The Formula: Listening. Integrity. Honesty.

Joanne McCabe, Madelia, BCLP 1995     
Insurance agent, former School Board member/chair

Change Begins with Commitment & Conversation
In Joanne McCabe’s part of the world a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens did indeed change the world…resolving a school crisis in the most innovative way. It was 1990 and the district was facing a financial crunch. Talk about consolidation was in the air, but as Joanne recalled, “no one was paying much attention.” She was drawn into a group of five other people who were concerned that consolidation was fast becoming the only option for resolving the crisis. This small group was able to delay a decision. They started talking with residents, outlining the issues and suggesting other opportunities. As a school board election approached, three members of the “small group of thoughtful, committed citizens” — including Joanne — agreed to run. They won.

Winning, of course, was step one. The new board set aside the consolidation option and set out successfully to raise $400,000 in community pledges to keep the district solvent until a referendum could be mounted. The referendum passed. Just this year, Joanne concluded her service to the school board after 16 years. Having been its chair and having developed linkages statewide during a six-year term (including a year as president) on the Minnesota School Board Association, Joanne knows the critical role schools play in healthy community life and speaks with genuine pride of the difference she has been able to make in that regard.

Stewards for the Next Generation
 “Being a leader for me means engaging people and giving them a sense of ownership. Anything we do in this community takes everybody. I also remember someone in the community once commenting that, ‘everything we have has been provided by another generation and that now it is our turn.’ We’re stewards of the present and need to think about what comes after us.”

These sentiments are backed up by action. Forestalling consolidation and raising private bridging funds were only the beginning. Three years ago, Madelia passed a bond issue to build a new elementary school. In the fall of 2005, there was a successful referendum to meet increased operating costs. Joanne sees these and other successes over her years of service as direct results of leadership and teamwork. “When the board started thinking about a new school, members went to the negative stakeholders to learn about their perceptions and to give them a chance to deepen their understanding of why the board was making this proposal. Our purpose wasn’t necessarily to win their agreement, but to win their understanding.”

Whether talking with people who oppose an idea or to potential supporters, Joanne believes that change begins with a conversation and a willingness to listen. “If you invite someone to be part of something, you have to take time to listen to what they say.”

Maintain Trust, Leverage Interest
The importance of listening influences Joanne’s leadership style as much as her commitment to integrity and honesty. All three elements work together to create relationships in a community that lead to action for the good of the whole. Joanne commented on the challenge she and others who serve on elected boards feel in keeping people’s trust. “Sometimes decisions have to be made that don’t necessarily please everyone, not because the decision is bad or self-serving, but there is a lot of background information that gets lost or — in some cases — can’t be made public. I’ve learned that decisions aren’t as easy on the inside as they seem on the outside.” She would argue, however, that building up trust over time through the practices of listening, integrity, and honesty enables community leaders to span even the challenge of difficult decision-making without sacrificing social capital for what else needs doing.

Joanne is not native to Madelia. She grew up in Tracy and went off to college to study journalism. Her leadership potential was evident when she became editor of the student newspaper in her senior year. Joanne followed her interest in community newspapers to Madelia, where she met her husband Tom and continued working at the paper until their second son was born, after which she joined Tom’s insurance business where she continues to work as a licensed agent.

What does the future hold for Madelia — and for Joanne? Like many other rural communities in Minnesota, Madelia is giving renewed attention to cultivating economic opportunities and improved housing. The notion of every community going its own way is no longer viable. Communities, schools and counties are working together to look for ways to attract people to the area “even if we are going to be primarily a bedroom community.” The three school districts in the county have formed a collaborative board and created a programming vision for families and children that spans birth to age 21. “We are pooling resources to avoid duplication and to meet particular needs like the Welcome Baby Program or the Consequential Camp for at-risk youth.”

Effective community leaders think about ways to encourage others to get involved. Joanne has no secrets, but says that she pays attention to those who attend public meetings. Their show of interest can be leveraged for action. Joanne might call to offer appreciative comments about their participation in a meeting. She might also offer a person the chance to get involved in a limited way with a project as a way of “giving them a taste as well as drawing out their ideas. You need to be upfront about what involvement entails. It is not a good idea to suggest that something won’t really take much time when in fact you know it will.” Her motivation for encouraging community member involvement isn’t about numbers. Rather, Joanne returns again and again to her experience in 1990, to her deep sense that everyone has a responsibility to the next generation. “Leadership is about helping with the work but also having a vision about what people can create working together.”