1025 Leadership Dept_Layout 1 10 / 9 / 25 10 : 36 AM Page 2 about helping them get into a home they can afford . — Eileen Wirth , president and CEO , MEND , Inc . What is your personal approach to en - couraging your team to perform at a high level ? You can’t get your work done from sitting behind your desk : You have to get out where the people are , let them under - stand you as you understand them . That’s what drives trust , innovation , strategy and response to community needs . So that’s a quality a good leader has , to just be pres - ent with individuals . — Fred Wasiak , president and CEO , Food Bank of South Jersey How are you able to apply lessons learned over the years to successfully manage complex challenges as they arise ? Our company has over four decades of ex - perience planning , bidding and managing public construction projects . This depth of experience has allowed us to build a ro - bust library of “ lessons learned , ” which we apply proactively to every project . By an - ticipating challenges and avoiding com - mon pitfalls , we are able to consistently deliver successful projects with a client - first approach , deep industry knowledge and hands - on leadership . … Our strength lies in forging strong partnerships with contractors , maintaining rigorous project oversight by experienced professionals and ensuring the direct involvement of our senior management team throughout every phase of the project . — Chuck Romanoli , managing principal , NEW ROAD Construction Management With regard to succession planning , what are some of the common mistakes business owners frequently make ? I think the biggest mistake I see is not planning [ at all ] . But in the planning phase , the biggest mistake is not talking to an en - tire team . If you look at any good compa - ny , the president is not the chef , cook and bottle washer : They assemble a team . They have legal , they have risk manage - ment , they have accounting , they have op - erations ; so it’s about identifying the team and having cohesive conversations where you can work together and troubleshoot . What are the issues ? What are the con - cerns ? What’s the best approach ? Every - one’s needs are different , so it requires sit - ting down with a good team — not just a lawyer or an accountant — an entire team . — Yasmeen Khaleel , shareholder , w CapehartScatchard SouthJerseyBiz.net | VOLUME 15 ISSUE 10 | SOUTH JERSEY BIZ | 11