Hartford Business Journal’s 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes event has become extremely popular in recent years.
For those who are unfamiliar with the event, we invite nine CEOs to share their 10 ideas for leadership best practices.
This year’s event ran into a couple of roadblocks. It was originally scheduled for March, but COVID-19 shut downs prevented that from happening.
We eventually rescheduled 90 Ideas as a virtual event on Aug. 4, but then a day prior, Tropical Storm Isaias knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of residents, including some of our speakers. We had to postpone and reboot the program again.
Finally, over the last week, HBJ launched a 90 Ideas mini series, publishing individual video presentations by each of our speakers.
Revenue was down for the event (we couldn’t sell tickets) but our readers and supporters still responded well to it.
What’s the point of this tale? Well, it demonstrates that the only way to survive and thrive in 2020 is to have an entrepreneurial mindset — be willing to adapt new and innovative ideas to make things work.
The evolution of 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes — from an in-person to a virtual to a mini-series event — is a perfect example, having been impacted by both the pandemic and tropical storm.
That’s my best leadership advice in a year in which the hits keep on coming. Decision-makers must be willing and able to reinvent long-standing practices and processes on the fly in order to overcome the challenges of a once-in-a-century pandemic, which has caused unprecedented business interruptions.
The adapt-or-die mindset has never been more relevant.
Here’s a look at some of the best advice this year’s 90 Ideas speakers have shared over the past week. Their words of wisdom are needed now more than ever.
One of the most essential characteristics of a leader is inspiration — defined as the ability to move people to action. — Jay Williams, President, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Think as big as possible about where you can go. Don’t be afraid to map out the largest vision of what’s possible. — Claudia Reuter, GM, Americas East, Techstars
Develop diverse and talented teams. Hire and develop talented people, and give them the freedom to do their jobs. Know your weaknesses and make sure you have team members who can compensate. — Jennifer Delmonico, Managing Partner, Murtha Cullina
Sweat the details. Consistency is key. — Chef Tyler Anderson
Speak truth to power. You have a voice — use it. Organizations will not succeed if everyone says ‘yes’ to their boss. Speak up, have an opinion, challenge the situation. — Dana Neves, Vice President & General Manager, WFSB
Passion is the oxygen of life. If there is no passion, there is no drive. — Coleman Levy, Consultant/Advisor, Coleman B. Levy LLC
Build and protect your personal brand. Keep your promises. Be truthful. Be kind. Be authentic. — Beth Shluger, CEO & President, Hartford Marathon Foundation
Success isn’t free. It might cost time, sleep, stability, confidence and more. Be willing to make sacrifices. — Carlos Mouta, Owner & CEO, Parkville Management
Be great in their presence. When you’re in management, it’s easy for people to see you as just a manager and not as the incredibly skilled artisan or tradesperson you truly are. So make sure you sell or engineer or program or remove a spleen masterfully in front of your staff. — Eric Cavoli, Partner & Creative Director, CashmanKatz
