Marian Heard obviously knows the road to success like the back of her hand.  Her enthusiasm, dynamism and positive energy were contagious and by the end of the evening the audience was raring to storm out and capture the world!

The Special Monthly Dinner Event: 'Leadership Lessons from a Lifetime of Service in the Corporate and Not-for-Profit Worlds' organized by TiE Boston on Thursday, March 3 had Marian Heard share with attendees, her wisdom and guidance on leadership.

Ms. Heard is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. She is also on the boards of Fleet Boston Financial, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Liberty Mutual Group, CVS and Sovereign Bank.

Ms Heard has been called a tireless advocate of community good and a spark plug for her work with United Way. She is sought after for her wisdom and counsel in the fields of philanthropy, corporate/community relations and leadership.

All those talents and more were on display when she opened her talk with witty observations about the gender inequality that pervades corporate boardrooms even today.  Walking about among the attendees while speaking, she established an instant rapport with the audience.

The fates of companies, now more than ever, are dependent on their leadership, and their long term viability is equally dependent on their ability to nurture the next generation of leadership. Ms. Heard emphasized the qualities and capacities aspiring leaders will need, to succeed.

She spoke at length about how great leadership can best be developed and applied in an era of uncertainty, increased market turbulence, investor impatience, and public cynicism-- whether in the private, public, or non-profit sectors.

At the end of the session, a room full of entrepreneurs and other professionals were left charged and ready to take on the myriad challenges of business life. Whether leading the group in inspirational group chants or delivering her pithy insights on corporate life, Ms. Heard showed why she is considered an outstanding leader. The session ended with a moderated question & answer session, with Ms. Heard addressing issues from gender inequality in the work place to Massachusetts’ reputation as the stingiest state when it comes to charity.

Some of Ms. Heard’s tips for efficient leaders are:

1. Be a person of integrity. Be absolutely trustworthy.
2. Be passionate about your mission. If you are trustworthy and passionate about your cause, you will attract followers. You will become a person of influence, which is what leadership is all about.
3. Be open to ideas. Leadership is also about learning. Keep an open mind and allow innovative ideas in. Be receptive.
4. Treat everybody with dignity and surround yourself with hard working people. Motivate others with your own example.

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