Secretary Rita Landgraf

One of our speakers at our first session was Secretary Rita Landgraf from Health & Social Services. She leads the largest agency in Delaware, manages hundreds of programs for Delawarean’s and has a 30 member leadership team to coordinate. During her talk, she gave some tips to the Fellows that she has learned along the way.

• Expectations – With that many people to manage and organize, it’s important to set some expectations, so that people know what you are wanting from them.
• Effective Follower – in order to be a great leader, you also have to know when to follow.
• Three P’s – Perseverance, Persistence and Passion – use those to keep you moving forward.
• Be the Tree – if something is part of your core values, then stand tall, like a mighty tree; if something is simply an issue of style, learn to bend like the branches.
• Mentor – if you aren’t sure if it’s a standing tall or bending moment, ask a mentor.

These may sound like simple tips, but she confessed that it has taken her many years to understand them, and she still struggles at times.

What are the core values that make you stand tall? Let us know.