Learning Lessons of Leadership

Hubbard-Hall CEO Shares Secrets at Chamber Event

By Harrison Connery, Republican-American
Photos by Kaylee Pugliese, Republican- American

WATERBURY — Hubbard-Hall CEO Molly Kellogg on Tuesday said she learned an important leader- ship lesson during her time on former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis’s 1988 presidential campaign.

Speaking to roughly 30 members of the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Young Professionals of Waterbury Region, Kellogg said she learned the value of delegating tasks and empowering employees while working for the Democratic nominee. As part of her role on the campaign, Kellogg organized rallies in advance of Dukakis’s visits and took care of scheduling, among other work.

“One of the most powerful lessons I learned about leadership was on the campaign trail,” she said. “On game day — the day the candidate walks into a rally full of 30,000 people — you should have nothing to do. You should have built a staff. You should have trained your staff. You should have given them the capacity to lead and understand what to do and you should have nothing to do. If you’re building an organization that’s all about you, it’s going to be unstable, it’s not going to last.”

Dukakis would eventually lose that contest to U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who died in 2018.
Kellogg, chief executive at Hubbard-Hall, a 170- year-old chemical company now at 563 S. Leonard St., said a good CEO understands their decisions have an outsized impact on their employees.

“At the very least, I’m responsible for their safety, I’m responsible for their livelihoods and I’m responsi- ble for giving them a good career,” she said. “My obligation I start with everyday is: what can I do for them to make sure they’ve got good jobs that are getting better every year.”

Kellogg’s appearance at the chamber event, held at Post University’s downtown offices at 140 Bank St., was part of the chamber’s Annual CEO Speaker Series, now in its eighth year.

“Our young professionals organization was created to focus on professional development, philanthropic community efforts, as well as networking opportunities,” said Courtney Ligi, membership and business development director at the chamber.

The next event in the series will be Feb. 18 and will feature Joe Gugliotti, man- aging member of WORX, a Prospect-based marketing agency. To learn more, or to register for the event, visit the chamber’s website at waterbury chamber.com and click on “events.”

February 6, 2020

For Testing Fields:

Start Date:

End Date:

Location:

Booth Number:

External Link:

Is External Link?

Excerpt: Hubbard-Hall CEO Molly Kellogg on Tuesday said she learned an important leadership lesson during her time on former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis’s 1988 presidential campaign.

Full Text:

Hubbard-Hall CEO Shares Secrets at Chamber Event

By Harrison Connery, Republican-American
Photos by Kaylee Pugliese, Republican- American

WATERBURY — Hubbard-Hall CEO Molly Kellogg on Tuesday said she learned an important leader- ship lesson during her time on former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis’s 1988 presidential campaign.

Speaking to roughly 30 members of the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Young Professionals of Waterbury Region, Kellogg said she learned the value of delegating tasks and empowering employees while working for the Democratic nominee. As part of her role on the campaign, Kellogg organized rallies in advance of Dukakis’s visits and took care of scheduling, among other work.

“One of the most powerful lessons I learned about leadership was on the campaign trail,” she said. “On game day — the day the candidate walks into a rally full of 30,000 people — you should have nothing to do. You should have built a staff. You should have trained your staff. You should have given them the capacity to lead and understand what to do and you should have nothing to do. If you’re building an organization that’s all about you, it’s going to be unstable, it’s not going to last.”

Dukakis would eventually lose that contest to U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who died in 2018.
Kellogg, chief executive at Hubbard-Hall, a 170- year-old chemical company now at 563 S. Leonard St., said a good CEO understands their decisions have an outsized impact on their employees.

“At the very least, I’m responsible for their safety, I’m responsible for their livelihoods and I’m responsi- ble for giving them a good career,” she said. “My obligation I start with everyday is: what can I do for them to make sure they’ve got good jobs that are getting better every year.”

Kellogg’s appearance at the chamber event, held at Post University’s downtown offices at 140 Bank St., was part of the chamber’s Annual CEO Speaker Series, now in its eighth year.

“Our young professionals organization was created to focus on professional development, philanthropic community efforts, as well as networking opportunities,” said Courtney Ligi, membership and business development director at the chamber.

The next event in the series will be Feb. 18 and will feature Joe Gugliotti, man- aging member of WORX, a Prospect-based marketing agency. To learn more, or to register for the event, visit the chamber’s website at waterbury chamber.com and click on “events.”

February 6, 2020