Peter C. Browning
Dean, McColl Graduate School of Business
Queens University of Charlotte

     Members of the Rotary Club of Charlotte joined with members of the other Charlotte Rotary clubs for the 26^th Annual Rotary Joint Luncheon, held at the Adams Mark Hotel.  Paul Bumgarner, president of the Charlotte Area Rotary Council, led the meeting.  Dr. George N. Thompson led the invocation and pledge of allegiance.  Rotary Club of Charlotte’s own Dr. Thomas Moore provided music.    The featured speaker was Peter C. Browning, Dean, McColl Graduate School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte.   Mr. Browning has enjoyed a career affording him a wide range of experiences.  He spent 24 years with Continental Can Company rising from sales trainee to executive vice president.   In 1989 he joined National Gypsum Company in Charlotte, serving first as president of the Gold Bond Division and then retiring as chairman and chief executive officer of National Gypsum.  In March 2002, he was appointed Dean of the McColl School.  Mr. Browning’s topic was “Leadership, Ethics and Board Governance:  The Business Agenda for 2003.”  He regaled the assembly with stories, anecdotes, and readings on leadership, ethics, and the role of the board in corporate governance, relating all of these to the MBA program that he leads at Queens University, where “leadership is the cornerstone of the MBA program.”  He recounted the three elements of leadership, competence — academic knowledge coupled with people skills, character, and commitment to community—a conscience that requires ethical treatment of the community. He related that leadership is the ability to 1) create or envision an agenda, 2) create a human network to accomplish the agenda, and 3) getting results by motivating individuals and teams.  Hereditary leadership traits include energy and drive, intelligence, mental and emotional health, and integrity.  Leadership can be developed in individuals through opportunities for challenging assignments early in one’s career and by “broadening” assignments that allow the individual to see and experience a broad array of activities in the good times as well as the bad times.  Mr. Browning stated that the most important decision a board can make is its selection of the chief executive officer.  That selection must be right, for the CEO is the ethical leader and moral headlight for the organization.   He said that today’s boards often fall short in this responsibility by hiring CEOs based on the numbers and results produced and are not always selecting CEOs with the appropriate leadership skills.  He noted that organizations can adopt and publicize mission statements and values statements, but observing who gets hired, who gets paid, and who gets promoted tells about the real values of the organization.  He read that “the CEO’s actions wend a continuous and cumulative message about the way things work and the ethical standards of the organization.”   That is the burden that comes with the mantel of leadership.  He closed with the thought that the best leaders are not those flamboyant individuals who gravitate to the limelight, but are more often the quiet, maybe even shy but diligent individuals who are more interested in the growth of individuals and the success of the organization.  The best test of a leader is how well the organization functions after he or she leaves.  Following his talk, Mr. Browning was presented with a Tom Clark gnome depicting the Rotary Literacy Education efforts, the four avenues of service, the motto “Service above Self,” and the figure Pauly, after our founder, Paul Harris.

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New Member

J. H. Smith Foushee

 

Bissell-Hayes Realtors

Classification: Real Estate, Relocation

4515 Sharon Road (28211)

704-367-3763

FAX 704-365-9587

sfoushee@bissellhayes.com

     Smith Foushee grew up in Winston Salem and moved to Charlotte in 1977 shortly after graduating from Davidson College.   For the next ten years, Smith worked in the executive recruiting business, with the last eight of these as a partner for Gibson-Foushee Executive Search.  In 1987, Smith left executive recruiting and joined the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce as Director, Headquarters Development within the Economic Development Department.  In 1994, Smith joined Indian Head Industries as Vice President, Administration, where he had Human Resources responsibility for this manufacturer of transportation components.  In addition to Human Resources, Smith also handled some of the Facilities and Environmental Management responsibilities.  Leaving Indian Head Industries in 2001, Smith joined in a partnership to form Premiere Leather Interiors/Crown Automotive Accessories to manufacture, distribute and install aftermarket leather seating for the automotive industry.  His role was in both administration and sales.  He joined Bissell-Hayes Realtors as Director, Business Development in October 2002, where his focus is on the relocation of corporate personnel.  Smith’s wife, Kathy, is a Media Specialist with Park Road Montessori School.  He has one daughter at Clemson University and another daughter in her senior year at South Mecklenburg High School.  Welcome to Charlotte Rotary, Smith.

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