Kansas City advertising leader Bob Bernstein addressed the third graduating class of the Doniphan Leadership Institute June 18 at William Jewell College. The June 2008 Doniphan Fellows graduated June 18.

Culture of Leadership Touted by Advertising Guru

A readiness to seize the moment and lead by example may be more important than formal plans, Kansas City advertising mastermind Bob Bernstein told graduates of the third Doniphan Leadership Institute June 18.

Addressing the third graduating class of the Doniphan Leadership Institute held at William Jewell College, Bernstein both entertained and informed. Highlights included his often humorous account of 44 years of successful leadership with Bernstein-Rein Advertising, including campaigns for corporations that ranged from McDonald’s to Wal-Mart and Blockbuster Video.

“Leadership to me comes from an entrepreneurial background because that’s what I do,” Bernstein noted. “There are as many styles of leadership as there are leaders. But they all set the company’s culture.”

Key components of that culture include the idea that success is not a single event, but an ongoing process. Equally important is a culture that promotes challenge and risk taking.

“I want people that take charge; I don’t care what they’re doing,” Bernstein said. “When that happens, there will be mistakes, but you will gain much more. You correct those mistakes and find out why they happened, but you accept that some will happen.”

The June 2008 Doniphan Fellow recipients were Mary Jo Burton, North Kansas City School District; Karine Decker, Clay County Economic Development Council; Jennifer Fitzpatrick, North Kansas City Hospital; Christopher Gabriel, Liberty Public Schools; Dawn Gallegos, MINK; Jamie Grayson, commerce Bank; Dan Holloway, Priority Care Pediatrics; Jim Jauernig, Geiger Ready Mix; Alan Napoli, city of Gladstone; Neal Schwartz, Cerner Corporation; John Sidden, Hallmark; Richard Tucker, Geiger Ready Mix; Janet Waddell, Kansas City Power and Light; and Suzanne Welch, William Jewell College.

The graduates experienced classroom instruction and learning activities, including group sessions at the William Jewell Tucker Leadership Lab. Classroom highlights included 360-Degree feedback with personal professional consultation, Servant Leadership and interaction with veteran leaders in the metropolitan area.

The fourth session of the Doniphan Leadership Institute will begin Sept. 10.

The Clay County Economic Development Council and the Pryor Center for Leadership Development founded the Doniphan Leadership Institute in 2007. The program provides an intense, six-month executive training program on leadership development and vision for both business and the greater community of metropolitan Kansas City.