LEADERS AMONG US

By Ellen Small Davis

Survey a cross-section of business professionals about their thoughts on leadership, and you might expect vastly different opinions.

Yet,this isn’t the case on the North Shore where executives in business, finance, banking, and medicine have developed leadership qualities and styles that allow their employees to thrive and grow. Leading by example is vital to offer direction and the necessary tools for employees and, by extension, their businesses to grow, they say. Their own mentors and training were eclectic and differed, and prepared each to rise to the top of their fields.

“I consider myself a collaborative leader,” said Michael J. Jones, president and chief executive officer of the 203-year-old Institution for Savings in Newburyport.

The bank’s management team each have their own expertise in their respective areas, according to Jones. Though he sets the vision and manages the bank, he empowers his team to operate their respective departments to achieve this vision.

“I guess you could describe it as an eyeson, hands-off style,” he says. “I put a lot of trust and respect in my team to achieve that vision because I know I can’t do it alone.”

His leadership style clearly resonates with the bank’s employees as it was recently named a “Top Place to Work,” for the 15th year. Jones has worked for the Institution for Savings for the last 17 years; the last 13 as president and chief executive officer. He says he believes in “leading by example and modeling the behavior I want to see in the employees.”

Much like Jones, Karen Nascembeni, general manager of North Shore Music Theatre, counts on her team members to think and act critically by creating an environment that is inclusive and empowering.

“I don’t pretend to have all the answers, nor do I think I am the only one with the ultimate solution to every problem,” she says. “I love nothing more than to ask an employee how they would handle a certain problem or situation.”

That approach is a confidence builder, she adds, and enables her team members to develop their own leadership skills.

“I’ve never been a ‘knowledge is power’ person...the type of leader who holds back information so no one else knows their job making them harder to replace,” Nascembeni says. “We have a line we use here all the time, ‘If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, what happens? Are we covered?”

Nascembeni, has been affiliated with NSMT since the 1990s as a volunteer and member of the Board of Directors which previously operated the theater. She continued her association after Bill Hanney purchased the theater in 2010. NSMT team members’ leadership abilities were put to the ultimate test in March of 2020. Nascembeni, her husband Steven Richard, and father-in-law Earl Richard, were among the North Shore’s first patients diagnosed with COVID. Steven and Earl died. She was placed in an induced coma and spent months in the intensive care unit followed by months of rehabilitation.

“When I became gravely ill with COVID-19 three years ago, my team said, ’What would Karen do?’ and proceeded to run this company without me and without missing a beat..one by one they became stronger leaders. It was truly beautiful for me to witness.”

Brad Small, chief executive officer and founder at Solomon Private Wealth, LLC, agrees with much of Nascembeni’s leadership philosophy. With proper training and delegation of responsibility and authority, team members hone their abilities and use them to serve Solomon’s clients.

“Technically, as a leader, you are building a business that can run without you, but your team would rather it not,” he says. “Being capable professionally, having humility and generosity, and being open to others’ ideas, allows every team member to be part of the success.”

Collaborative, passionate, empathetic, approachable, and accountable, are all words David Eidle, senior vice president of banking business at M&T Bank, uses to describe his own style while again, keeping his employees’ growth at the forefront.

“I am a passionate leader who enjoys helping others achieve their goals and to become leaders themselves,” he says.

Salem Hospital’s Roxanne Ruppel concurs.

“I believe it’s important to approach leadership with a servant leader mindset ensuring that the employees on the front lines have what they need to care for our patients and the support to realize their full potential,” says Ruppel, the recently appointed president and chief operation officer at the 150 year-old hospital, where she worked for 25 years.

Ruppel says her style is collaborative with a focus on clear communication while pursuing continuous improvement.

Through relationships with mentors, all of the executives learned what type of leader they aspired to be -- and what they wanted to avoid in their own careers.

“I’ve learned as much from watching bad leaders as I have been taught by working for good, strong, confident leaders,” Nascembeni says. “I carry so many of them (positive role models) with me in every decision I make.”

“I gained the knowledge of the type of leader I wanted to be by what will make people happy, fulfilled, and have a balanced work and personal life,” Jones notes. “I expect a lot from my team and I want people to have fun and enjoy coming to work.”

Active listening and collaboration go a long way in decision making and effectiveness, according to Ruppel.

“Good leadership requires good listening,” she says.

It is important to learn from your failures as well as your successes, she adds.

Nearly all acknowledge they would like a piece of their professional legacy to include mentorship.

“Everyone has the opportunity to make a difference, especially in a healthcare environment,” Ruppel says.

“As leaders it’s also our responsibility to identify the talent and strengths of our people, acknowledge it and then nurture it by providing opportunities for employees to grow.”

Eidle encourages his employees’ professional development by offering leadership workshops, constant interaction, feedback and coaching.

Promoting from within, and mentoring employees to move into higher positions if they desire, has long been the practice at the Institution for Savings, says Jones. It is one of the reasons the bank has a high employee retention.

Nascembeni’s “compassionate leadership” style has been published in a best-selling leadership book by Donato Tramuto, “The Double Bottom Line –How Compassionate Leaders Captivate Hearts and Deliver Results,” Her case study is included in the chapter “The More You Give, The More You Get.”

“I believe it is more important than ever, to lead from a place of compassion,” she says.

Small concurs, “A leader looks out beyond themselves to help others.” I