public times but it was also
apparent when she took the time to serve others in her
home, just listening to their concerns. I guess if you can
raise a house full of successful children, you have an
understanding how to lead others.
No doubt I have painted a picture of a woman that
is "bigger than life." I admit I have "creative memories"
that surround the details of my Mother. However, I believe
even a legend can teach all of us essential principles of
leadership.
So why didn't Mom really run a
marathon? Beside the fact they wouldn't allow her to
enter the race with her Cadillac and a cigarette, Mother
Mayor had a city to run, a water system to overhaul, and a
family to raise.
Since we are smack dab in the
middle of the holiday season, perhaps this would be a
good time for you to reflect on the people that made an
impact on your leadership style and if possible, why not
send them a thank you note this year.
.Lorene Rasmussen is the Partner for Business
Operations which guides and supports the daily and
strategic operations of Leadership Advisors Group. She
combines a unique sense of fun and organization to
insure operations run smoothly and that clients receive
the highest quality service possible.
Lorene earned a Bachelors of Business
Administration
degree in marketing from Boise State University and is a
certified Life Coach through Genesis Enterprises in
Seattle, Washington. Lorene is #5 of 6 children and
postponed listening to Christmas music until mid-
November.
She asked me when the season of joy was suppose to
end. I said I didn't really think there was an exact date.
So we left the tree up until June that year!" ~
Brian Andreas, Story People
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