12 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2024 Continued on page 33 M. Strawn: Absolutely, and I respect that anyone in this situation has to make the best decision for themselves and their family. My family and I decided to be open about my diagnosis because it has raised awareness about the importance of getting screenings. Like I told my team and I’ll tell anyone reading this, if you’re over age 45, please get your health screenings scheduled now. You mention discussing your diagnosis with your team. Have those experiences impacted how you think about leadership? M. Strawn: Being transparent about my diagnosis reinforced an important component about leadership: It’s okay to be human and show vulnerability. Actually, its more than okay, it’s transformative. By showing that vulnerability, I connected on a different, deeper level with my team. And that connectivity is something everyone craves; people want to be seen and feel that they matter. The whole experience made me realize gratitude was the thread that had really defined my leadership philosophy at the Lottery, which brought me to the whole idea of “leading with gratitude.” I’m fascinated by that idea. Could you share more about how you put it into practice? M. Strawn: Well, let me start with an example from the Iowa Lottery December board meeting. The meeting always starts with my CEO report, which is normally operationally driven. But last December, days after returning from my medical absence, I started by sharing a message from an Iowa Lottery player whose child had a terminal disorder. She had won an experiential prize and was writing to express her deep gratitude for an experience that otherwise would have been unavailable to her and her spouse. Sharing and prioritizing messages like that sets a tone of gratefulness and reminds us that what we do every day at the Lottery has a major impact on people’s lives. I shared that message at a public board meeting because I want to infuse this concept of leading with gratitude throughout our entire organization by creating a sense of connection and appreciation. That story makes me think of Simon Sinek’s “find your why.” Does that idea resonate with you? M. Strawn: Yes, I’m a big believer in knowing your why in terms of understanding what motivates you as a leader. But it’s equally important to clearly communicate that why so it acts as your organization’s North Star. When I hosted my first big annual team meeting, I held it away from Lottery HQ and at a venue in the shadow of Iowa’s golden dome State Capitol. This was intentional, as I wanted every Lottery colleague to see that dome as they arrived at the meeting. I did that because that dome is a reminder and a symbol the why: We do what we do to serve the people of Iowa. Now, five years later, my team knows by heart my refrain from that morning: “We are not a lottery, we are not the lottery, we are the Iowa Lottery.” The Iowa modifier matters because it drives why we conduct ourselves with operational integrity and why we work to maximize revenue for the multiple great causes that the Lottery supports. And what’s the connection between finding your why, communicating that why, and leading with gratitude? M. Strawn: It reminds me of Theodore Roosevelt’s line, “Voters don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” That same principle applies to leading an organization. Knowing and communicating your why starts to demonstrate you care, but it’s not the whole journey. Leading with gratitude is a more actionable extension of Sinek’s principles because once you’ve communicated your why, the logical next step is to communicate the how. That’s where leading with gratitude comes in. It’s about appreciating your people, your mission, your stakeholders, and the opportunity to serve. And how can you put those things into practice? M. Strawn: First, you’ve got to make sure everybody gets a turn at bat, which means everyone has a voice in the conversation. That doesn’t mean that everyone gets everything they want, but it does mean they have an opportunity for input, are invested in the process and have a stake in the outcome. In Iowa, we have been very intentional about broadening the voices around the table by bringing people in at the earliest stages of our business planning processes. That also makes us much more efficient in our decision-making — no Iowa Lottery projects get blown up on the last mile because a colleague wasn’t kept in the loop. We’ve extended this philosophy to our supplier and marketing partner relationships. We don’t view them as merely providing a commodity or service, but rather as an integrated partner. Our gratitude-based approach is that we appreciate their contributions to our shared success and include them where appropriate in our business planning meetings. It seems like gratitude creates operational benefits by involving a wider circle of expertise. Can it also help navigate the tensions potentially associated with giving more people a say? M. Strawn: Yes, gratitude helps to lower the silos and lessen the turf wars. It stops people putting their arms around their territory in efforts to keep others out. In our philosophy, everybody has an opportunity to contribute. Leading with gratitude also diffuses tension with our retail partners. The Iowa Lottery is successful because of our strong relationships with 2,500 retail licensees. Get any grouping of that size, and you know there is also potential for disputes over issues including sales commission levels, bonus structures, and merchandizing space. Now, take the approach of leading with gratitude. We first show respect to our retail partners. Our senior leaders attend It’s about appreciating your people, your mission, your stakeholders, and the opportunity to serve.
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