John Keuffer:Executive Director, The Light Foundation and Founder of Teen Response

John Keuffer
Bio:: John is the Executive Director of The Light Foundation and Founder of Teen Response Inc. Through his work at both organizations, he strives to empower young people to reach their highest potential. He is co-host of Cincinnati's first and longest running radio talk show for teens on WCIN 1480AM. John has earned numerous awards, including Top 30 National Social Entrepreneurs by Youth Service America and Top 100 National Social Entrepreneurs by MTV. He motivates an average of 30,000 youth per year and is the author of two books, Dare To Fail Strive to Succeed: 8 Steps for Positive Youth Growth and Ancient Scrolls of Adiel: A Financial Parable of Success. John serves as President of the St. Cecilia Parish Council and is a board member of Friendship Reading Center of Mt. Auburn. He is a member of a number of enterprising initiatives that include the NFL Alumni Cincinnati Chapter and Ohio Association of Child & Youth Care Professionals.

FCL: How would you define a leader?
John: "A leader isn’t based upon a title, quite a few non-executives have more leadership ability than those who have a title. A leader is a person others desire to follow because they exhibit qualities others believe in."

FCL: Who are your biggest influences as a leader?
John: "My father, Parish Pastor, Zig Ziglar and Robert Kiyosaki."

FCL: What gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
John: "I won’t call myself a leader. I am an innovator. I'm willing to go and do things others are not. I am not afraid of failure, in fact, I embrace it as a learning tool for success."

FCL: What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
John: "I dislike dishonesty and disrespect for others time. I prefer people who are direct rather than someone who beats around the bush. The one thing that truly drives me crazy are those people who do not return calls, or respond to emails in a timely manner. This shows a complete disrespect for the other person."

FCL: What is your biggest challenge as a leader?



John: "Maintaining the energy and drive to keep going despite obstacles. Developing a quality team of people who share the same drive, passion and self-motivation needed to succeed."




FCL: Who has impacted you the most in your life as a leader?
John: "Zig Ziglar impact me first. I have been lucky to correspond with him since 1996. Robert Kiyosaki inspired me to start reading again and reading a lot. He also inspired me to look at finances in a completely different way. This motivated me to work with young people to teach them financial literacy skills."

FCL: What are your favorite books and what are you currently reading?
John: "“To Kill A Mockingbird” is my favorite fiction book. I am a big fan of all of the Rich Dad Poor Dad series, as well as all of the Zig Ziglar books. I am currently reading Larry Winget’s book called “Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life.”"

FCL: What is your vision for business and community leadership in Cincinnati?
John: "Cincinnati is really suffering from a lack of a unified leadership and goals. Everything in Cincinnati is sporadic and does not seem to be focused. My vision would be to see a true Economic Development Plan that was incorporate and established by a unified group of leaders."

Closing remarks (from Herman): "Thanks John. I was hooked when you said, "The one thing that truly drives me crazy are those people who do not return calls, or respond to emails in a timely manner." In their critically acclaimed book, The Leadership Challenge, Barry Posner and James Kouzes say that the essence of leadership is credibility. They write, "Leaders must be ever diligent in guarding their credibility ... In any circumstance, credibility is one of the hardest attributes to earn. And it is the most fragile of human qualities. It's earned minute by minute, hour by hour, month by month, year by year. But it can be lost in very short order if not attended to" (pgs 28 -29)."

Nancy Spivey: Vice President, Workforce and Education Solutions for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

Nancy A. Spivey
Bio: Nancy A. Spivey serves as liaison between the education and business community and is dedicated to ensuring the continued success of the economy and the workers in Northern Kentucky and the Cincinnati region. The American Council of Chamber Executives (ACCE) designated Nancy as Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) in 2006. Less than 500 chamber executives have earned this designation the past 38 years. She has also earned the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management (IOM) designation. Her leadership roles include appointment to the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board and chair of its Access Committee, member, Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, and member, Junior Achievement of Greater Cincinnati/OKI Partners. She is a native of Bright, Indiana, a resident of Erlanger, Kentucky, wife to husband Rob and mother to two young adults, Malachi and Morgan.

FCL: How would you define a leader?
Nancy: A leader is someone that others desire to emulate. A leader causes positive change and often takes steps that others might find impossible or unimaginable.

FCL: Who are your biggest influences as a leader?
Nancy: Doris Wedge, a woman who was a true leader when I worked for an Oklahoma Career Technical School. She was humble, giving, patient, and self-sacrificing, working for the betterment of the organization and for the people being served.

FCL: What gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Nancy: Knowing that a bit of what I’m accomplishing will leave a lasting impact on this community.

FCL: What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Nancy: I have 3--individuals whose work is self-centered, those who carry a negative vibe and those who can’t see that what they do and don’t do impacts others.

FCL: What is your biggest challenge as a leader?
Nancy: The feeling that sometimes I am treading through swampy, moss-filled waters and no one is following behind.

FCL: Who has impacted you the most in your life as a leader?
Nancy: My children. Parenting is the ultimate test for a leader—the example you set is so critical.

FCL: What are your favorite books and what are you currently reading?
Nancy: Favorite books include Alex Haley’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Gilda Radner’s book It’s Always Something. I’m currently reading Strengths Finder.

FCL: What is your vision for business and community leadership in Cincinnati?
Nancy: I believe the “can do” leaders should be given the luxury of time and resources to gather together and develop a positive roadmap for taking this city where we know it can be. The “can’t or won’t do” leaders should allow positive change to happen.

FCL: Where do you see yourself five years from today?
Nancy: I will continue to play a part in leaving a positive mark on my community and on the public that I serve.

Closing remarks (from Herman): I was nodding my head and saying "Aha" as I thought about your biggest challenge being "the feeling that sometimes you are treading through swampy, moss-filled waters and no one is following behind". All leaders experience this feeling, particularly when they are trying to establish momentum, initiate change or create buy-in for an organization or group's vision. Someone once said that it's lonely at the top. I think the main challenge of a leader during seasons of loneliness is to avoid disengaging from the organization. In a 2002 survey by Starwood Hotels and Resorts of 401 executives who play golf, it was discovered that 10% had called in sick to play a round. The reason? They had arrived at that place of "treading through swampy, moss-filled waters and no one was following behind". Read the full article here - Bummed Execs. Well Nancy, thanks for taking time for the interview. We look forward to seeing you continue making a positive impact in our community and beyond it.

Chris Downie - Founder/CEO of SparkPeople

Chris Downie

Bio: Chris is the Founder/CEO of SparkPeople.com, one of the largest health and goal setting related websites in the world. Prior to SparkPeople, Chris was one of two original co-founders of Up4Sale.com, an online auction site that was acquired by eBay in 1998 for approximately $100 million. Chris started his career with Procter & Gamble. He now spends much of his time in the SparkPeople Silicon Valley office with his wife and two sons. In his spare time, he loves playing tennis and helping other people reach goals.

Opening Remarks (from Chris): First, here’s a note about my perspective. I’ll answer as an entrepreneur currently building one of the world’s largest health-related websites (with my great team) and also a father of two young boys. So, life is a little crazy now.

FCL: How would you define a leader?
Chris: "I’d define a leader as someone who is able to develop a worthwhile vision, convince others to believe in the vision, develop good strategies for implementing the vision, and then execute like mad to reach success. Different leaders are better at each of these areas. Good leaders recognize their strengths and put themselves in position to use those strengths while surrounding themselves with a team great at other areas."

FCL: Who are your biggest influences as a leader?
Chris: "Entrepreneurs who build something from nothing but a spark in their head inspire me. eBay Founders Pierre Omidyar and Jeff Skoll are role models because they are using their success from eBay to become a new breed of philanthropists. I consider SparkPeople to be an example of “for-profit social entrepreneurship” similar to what they are doing.

In the corporate world, I worked at Procter & Gamble when John Pepper became CEO and will never forget the standing ovation he received from over 10,000 people."

FCL: What gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Chris: "At SparkPeople, every day people tell me our website has changed their life. It’s a humbling position to be in. For example, a member who has lost 30 pounds on our site said, “This website has permanently improved my entire life.” To see the original leadership vision come alive with the help of an amazing small team in Cincinnati is a great joy!"

FCL: What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Chris: "I always want things to happen faster."

FCL: What is your biggest challenge as a leader?
Chris: "I still have a touch of anxiety from childhood, so some aspects of leadership still cause me a lot of stress. So, I do many things like consistent exercise to combat this."

FCL: Who has impacted you the most in your life as a leader?
Chris: "I’d have to say the members of SparkPeople. Seeing how much a website can truly change someone’s life impacts me every day."

FCL: What are your favorite books and what are you currently reading?
Chris: "With this company in hyper-growth mode and being the father of two young boys, I don’t get to read much lately. I do read Fortune magazine regularly while riding the exercise bike. A book that has had a great deal of influence on me is Viktor Frankl’s 'Man’s Search for Meaning'."

FCL: What is your vision for business and community leadership in Cincinnati?
Chris: "I would love to see Cincinnati reach its potential as a city by maximizing the talents of its great people."

FCL: Where do you see yourself five years from today?
Chris: "Wow! This is a hard one. In the internet world, we think in terms of every 3 months so it’s harder to look out that far. But, I’d say my 5-year goals would be:
1. To be a great Dad to my two boys and a good husband
2. I’d like to be the Chairman of the Board of a standalone SparkPeople – a company helping millions of people
3. Enjoying life by continuing to challenge myself to reach many types of goals
4. Sparking other people to maximize their potential and reach goals!"

Closing remarks (from Herman): Chris, this is magnificent stuff. It's true... having a worthwhile vision and developing a team are key components of great leadership. Congratulations on SparkPeople being voted best health site by Business Week's 2006 "Best of the Web". It's great to know a leader whose number one goal is to be a great dad and a good husband. Thanks for modeling first class leadership."