Warren Bennis Leadership Summit spotlights leadership theory, practice

Conant said a leader needs to be able to inspire trust through three traits: character, chemistry and confidence.

“You have to be able to create an environment where you can leverage your competence and your character in a way that makes your team better.”

Fox, who earned his MBA from Lindner, spoke about constructing an atmosphere conducive to employee expression.

“I tell people, especially if they are my direct reports, that if you’re sitting next to me, the value is in your voice. If I'm not hearing their voice, I’m not making the right decision.”

After he was elected mayor in 2021, Pureval said that he reached out to former P&G CEO David Taylor for counsel.

“Because I had never worked in city government and had never really led on municipal issues, my concern was I wanted to be the smartest guy in the room. Mr. Taylor gave me a fabulous piece of advice, which was that it’s not your job to be the smartest person. It’s your job to empower others.”

Sisodia framed his answer through the four pillars of conscious capitalism: higher purpose, stakeholder orientation, conscious leadership and conscious culture.

“The leader you are is the human you are. Warren Bennis talked a lot about that. You have to work on the being, the person.”

Zigarmi, who spent a year shadowing Bennis during her doctoral studies, stressed that leaders should “know their pain.”

“You need to know your life story to shape your values. That’s what shows up in the moment.”

As the president of Cincinnati's largest private company, Byrne recognizes the need for him to be visible to both TQL employees and the public.

“I enjoy it, but not everybody does. It’s easy sometimes to sit in your office, and that’s not the right answer, especially when there are problems to address.”

Cherrey offered the mantra “be a host, not a hero” with respect to leadership development.

“There is no leader who knows it all. It is how we encompass and become the host of ourselves and each other. As a host, you learn that you have to work with others. You have to make the world a better place.”

Fisher highlighted the importance of being intentional.

“You've got to invest in it. You’ve got to work at it. You’ve got to believe in yourself.”

Simmons spotlighted diversity — whether that be age, race or sexual orientation — as a pathway to keep leadership principles fresh.

“Today, especially with social media, we live in an echo chamber. We are fed what we want to hear. We have to go find different opinions. We need to have those people at the table in our organizations who don't agree with us, who do differently than us, who look differently than us, to make sure that we're setting the table not just for success today but for success down the road.”

Turner spoke about investing in future leaders and creating an environment where every employee understands that they have an opportunity to lead.

“When you cultivate an environment where individuals feel empowered to make decisions and to step up without having to ask permission, it is a game changer.”