December on 'From the Corner Office': Entrepreneurs, billion-dollar executives and a city councilwoman

Know when to pivot — and not get stuck in one way of thinking. Good leadership is thinking, decision making, and doing. Mission driven organizations focus on the end result. Be intentional about how you communicate with specific audiences. 

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 four December guests on the leadership podcast include:

Darla Bonk, founder of Darla Bonk Consulting and a Fort Myers City councilwoman, talked about how leaders need to pivot and become entrenched in a certain way of thinking through an issue or situation. She also talked about what she learned about life and leadership from her parents — who have been married for 70 years.

AG Lafley, former CEO of consumer products giant Procter & Gamble and founding CEO of the Bay Park Conservancy in Sarasota talked about how great leaders take accountability and create accountability and the idea that leadership is not genetically determined, but can be built. 

Eleni Gates, founder of Gates Hospitality Group, and the former head of investor relations and corporate communications for East Manatee County-based First Watch Restaurant Group, talked about what she’s learned from some important hospitality mentors on company culture, motivating teams and more. One of those lessons is to be intentional about how you communicate with specific audiences. Another is to be a human, not the boss. 

Dan Lavender, CEO of Moorings Park communities in Naples, talked about how combining humility with professional will makes for a good leader. He also talked about how mission driven organizations focus on the end result.