Name: Gia Grier McGinnis

Title: Executive Director, Center for Community, Service, and Justice & York Road Initiative

Organisation: Loyola University Maryland

Dr. Gia Grier McGinnis is a higher education leader with over 17 years of industry experience in community engagement, student development, and program management. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Loyola University Maryland’s Center for Community, Service, and Justice & York Initiative, where she oversees high impact programs that connect Loyola’s students and faculty to community engagement and service-learning opportunities locally and globally. She also supports the coalition-style efforts of neighborhood and business leaders in the commercial corridor close to Loyola’s campus. Prior to her time at Loyola, Dr. Grier McGinnis was the Executive Director of the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s CURE Scholars program, a STEM and healthcare college and career pipeline program for over 100 West Baltimore youth. Dr. Grier McGinnis received her Doctor of Public Health degree from Morgan State University, her Master of Science degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington College. She is an active volunteer, serving on the boards and committees of the National Alliance to End Mental Illness Maryland, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, and the United Way of Central Maryland’s Women’s United Program. She is a Baltimore native and still resides in the area with her family.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Gia's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

I think starting from a place of caring for them as people and genuinely being invested in what they are trying to accomplish or what outcome they are looking for is important. In community engagement work, things are very relational and people can tell when someone is not being authentic or not truly listening to their concerns. Following through on what is promised and being consistent with that is also important.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

Vision is aspirational and it’s really what gives you hope and excitement for the work. It’s inspiring. What is the big picture, future-focused transformational thing that will happen because of all of this really hard work. Mission is the driver and what guides the work. I also currently work in a faith-based university and mission also has another layer of meaning in our context in that it’s also connected to underlying spiritual traditions, values and principles. So we teach our students and employees to live into mission in everyday life and not just in school or work. Be better humans for and with others. Be better leaders because of that.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

I feel like empowerment is reciprocal in nature. I take energy from the work my students and colleagues and community partners do and I feed it back in turn. It also connects back with the earlier question about trust. If I care about you and I am genuinely interested in what you do and I am listening to you and we’re ultimately building trust.. that leads to people feeling like they can use their skills and talents freely and be creative.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

This goes back to my childhood. I had an elementary school teacher who used her classroom of city youth to teach valuable lessons about how to carry yourself with poise and dignity. Not in an etiquette class kind of way but making sure we defied the stereotypes of black youth in Baltimore. A few of us kept in touch with her over the years. There is whole set of leaders from that era that can thank her for setting us up properly!

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

This is something that I can find challenging, especially in a post-COVID era where turnover is higher and I am sometimes filling gaps beyond my actual role. In moments where there are just one too many things to do I chunk projects out and just block time on my calendar to work on things in a concentrated manner. I also have a good sense of timing for when to initiate projects with enough of a window where I am not feeling scattered to get it done. The more prep time I can give myself or my team the better.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

Short-term I used a basic to-do app for the day and week. The years and months can be guided by larger organizational strategy like our university’s strategic plan, the unit plans that come from that, and then project plans..but ultimately change and transition has become a norm in the modern workplace so longer range plans should also be flexible enough for adaptations.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

I think this challenge could be tied to an insecurity about asking for help and/or the sense that they have to take it all on as a leader. Teamwork is a very powerful and effective tool in a workplace. I’d suggest to them a shift in thinking that this teaming approach can be more of a norm and that it can be embraced. If the workplace culture is supportive of this, they could ask colleagues for support, but also make sure they are tapping into those individuals’ strengths when they do (people usually enjoy tasks/projects that align with their interests and skills). I would also suggest some self-reflection about what they are great at and where their growth areas are. They could literally write this out on paper. For parts of a project where they are lacking skills, they could call on colleagues. My last piece of advice would be that a leader that takes it all on will eventually burn out. In that regard, they can view delegation as a part of their approach to maintaining workplace wellness.