Providence, R.I.--The president and general manager of NBC 10 WJAR, the leading television station serving Providence and New Bedford (Mass.), told a group of Providence College students that effective leadership is a lifelong journey and those who strive to lead must have the capacity, competency, commitment, and caring to do so.

Lisa Churchville, a member of the College's Providence President's Council, was the second in a semester-long series of speakers in PC's Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program's Leaders on Leadership course on Thursday, October 8.

Leaders on Leadership will feature nine business executives who will outline their views on leadership.

To begin her presentation, Churchville recounted her experiences working for NBC affiliates under two different corporations and volunteering within the greater Providence community. 

She came to NBC 10 in 1997 from WCAU-TV in Philadelphia, where she was vice president of sales. Prior to that, Churchville served in several key positions at WMAQ-TV in Chicago, including vice president of marketing and programming, director of sales, and sales manager.

In the community, Churchville has served as chair of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, the Providence Public Library, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic. She is on the board of Women & Infants Hospital, the John Hope Settlement House, and Tides Family Services.

Churchville holds a bachelor's degree from Barnard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Necessary leadership traits
As an example of what it takes to be a leader, Churchville gave a personal account of her father's journey from a struggling part-time student to a successful United States Air Force pilot and businessman.

She noted that every individual has the capacity for achievement, but self-awareness and recognition of its presence are vital. In addition, she said competency in the chosen arena and a constant cultivation of talent are necessary. She acknowledged considerable effort goes into excelling in a specific field but urged the audience to press on, citing commitment as one of the few things people "have absolute control over."

She also said empathy, though less tangible, is an equally important aspect of leadership.  She described it as the difference between positive and negative leadership, referencing the failings of several business and world leaders who lacked or compromised the ability to care for their fellow man. 

"When this occurs, lack of respect for the workforce, vanity, and an overwhelming sense of greed take hold," she said.

To support her contention she referenced her former Harvard Business School classmate and former president of Enron Corporation Jeffrey Skilling who was a major contributor to Enron's financial collapse. He was convicted on multiple federal felony charges and is presently serving a 24-year prison sentence.

Churchville expanded on the notion of mutual respect within the workplace as it concerned constructive dialogue and teamwork. She believed to take an adversarial approach to management only wasted time, energy, and resources. 

Rather, leaders should build relationships and instill an atmosphere of trust, expectation, and accountability.  This, she concluded, will build interdependency and will inherently lend itself to the achievement of the goals and mission of the organization as a whole.

Wind-energy executive speaks next week
Paul Rich, chief development officer of Deepwater Wind Rhode Island--the wind-energy company selected by the State of Rhode Island to build its first offshore wind farm--will speak at the next Leaders on Leadership presentation on Thursday, October 15. The class takes place in Room LL12 of Harkins Hall, and the lectures begin at 6:00 p.m. They are open to the College community and the public on a space-available basis. Requests should be made to Katherine A. Follett, administrative coordinator, at (401) 865-2333 or kfollett@providence.edu.

-Jacob Bissaillon

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