Carolyn Watley: Management in All Things

A 1977 graduate of Benedictine College, Carolyn Watley is the president of CBIZ Benefits and Insurance in Kansas City, where she has been working for 30 years – ever since she graduated from college. Watley came back to her Alma Mater to talk to the Gregorian Fellows about leadership and management, giving them advice that spans across disciplines. Here are our top quotes:

1.  “My story for me is, ‘How can I be the best me?’ And going to Benedictine was a great start for me.”

2.  “You always know the right thing to do, but it can be hard … You need to know how to best do the right thing and cause as little damage as possible.”

3.  “If you’re a B – whatever a B is – and want to be an A – whatever an A is – if you observe the As … next thing you know, people start talking to you, like, ‘Oh, you might be an A, what about this?’ And the next thing you know, you’re an A. This is called the mirror phenomenon.”

4.  “It’s important to focus on the other person and make sure they’re comfortable.”

5.  “It’s important that communication is positive. It’s easy to do but not a rule that’s usually followed.”

6.  “You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution. A lot of people think everyone else is the problem. But even when you’re coming up with a solution, you need to make sure you’re not part of the problem.”

7.  “People look at things to see what’s there. But there may be something missing. Look for what’s not there.”

The Gregorian Institute is Benedictine College’s initiative to promote Catholic identity in public life by equipping leaders (the Gregorian speech digest), training leaders (the Gregorian Fellows), defending the faith (the Memorare Army for Religious Freedom), and celebrating Catholic identity (the Catholic Hall of Fame).