Rural Missouri - September 2023 - 5

Missouri
RURAL
Volume 76 | SEPTEMBER 2023 | Number 9
EDITORIAL STAFF:
Sara Schafer, editor
sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop
Jim McCarty, editor emeritus
jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
Paul Newton, managing editor
pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
Megan Backes, creative director
mbackes@ruralmissouri.coop
Zach Smith, director of digital media
zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
Angie Jones-Wheeler, associate editor
ajones@ruralmissouri.coop
ADVERTISING:
Mary Davis, production manager
mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop
573-659-3400
National Advertising Representative:
American MainStreet Publications;
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CONTACT:
Rural Missouri
2722 E. McCarty St., Jefferson City, MO 65101
573-659-3423 info@ruralmissouri.coop
Postmasters: Send address changes to Rural Missouri,
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65101. Subscribers: Report change of address to
your local cooperative. Do not send change of address
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Rural Missouri is accepted on the premise that
the merchandise and services offered are accurately
described and sold to customers at the advertised
price. Rural Missouri and Missouri's electric
cooperatives do not endorse any products or
services advertised herein. Advertising that does
not conform to these standards or that is deceptive
or misleading is never knowingly accepted by
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shall be in the sole discretion of the editor.
Rural Missouri (ISSN 0164-8578) (USPS 473000)
is published monthly by the Association
of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, 2722 E.
McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101, Caleb
Jones, CEO/executive vice president. Individual
subscription rate: $12 per year or $25 for three
years, taxes and postage included. Group rate for
members of participating RECs $3.24, plus taxes
and postage, paid from equity accruing to the
member. Delivery as specified by subscriber. If not
specified, delivery will be by periodical class mail
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paid at Jefferson City, MO, and additional mailing
offices. Copyright 2023, Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives. Call for reprint rights.
Circulation of this issue: 583,876
Mizzou Football Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz spent an hour with a group of our Missouri's electric
cooperative managers, providing a behind-the-scenes look at his leadership strategy.
by Caleb Jones | cjones@amec.coop
always get excited as the county
and state fair seasons wrap up. I
know it's that time of year when
the morning air is a little crisper
and I get to spend my weekends
watching my Mizzou Tigers and Kansas
City Chiefs play football. There is
nothing better than a tailgate full of
friends supporting their team while
consuming more barbeque than any
medical doctor would recommend.
This summer Mizzou Football Head
Coach Eli Drinkwitz offered to talk
to our electric cooperative managers
from across Missouri. I was worried
a college coach may not know what
an electric cooperative even is, but
I quickly found out Eli is part of the
co-op family. His brother-in-law is an
electric co-op lineman in Arkansas.
Eli explained how he is training
I
more than just an athlete; he is committed
to develop his players into
leaders. " Great teammates set the
example and hold their teammates to
the standard, " he says.
What makes a good leader? Eli
points to three traits:
* Character: What you say and what
you do must align.
* Competency: You have the ability to
contribute to success.
* Connection: A team that understands
the mission and connects to it
is a committed team.
While the managers listened to Eli,
I could see a lot of heads nodding in
agreement. These men and women
must help their employees be the
team that wins for your hometown.
They do this by making sure the
mission - providing exceptional service
for their member-owners - is
understood by every team member.
Then they provide them with the tools
and training to get the job done.
You too are a member of Team
Co-op - not a customer. You have a
voice in the focus and future of your
electric co-op. When you attend the
annual meeting, vote for your representatives
on the board and pay
attention when your co-op calls a
peak alert, you cheer on your team
and inspire them to victory.
These days it is so important for
you to understand the issues your
co-op faces. The job of providing
affordable and reliable power gets
harder every year. The more voices
that support these issues, the better.
While Coach Drinkwitz declined
my offer to suit up for a game or two,
he did remind me that a leader must
always put the team first. Electric
cooperatives were founded on that
mission so it's no surprise that strategy
works today and will continue to
work tomorrow.
See you at Faurot Field. M-I-Z!
Caleb is the executive vice president
and CEO of the Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives, a Mizzou alumnus
and a member of Boone Electric
Cooperative.
SEPTEMBER 2023 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
RM | PERSPECTIVES
We are a team

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Rural Missouri - September 2023

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