Mary Herche - Community Champion
Leader to Learn From: January 2022
January 6, 2022
As The Thirlby Company kicks off the new year, we are thrilled to feature Mary Herche as our January 2022 Leader to Learn From. Mary has dedicated her life’s work to community service. For over 40 years, Mary has served countless leadership roles and received 15 awards for her outstanding contributions.
Thirlby Company founder, Margie Thirlby, first met Mary back when Margie was in high school. After college, Margie accepted a job as executive director of Rebuilding Together Seattle, an organization that Mary co-founded with the Junior League of Seattle in 1989. Over a seven year period, Mary became Margie’s greatest mentor and champion of her work, helping Margie and her team scale the Rebuilding Together Seattle programs from serving 30 to 198 households per year.
To make the story even better, years after Margie moved to Denver, Mary introduced Margie to her (now) partner, Ben (although Mary claims it was not a set up). Margie will remain forever grateful for Mary’s ability to bring endless opportunities to her life.
Here’s what Margie has to say about Mary:
“So often at networking events, we get asked the question: ‘name someone who has meant the most to you in your life and career?’ Without a doubt, Mary is almost always the first person who comes to mind. Aside from playing a huge role in my personal and professional life, I continue to be in awe of the way Mary shows up for the people she loves and the causes she cares about. She has taught me so much about how to live, love, and serve. I’m convinced that Mary has superpowers that no one else on this planet has!”
OUR INTERVIEW WITH MARY
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership?
Leaders lead by setting the example - one should never ask someone to do something that you won’t do yourself. One should not demand respect as a leader - they should command it by their actions. You are never better than anyone else, as you never know where someone’s life journey has taken them.
How would you define your mission or purpose in life?
My mission in life has never been defined by me. I have found that opportunities seem to find me! Hopefully, when presented with any role that I have taken on, I leave the situation better than I found it.
At this point in my life, my goal is to help promote and encourage the next generation to take risks, learn from all experiences and I try to share the many lessons that I have learned from my mistakes. No one knows it all, I hope to always be open to learning new things. The younger generations have more resources than ever before, and I want to inspire them to use this additional information for the betterment of the whole. We all need to be open to learning from differing opinions and not be critical of those who might think differently.
What advice would you have for anyone who is trying to navigate their career path?
Do not overdo it - it is obvious who are the people who are resume builders. Identify some mentors and listen to them. Observe how they handle situations and conflicts, ask questions, and stand back and learn from those who you and others respect.
One time, I was facilitating a panel of various people in leadership positions and one person said he/she didn’t have any role models or mentors! That concerned me. Later, I found out that that person hit a deadend on their career path. We should always be open to learning on a continual basis - I try to learn something new every day.
What has been your biggest personal or professional challenge over the past year, and what have you done to help overcome that challenge?
With COVID-19, we have all been dealt a totally unpredictable set of circumstances, changing every day. Because of this, decisions that (in the past) might have taken numerous committee meetings (or a carefully planned timeline) have had to be decided in a day or two. These are huge decisions that can affect many different groups of people. I’ve learned how important it is to be forgiving of mistakes made by oneself and others, and be supportive of people who are in the seat of the main decision maker. Being kind and understanding is needed by everyone.
What tips do you have for balancing your work and life, and avoiding burnout?
I identify my priorities and try to put family first. If I make a commitment to do something, then I will always make sure that I honor it. If my day or week gets busier than I expected, and if others are depending on my actions in order to accomplish a goal or move forward, then I will pull a late nighter to deliver what I have promised.
I also take time to have fun and get my energy from being around positive people. If I’m in a rut, I might reach out to someone for a “people fix” - this will help me to recharge myself. I also think that helping others who are less fortunate than I am always makes me appreciate what life has given me.
What is your favorite book and/or podcast on leadership, and why?
I don’t have one - am I bad?! I am more inspired by those people who I am fortunate to know in my personal life. Having a rather large circle of people who I respect, I choose to learn from them firsthand. It is a very diverse group of people and this helps me get a variety of opinions with different leadership styles. Sometimes I learn more from people who I do not want to emulate than those who I admire. I also love connecting people with each other. With the right introduction, one can start on a new path that will define their future.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Something I learned from my father at a young age is: “When there is a will, there is a way.” I always have options A, B, C, and D in the back of my mind, and understand more than ever that some things are out of your control. Rather than dwell on what had happened or what didn’t happen, I try to keep my eye on the ball and keep moving toward the end goal. If the goal post changes, then accept it.
Also know that you can never do life alone. My dad also taught me that when you’re in a leadership position, make sure that things can go on without you after you leave. One must put the people in place (who you trust) to move things forward.
Thank you, Mary, for our outstanding contributions to our community and for making the world a better place!
About Mary Herche
Mary lives in Seattle with her husband of 38 years, and has two grown children with spouses and four grandchildren, who are the lights of her life. Her full time job is being a volunteer and she takes every role as seriously as if she was a paid employee. Mary’s greatest philanthropic endeavors have included serving board and leadership roles for Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA), Rebuilding Together (Washington, D.C.), Rebuilding Together Seattle, Childhaven (Seattle, WA), Holy Names Academy (Seattle, WA), and the Junior League of Seattle. Over the past two decades, Mary has received 15 awards and recognitions for her community contributions.
When Mary’s not volunteering or spending time with her family, she loves sports and cooking for her loved ones. Holidays are very special to Mary because they often involve gatherings with many people she loves. Mary prides herself in keeping in touch with long time friends and makes the effort to do this. Mary loves spending time on the Oregon Coast, where she can relax and recharge. Please contact the Thirlby Company to connect with Mary.
