Leadership has its Rewards

When John Janney, Vice President of eBusiness & Enrollment for Independence Blue Cross (IBC), signed on for the Arts & Business Council’s Business On Board program a few years ago, he wanted to enhance his influence in the community by serving on a board of directors.

He met that goal, and so much more. In the course of his 30-hour training over four months, Janney learned about the wealth of arts and cultural institutions in the region – more than 1,000 – and how thoughtful, smart, and impassioned governance at the board level can help them thrive. He met the region’s nonprofit arts leaders and networked with senior-level executives from other industries and professions.

When his training was complete, Janney took the advice of Business On Board faculty and followed his heart to find the board that was right for him. He sought two things: deeper involvement with his family and an opportunity to explore and expand his entrepreneurial skills. He found them both with a placement at the Philadelphia Children’s Theatre, a start-up theatre company that needed his energy and commitment to grow beyond the dream of its two founders.

In the three years since Janney became President of the Philadelphia Children’s Theatre, he has maximized the board’s capacity, spearheaded professional marketing and web-presence efforts, and enabled the theatre to hire a full-time executive director.

Janney calls the Philadelphia Children’s Theatre his third full-time job – after his positions at IBC and with his family. The rewards are rich, however. “I wanted something I could be passionate about. For me, that was someplace where my children could see what could be done,” says Janney, whose three children, from elementary through middle school, are regular audience members. His daughter in middle-school now volunteers for the theatre. The needs of a theatre are very different from those of IBC, and he says, “I’m able to go outside of the things I do every day.” This keeps him fresh, nimble and entrepreneurial in the way he goes about working in eBusiness at IBC.

Janney’s experience with the Business On Board program inspired Independence Blue Cross to commit to training four executives per year in board leadership and placement with a cultural organization.

If your company is interested in learning about how to provide senior-level management with leadership training, networking opportunities, and influence in their community, consider Janney’s experience, and contact Amelia Schmertz, Director, Business On Board at aschmertz@artsandbusinessphila.org or 215-790-3769.

Business On Board spring training begins March 2 and runs through June 1.