Dealmakers, nonprofit leaders and AI aficionados: October on 'From the Corner Office' podcast

Follow through on hard decisions. A strategic plan should be a guide for your organization — not something to put on a shelf and gather dust. Don’t put artificial limitations on what you think you can do or accomplish. 

Those are some of the key insights and pieces of wisdom bits from the past month of "From the Corner Office" podcast episodes dropped by the Business Observer and sponsored by Synovus Bank. Highlights of the five October guests include: 

Doug Staley, executive director of the Child Protection Center of Sarasota, talked about his must-have leadership characteristics: honesty, integrity and servant leadership. He also talked about the importance of following through when you are making a tough decision. 

Sophia Shaw, co-founder of PlanPerfect, talked about how in her experience working with nonprofits employees tend to perform better when they have a clear idea of the organization’s why. She also talked about how initiative and raising your hand to take on challenging tasks is a leadership superpower.  

Dara Shareef, managing partner of Benchmark International, a global mergers and acquisition firm with a U.S. headquarters in Tampa, talked about lessons in empathy and grit he learned from his mother and high school football coach, respectively. And on advice for young leaders, Shareef talked about being sure to not put artificial limits on yourself.

Erin McLeod, CEO of the Senior Friendship Centers in Sarasota talked about her four core ingredients for a successful organization: Dream big, get stuff done, have fun and no drama.

John Burpee, President & CEO, John Burpee & Associates, talked about his key to beating the competition: you stay even with them Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and you get ahead of them every minute before and after that.

"From the Corner Office" is hosted by Business Observer Managing Editor Mark Gordon and produced by Read Corley. Launched in June 2023, the podcast is a short, yet deep, dive into what motivates and drives leaders of nonprofit and for-profit organizations throughout the region. You can find "From the Corner Office" at your favorite podcast platform, YouTube or our website. Episodes drop at 5 a.m. every Thursday.