A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. - John Maxwell Leadership is lifting a person's vision to high sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. - Peter Drucker The leader sees things through the eyes of his followers. He puts himself in their shoes and helps them make their dreams come true. The leader does not say, 'Get going!' Instead he says, 'Let's go!' and leads the way. He does not walk behind with a whip; he is out in front with a banner. - Wilfred Peterson

1. Only He Who Can See The Invisible Can Do The Impossible
Frank L. Gaines
Longtime Rail Officials Ousted As New CEO Joins HART
By Marcel Honore, Honolulu Civil Beat, January 8, 2021
<https://www.civilbeat.org/beat/longtime-rail-officials-ousted-as-new-ceo-joins-hart/>
HART Interim Executive Director Lori Kahikina “declined to comment further on their
departure, citing personnel issues. She said that she hoped to retain some of Brennan and
Oliveira's institutional knowledge through their staff members who are still on board, as well
as through written records. Kahikina added Friday that she's having all HART staff submit
their resumes for review as she determines the agency's future makeup and organization.”
*Director of Communications Bill Brennan, Deputy Executive Director for Government
Relations and Public Involvement Joyce Oliveira and Chief Operating Officer David
Uchiyama
Seven Roles That COOs Can Play Vis-À-Vis Their CEO
THE EXECUTOR - One role of a COO is to lead the execution of strategies developed by the
top management team. The COO typically takes responsibility for delivering results on a day-to-
day, quarter-to-quarter basis.
THE CHANGE AGENT - A COO to lead a specific strategic imperative, such as a turnaround, a
major organizational change, or a planned rapid expansion. While the mandate is not as broad as
the general execution of strategy, the magnitude of the challenge demands that the change-agent
COO have a degree of unquestioned authority similar to that of an executor COO.
THE MENTOR - Some companies bring a COO on board to mentor a young or inexperienced
CEO (often a founder). A rapidly growing entrepreneurial venture might seek an industry veteran
with seasoning, wisdom, and a rich network who can develop both the CEO and the emerging
business.
THE OTHER HALF - A company may bring in a COO not as a mentor, but as a foil, to
complement the CEO's experience, style, knowledge base, or penchants.
THE PARTNER - Sometimes, the CEO is simply the kind of person who works best with a
partner. This can lead to what's been called a “two in a box” model and is similar to what authors
David Heenan and Warren Bennis have termed “co-leadership.” Indeed, Heenan and Bennis
contend that more companies should create and cultivate co-leadership arrangements.
THE HEIR APPARENT - In many cases, the primary reason to establish a COO position is to
groom—or test—a company's CEO-elect. The broad purview of the job allows an heir apparent
to learn the whole company: its business, environment, and people.
THE MVP - Finally, some companies offer the job of COO as a promotion to an executive
considered too valuable to lose, particularly to a competitor.

2. THE UNDERPINNINGS OF SUCCESS
Even though the role is so contingent, we have identified some success factors that came up
consistently in our interviews with executives in widely varying situations. The single element
most critical to the success of a CEO-COO pairing, we quickly saw, is the level of trust between
the two individuals. To speak of trust is almost a cliché, but the vehemence with which our
research participants stressed it suggests they consider it more crucial here than in any other
business relationship. Wendell Weeks, who rose from COO to CEO at Corning, referred to the
need for a “true partnership, in every sense of the word.” The trust has to be absolute, he said,
“because there are those in the organization who are always seeking to drive wedges if they can.”
Source: “Second in Command: The Misunderstood Role of the Chief Operating Officer”
By Nathan Bennett, Ph.D., Professor of Management and Faculty Director Executive Master of
Business Administration (EMBA) J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State
University and Stephen A. Miles, Executive Consultant, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of
The Miles Group and Director, CDK Global, Formerly Managing Partner, Heidrick & Struggles
Harvard Business Review, May 2006 <https://hbr.org/2006/05/second-in-command-the-misunderstood-role-of-the-chief-
operating-officer>
HART INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LORI KAHIKINA
Teaching The Elephant To Dance
Management doesn't change culture.
Management invites the workforce itself to change the culture.
What I discovered was that senior executives often presided. They organized work, then waited
to review it when it was done. You were a worker early in your career, but once you climbed to
the top, your role was to preside over the process. Well, my kind of executives dig into the
details, work the problems day to day, and lead by example, not title. They take personal
ownership of and responsibility for the end result. They see themselves as drivers rather than as a
box high on the organization chart.
An organization is nothing more than than the collective capacity of its people to create value.
Louis V. Gerstner Jr., Author “Who Says Elephants Can't Dance”
The IBM Turnaround – Leading A Great Enterprise Through Dramatic Change
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LORI KAHIKINA
“I can, I will, I shall give this my personal best”
NO SHORT CUTS – JUST KNOWLEDGE- BASED SOLUTIONS
“I have been pretty clear that no variances will be granted. If you plan on presenting what
options were presented and why they won't work and you're planning on still asking for
variances, please don't waste my time”

3. MONEY DOES NOT DRIVE ME – I'M ALL IN, I'M UP TO THE CHALLENGE
“The pay is too much to me. I'm civil servant. I'm used to the city pay, and this is an
ungodly amount of money. So I'm not offended at all that I've been paid less than my
predecessors. it's just it's too much money to me, so I'm actually flattered.”
HART's first CEO Dan Grabauskas started back in 2012 at nearly $300,000 in wages and
perks. Andy Robbins started at nearly $400,000. Krishniah Murthy, who served a year in
between them, got nearly $500,000, and there were bonuses for all. As for Kahikina —
HART's first Native Hawaiian woman in the role — she is getting $275,000.
Gina Mangieri, Always Investigating, KHON2 News
LORI KAHIKINA
Excellent Communicator
In Command of Crisis Situation
People and Community Oriented
Factually Transparent
Sunday, [October 19, 2014) wasn't a good day for the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment
Plant. “By now you know that rain from Hurricane Ana short circuited a control board and
5000 gallons of sewage spilled into Honolulu Harbor. Another 20,000 gallons of sludge
spilled into parts of the plant. Yesterday Mayor Caldwell said the City could have done more
to prevent the spills. Lori Kahikina is the Director of Environmental Services for the City and
County of Honolulu and joined us by phone.”
LISTEN: Sewage Spill: Director of Environmental Services, Lori Kahikina (9:49) Hawaii Public Radio
<https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/sewage-spill-empowerment-workshop-lava-flow-update-youth-chess-tournament#stream/0>
GO LORI !