Will Duck from the Leadership Portage County Class of 2025 is our guest for our second episode of The Best Leadership Podcast Ever! Will is a husband and dad, and he serves the Portage County Combined Health District in the position of Environmental Health Supervisor of Water Quality. In their conversation, Will shares with Andra how a conversation he had while earning is biology degree and working in the Grounds department at Kent State University first led him to the Health District. Andra and Will discuss the importance of active listening and building a strong, positive culture in a work environment--especially one that empowers employees, develops their leadership, and builds trusting teams. Will also describes his view of leadership as a relational, caring, and educational process, not a top-down, order-giving experience. As they wrap up their conversation, Andra and Will also touch on how scary it can be to ask clarifying questions in a situation if we're not understanding particular dynamics or feeling inadequate, but also how doing so can not only benefit ourselves but also serve others who may have been holding on to the same question. Will credits his Leadership Portage County experience--he served as Co-President of his class, by the way--for exciting future opportunities, including his joining the United Way of Portage County Board this fall.

------ The Best Leadership Podcast Ever is a project of Leadership Portage County in Northeast Ohio and showcases alumni from the program. Guests share stories of leadership successes and challenges. Follow "The Best Leadership Podcast Ever" wherever you get your podcasts.