NSBE - Winter 2013 - (Page 16)

Franklin E. Leaven Jr. of GE Transportation Helping Others on the Leadership path By Kevin M. Briscoe s a high-schooler growing up in Mebane, N.C., Franklin Leaven was not very good in math. In fact, he was failing algebra. But once he was challenged by his father, young Franklin went back to school determined to do better. “Although naturally introverted, I decided to start asking questions in class. I found that the more I asked questions, the more I began to learn and improve. Math suddenly went from my most dreadful subject to a subject that I found very interesting and exciting,” says Leaven, now a Master Black Belt with GE Transportation. “It was in that classroom where I developed an inquisitive mind to learn.” Having been with GE Transportation for more than 11 years, the 32-yearold North Carolina A&T State University electrical engineering graduate has used that inquisitive mind to grow his own skill set and that of his colleagues and community members. He now supports GE’s Advantage Initiative, a company program that applies the company’s proven process excellence tools, such as Lean, Six Sigma, Workout and others, to solve high-impact business problems, thus creating a competitive advantage for the company. His efforts have helped improve GE Transportation’s on-time delivery and material availability for the locomotive product line. For his accomplishments, Leaven was awarded the GE Advantage Edge Certification, which recognized his mastery of those tools. “The projects that I get to lead focus on increasing GE’s value proposition, clearly distinguishing us in the markets that we serve,” Leaven says. Leaven’s foundation in process improvement was set during his time in GE’s Operations Management Leadership Program, which offered him experience in manufacturing, material procurement, service operations and program management. After graduating from the program in 2003, Leaven continued to support it as an assignment leader, mentor and course instructor. He is now the course instructor A “I am able to share the knowledge that I have acquired over the years to help new leadership program members learn about the career navigation process at GE.” for the new class named “Finding Your Path,” which teaches program members about their career options at GE. “As the instructor of the Finding Your Path course, I am able to share the knowledge that I have acquired over the years to help new Leadership Program members learn about the career navigation process at GE,” says Leaven. Leaven has done much for his GE colleagues, but his impact on people’s lives doesn’t stop at the company parking lot. Rather, he is reaching out a helping hand to those in his community. Previously, as president of the GE Transportation African American Forum (AAF) — an affinity group designed to support the company’s diversity initiative through recruiting, talent development and community service — he helped to establish the first annual Youth Empowerment Summit. Dubbed “Dare to Dream,” the summit involved a daylong workshop to inspire inner-city high school kids to excel in school and the community. The program, which attracted more than 300 participants, linked the students to more than 50 GE volunteers from a host of technical and business disciplines. “The program provided students with the opportunity to hear a group of GE professionals outline their school-to-career path and motivate them to pursue their own life goals and dreams,” says Leaven, who has also been a lead GE recruiter for diverse technical talent via groups such as NSBE. He adds that the “Dare to Dream” initiative has become a best practice for GE, which has had many other business units adopt the program in their communities. In leading his AAF chapter to “Small Chapter of the Year” recognition in 2012, Leaven was also instrumental in the formation of the inaugural AAF Liaison Program, which gave company interns responsibility for the planning and execution of professional development, engagement and community service events. “The AAF Liaison Program is yet another example of GE’s commitment to diversity. Because of that commitment, we were able to more than double the number of AAF interns, resulting in the largest African-American intern class in company history,” says Leaven. “We hired more than 50 AAF interns, half of whom were recruited through NSBE.” ■ www.nsbe.org 16 • nsbe magazine • winter 2013 http://www.nsbe.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NSBE - Winter 2013

NSBE - Winter 2013
Contents
Graduation! Pump Up the Party
Clean Up Your Digital Brand
Reelected
ITW’s Dr. Alexander Anim- Mensah
Steven Henderson of Life Technologies
Patricia Edmonds of NAVAIR
Franklin E. Leaven Jr. of GE Transportation
General Mills: Winning through Diversity
Eye of the Tiger
39TH ANNUAL CONVENTION PREVIEW
Golden Torch Honorees
The Professional’s Perspective
Trailblazers
Professional Development Conference Recap
CE Cover CODE2040: Grooming Business Leaders in Silicon Valley
Uhuru: Freedom
‘To Increase the Number…’
NSBE Calendar
NCEES Employer Profile
Advertisers Index

NSBE - Winter 2013