Dr. Terri Maue: Director of Academics Cincinnati Campus Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Bio: Dr. Terri Maue is Director of Academics at the Cincinnati campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She also serves the university as Discipline Chair for English and Humanities. Terri has been married to her high school sweetheart Eddie for 40 years and is the mother of 38-year-old Chuck and grandmother of 13-year-old Chuckie. She and Eddie live on five acres of beautiful, rolling, wooded land with their dogs, Max and George, and cats, Cindy and Tiger. Terri has been a practicing meditator for almost 50 years. (You’d think she’d have it right by now J.) She is the author of short stories, poems, essays, and a novel-in-progress. Most recently, her essay titled ‘Dad’s Legacy’ was featured in WVXU’s series This I Believe.

FCL: How would you define a leader?
Terri: A leader is someone other people want to follow; that’s the simplest definition. But a good leader is someone worthy of being followed. A good leader is that rare combination of integrity, true concern for the well being of others, and skill in producing desired results. Integrity because without it, a person is a charlatan or worse, rudderless, swayed by opinion or circumstances, unable to guide herself, much less others. True concern for the well being of others because it is a great responsibility to exert an influence on another person and such responsibility should never be taken lightly. Skill in producing desired results because without skill, even the most beneficial goals remain unmanifest. All three are necessary. Integrity without concern can lead to narcissism. Concern without integrity can lead to the end justifying the means. Integrity and concern without skill can lead to frustration and burnout. And skill without integrity and concern can lead to selling one’s soul.

FCL: Who are your biggest influences as a leader?
Terri: Jesus, the Buddha, the African Goddess Oya, and the Bodhisattva Tara, also known as Kwan Yin. Jesus because he was the first to teach me about living according to one’s values. The Buddha because he taught me how to see the human condition with compassion and clarity. Oya because she taught me that shaking things up is sometimes a good thing. Tara/Kwan Yin because she hears the cries of the world and pours healing compassion on suffering human beings.

FCL: What gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Terri: My greatest joy is when I accomplish an objective by getting people to work together. I strongly believe that ‘we are all in this together’ and a ‘victory’ that comes at the price of a ‘loser’ is no victory at all, only a future problem festering.

FCL: What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Terri: People who use their rhetorical skill to mislead. I’m a writer and an English professor, and I deeply love and respect the power of words. I abhor the way language is so often used to mislead people. It is a violation of integrity to write or speak in a way that maintains adherence to the letter of truth but not to the spirit. We are responsible for the perceptions we create.

FCL: What is your biggest challenge as a leader?
Terri: I’m not comfortable dealing with confrontation, and it can knock me off balance. Thankfully, I am learning some skillful ways to handle aggressive, confrontational people.

FCL: Who has impacted you the most in your life as a leader?
Terri: Personally, my dad has had a profound impact on me. He was an engineer with many professional accomplishments, but first and foremost, he was a great father to me and my nine brothers and sisters. He taught me the value of family and the preciousness of sharing our lives. As my older brother said when we celebrated Mom and Dad’s 60th wedding anniversary, he showed us ‘the Face of Love.’

Professionally, I’ve had managers who have taught me by their example what not to do. They have had a great impact on me. I am extremely fortunate to work right now for a person who is teaching me what to do. He is an outstanding manager, a person who is so mild mannered that it is easy to underestimate him. Yet he achieves his goals, and he has provided me with guidance and opportunities to grow in my professional life. When I grow up, I want to be just like him!

FCL: What are your favorite books and what are you currently reading?
Terri: I have two kinds of favorite books. I love books that awaken in me the awe of living on this incredible planet among all these beautiful beings. I’m not talking about airy-fairy stuff; I’m talking about science, physics and nature. ‘The Tao of Physics’ by Fritjof Capra is still one of my favorites. The Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said the miracle is not that we walk on water, but that we walk. He’s right.

The other kind of book I love is the one that reminds me of my potential as a human being. I just read ‘The Success Principles’ by Jack Canfield, the author of ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul.’ ‘The Success Principles’ is a blueprint for achieving one’s vision and goals, and it relies not so much on techniques as on aligning oneself with one’s truest desire. How do I wish, in my heart of hearts, to spend this one precious life I have? What gives me the deepest joy? The most profound satisfaction? The answers to these questions provide the touchstone for living an authentic life. It’s so easy in our modern world to get caught up in all that we feel we should do or must do. I am grateful to find a book that reminds me that life is about more than that, that the desires of my heart are my direct connection to the best contribution I can make to the quality of my life and the life of all beings. I also love reading Ken Wilber’s work. I’m listening to an audio course right now called ‘Kosmic Consciousness.’ It lays out an extraordinary map of the evolution of human consciousness. (Kosmic with a ‘k’ includes consciousness and spirit as well as the physical universe.)

And for fun, I love to read a good mystery novel, like ‘Playing for the Ashes’ by Elizabeth George.

FCL: What is your vision for business and community leadership in Cincinnati?
Terri: Although I live 40 miles north of Cincinnati, just outside of Morrow, proximity to the city still means that the quality of life there impacts me. I am so saddened to hear of all the violence and economic struggle. Call me naïve but I think what’s missing is trust, trust that people from different social, economic, and educational strata will work together for the greatest good for everyone. Imagine how different our lives would be if we started from the standpoint that no matter what the other person does, he or she is doing it because he or she wants the best for everyone, including me. It seems all too often that we start from the adversarial position, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Imagine what life could be like if we agreed from the outset to give each other the benefit of the doubt

FCL: Where do you see yourself five years from today?
Terri: Five years from today, I see myself more engaged than ever in fulfilling my purpose as I presently understand it: to use my creativity and imagination to write and teach so that we all take care of each other and every person flowers.

Closing remarks (from Herman): I like how you closed the interview by talking of your continued engagement in using your creativity and imagination to write and teach, "... so that we all take care of each other and every person flowers." I normally contribute at 100bloggers.com and my last post there was on how we can flower in life. Here's the link: The Secret to Blossoming in Life. I agree with you regarding confrontation. Our lives are in constant motion. Motion causes friction. What I've learnt is that self-confrontation should precede the confrontation of others. I have to make sure that my spirit is right before I confront another human being. It's important to start on a positive note, clearly outline the problem then encourage a response. I have to demonstrate that I understand the other person's position by repeating what they said (this does not necessarily mean that I agree with them). The next step would be to explain what was wrong and indicate the desired action to be taken. A lot of people get emotional and this never helps in fixing the problem. Through the confrontation, I try to reiterate the positive aspects of the person. At the end of it all, I lay the issue to rest and put it in the past. True confrontation, I've learnt, leads to growth. Thanks for such a wonderful interview. This is truly first class!

Matthew Fenton: Founder and President of Three Deuce Branding

Bio: Matthew Fenton is the founder and president of Three Deuce Branding, a consultancy that helps brands and businesses make the most of the hand they're dealt. Since 1997, Three Deuce has consulted with and trained over 100 companies, helping them to define clear visions and create bold strategic ideas. Matthew authors "That Branding Thing," a column that appears monthly in the Cincinnati Business Courier. His blog, also called "That Branding Thing," can be viewed at http://www.thatbrandingthing.com/. Cincinnati magazine chose Matthew as a member of Cincinnati’s “Creative Class,” and the Business Courier named him to the 2003 Class of “Forty Under 40.” Matthew's other passions include soccer, travel, music, and reading most everything he can get his hands on. He is an avid poker player and has competed in the World Series of Poker.

FCL: How would you define a leader?
Matthew: A leader is someone with a vision for a better tomorrow, and the ability to convince at least one person to help make that vision a reality.

FCL: Who are your biggest influences as a leader?
Matthew: I'm most influenced by people who have touched my life in some way. Many, many people have given me examples to follow; these would include my parents, my friends, and certain clients, teachers, professors and bosses.

FCL: What gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Matthew: Helping others grow, and thereby growing myself.

FCL: What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Matthew: That some people would rather impede progress than create something positive.

FCL: What is your biggest challenge as a leader?
Matthew: Time, which is ultimately a matter of prioritization. Sometimes I struggle with the fact that I can't do everything I'd like to do. I have to choose, so I need to choose wisely.

FCL: Who has impacted you the most in your life as a leader?
Matthew: My parents, without question. My father was a welder and my mother was not working when they had four children between 1966 and 1972. By the time I was 12, my father had risen to the director level at a regional utility company. Somehow, they saved enough money to put all four of us through college, a pledge which I will pass down to my children. From them, I learned that there's no substitute for a good work ethic, and that what matters is not what you own but who you are.

I also remember my parents telling me at a very early age (and many times since) that it didn't matter to them if I grew up to be a garbage collector, as long as I was the best garbage collector I knew how to be. That pointed out to me the importance of both personal responsibility and integrity.

FCL: What are your favorite books and what are you currently reading?
Matthew: Great question! We all need to read more. The most significant book I've read is "Man's Search for Meaning," by Viktor Frankl, which details Frankl's experiences in the Nazi death camps, and his subsequent development of logotherapy, the third Viennese school of psychotherapy. This book came to me at a time I was going through some significant personal change. That was 12 years ago; I've read it at least once a year since then, and have probably given 10 copies away to friends. Frankl: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

Otherwise, I usually have at least two books open. Today, they are Sidney Poitier's "The Measure of a Man," and "One of a Kind," by Nolan Dalla, a biography of Stu Ungar, who many believe to be the best gin and tournament poker player that ever lived. His is a cautionary tale. Had you asked another day, it might have been some combination of fiction, humor (Steve Martin and James Thurber are favorites), philosophy, biography, history, branding and business books, and poker texts.

FCL: What is your vision for business and community leadership in Cincinnati?
Matthew: I think the lack of a vision for this city has been the #1 failure of our leadership for the two decades I've lived here. There's no cohesion, no consistency. My hope is that a leader will emerge who can articulate a vision – as well as inspire and unite this city's people and marshal our considerable resources.

FCL: Where do you see yourself five years from today?
Matthew: Some people find this surprising, but I've never had any kind of "five-year plan" for myself. That's not to say I don't have some pretty concrete goals for my business and personal life. But I've always trusted my gut when at a crossroads, and it's served me pretty well. Today, I'm inspired by my work and those around me and I intend for that to be the case in five years.

Closing remarks (from Herman): Absolutely phenomenal, Matthew! I like what your parents said to you: ..."that it didn't matter to them if (you) grew up to be a garbage collector, as long as (you were) the best garbage collector (you) knew how to be". My dad used to tell me, "If you are going to dig trenches, get into that ditch and do an excellent job so that your dirty and dusty handiwork will be recognized as the masterpiece of a genius... Love your work... Never ever perform for the accolades of other men but commit to unleashing your personal potential". I want to pass the same heritage and legacy to my family. I'm currently reading a wonderful book by Mark Sanborn titled, The Fred Factor. In this little book filled with marvelous leadership nuggets, Mark outlines four principles that can enable us to bring our very best to the table - every day. The four principles are 1. Everyone makes a difference. 2. Everything is built on relationships. 3. You must continually create value for others. 4. You can reinvent yourself regularly. Abraham Lincoln said, "Whatever you are, be a good one". As Tom Peters would say, let's continue to pursue the Wow! Thanks Matthew for taking the time for a great interview.