Name: Robert Mancini

Title: Consultant

Organisation: RK Mancini Consulting

Bob’s professional career included many years as a computer programmer, product manager, business professor, and research analyst for Lockheed, Diversified Software, and Biola University. His volunteer work included serving on the board of directors for Advent Group Ministries, an elder at Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church, a missions committee member for West Hills Community Church, and Finance Director/CFO for Redeemer Church.

Bob is married to Barbara; they have five adult children who are all married. At last count, they had nine grandchildren. Bob is an American with Italian and German roots. Barbara is also an American who has Dutch and English ancestors.

Both Bob and Barbara were raised in Southern California but met in the northern part of the state. Together, they raised their children and were leaders in the church. Bob has also been a mentor to nearly 100 young men over the past 40 years.

They recently relocated across the country to Maine. Although Bob has retired, he continues to consult and mentor. Being far away from family and friends, they continue to connect with people via the Internet, and look forward to times when they are able to meet face-to-face.

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 Robert'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?

Trust is an interesting thing. Sometimes, it takes very little effort to gain someone’s initial trust. Other times, it requires a significant effort. But one thing that’s for sure, once you loose trust it is very difficult to regain.

In my years of leadership in business, non-profits, and teaching, I have found that building trust can require different parameters given the dynamics. For example, when I managed programmers, I earned trust from my bosses when I delivered quality programs on time.

Leading the missions program at our church, earning trust meant that I was able to manage the volunteers, encourage the donors, and solicit reports from the missionaries on the field. And as a university professor, I earned the trust of my students by preparing my lessons and creating assignments that would effectively measure their knowledge. The feedback from the student surveys would be one way that the Dean could evaluate the effectiveness of my teaching.

Probably the most important way one can build trust is to listen to the stakeholders and treat them as you would want to be treated.

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

The mission statement explains why the company exists in the present (what do we do?); the vision statement defines where the organization is going in the future (what do we want to become?).

I had the pleasure of working for Biola University until my retirement in 2024. Their mission and vision statements were very clear.

“The mission of Biola University is biblically centered education, scholarship, and service — equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“The vision of Biola University is to be identified among the world’s foremost Christ-centered universities — a community abiding in truth, abounding with grace and compelled by Christ’s love to be a relevant and redemptive voice in a changing world.”

Following the mission, Biola is currently training men and women to impact the world for Christ. If that is done well, the vision follows that Biola could be recognized among the world’s foremost Christ-centered universities.

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

In my experience, empowerment of a team involves mutual trust, delegation of tasks, and clearly defined goals. The team leader should be aware of the team members’ strengths and weaknesses and plan accordingly. Two-way feedback and recognition are also important.

Years ago, I had a group of college students working for me as data entry clerks. We paid them a good wage, but the job was tedious (yet important to input accurate data). Company funds were a bit tight for this start-up company, but I wanted to do something special for the team.

Out of my own pocket, I purchased a large popcorn machine, a blender, and a full-size refrigerator. I used these to initiate a daily afternoon popcorn break and a weekly milkshake Friday. Needless to say, productivity increased as well as the cheerfulness of the team members.

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?

I have had three mentors during my career – Bill, Ray, and Mark. Bill was a mentor from church – he was a leader in the church I attended and encouraged me to work alongside him. He excelled in leadership and interpersonal relationships, whereas I was an administrator – we made a good team.

Ray was a manager at Lockheed – always upbeat and had kind things to say about my work. From time to time, he would take me out to lunch, and we would discuss my career path. When a job opportunity with another department opened up, he encouraged me to apply even though he would be losing me as an employee.

In the 2000s, I met Mark at church. He was the founder of a non-profit that helped troubled teens get their lives back on track. I began volunteering as a mentor for a couple of the young men; eventually, Mark invited me to join their board of directors. Our frequent lunch meetings became more focused on the organization – I learned so much from Mark.

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

"As a leader, I have found two distractions hinder my focus on the tasks at hand. The first is not delegating tasks that can be delegated. The second is responding to urgent requests for other tasks.

Delegating tasks is difficult for some people, those who have a very distinct goal in mind and how to attain the outcome. Perhaps you believe that it would take too much time to explain your parameters, so you just do it yourself. But delegating to the right person and providing enough resources (including some of your valuable time) might just help to take that task off your plate.

The tyranny of the urgent often comes into play when in the middle of an important project. Sometimes it may be important to divert resources to resolve an unrelated issue. Other times, it may not be your responsibility to respond to something less urgent, or perhaps someone else could easily take on that task?

There’s a third problem that I’ve found, which is related to both of these. That is when you are asked to gather information, but it’s not really the information that is needed. “Gather all information about everyone!”

Whenever I’m tasked with a research project, I always ask these questions:

• What is your ultimate goal? (e.g., raise $100,000 from a donor dinner in the LA area).

• What type of people do you want to invite? (e.g., long-time donors and local alumni).

• What is your attendee limit and donation goal? (e.g., 20 couples donating $5,000 each).

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?

I agree that everyone plans differently, but I also think that certain jobs dictate how a plan might be implemented. In my recent role as donor research analyst, I had a few annual tasks in addition to some new requests for data. Throughout the year, I would gather information for opening weekend, graduation, and year-end giving. For my missions work, we honored one of the missionary families each month (which meant information in the bulletins plus special recognition during the services).

That all required ongoing planning. And for my job as finance director, I reviewed income and expenses each month in addition to preparing for the annual budget meeting and annual reports. All these things required planning ahead, and Google Calendar was a lifesaver!

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

"My first question would be to ask whether the young leader really wants to delegate at all. They might be afraid that their delegate will do a better job and receive praise. I learned early on that by doing my best, I would help my boss look good.

If the young leader is truly having a struggle to delegate effectively, I would suggest the following questions be asked:

• Is the delegate the right choice, or should someone else be the delegate?

• Is the young leader clearly communicating the task and timeline to the delegate?

• Is the young leader setting aside enough time to meet with the delegate?

• Is the young leader providing enough resources for the delegate to be successful? "