Leading Voices: Three Questions with Greg Haile, President, Broward College

We sat down with Florida Chamber Board Member Greg Haile, President of Broward College to answer three important questions. Greg Haile has been President of Broward College for five years and a strong advocate for our Florida Prosperity Project which aims to cut childhood poverty in half by 2030.

Q: What is one piece of advice you would share with your peers?
A: One of the most important decisions you can make every day is what not to do. We can always find ways to stay busy. There’s no shortage of work, new ideas or ways to fill the calendar. However, you get to decide what’s worthy of your time and focus, whether that’s at work or in your personal life. I was very fortunate to learn this early on in my career, and it helped me prioritize work that could result in the biggest impact.

Q: What keeps you up at night?
A: As a communicator, I worry about what will happen if we cannot find ways to communicate effectively with one another when we disagree. We’re seeing this play out regularly, creating emotionally charged divisiveness on a variety of important issues — all with equally important viewpoints. At the same time, we’re faced with the threat of misinformation and connections that are built digitally instead of in-person, which can make all of this even harder.

Conflict is never easy, but it’s necessary and can even be helpful. How we communicate with one another during times of disagreement and adversity is critical. This can be the deciding factor between whether you are able to earn and strengthen trust from someone, or whether you erode it.

Q: How has the Florida Chamber impacted your organization?
A: The Florida Chamber has been valuable in helping us strengthen and maintain relationships across the state. It’s given us an avenue to hear different perspectives from diverse industries on important issues impacting the business community. Together, we’ve had powerful conversations that allow us learn from one another so we can continue to help Florida thrive.