Are you ready to take your career and work life to the next level? This episode will help you think it through.
Leadership Lake Oswego has been helping leaders create the conditions for success since 1985, and the class of 2025 will be honing their leadership skills and fostering greater connection within the community.
Krystal Hanna from Lion’s Capital Mortgage is in the captain’s seat with the questions for Chamber members,Tony Buccola from OnPoint Community Credit Union, and Karin Edsell, NW Housing Alternatives, both from the Leadership Lake Oswego Class of 2024-25. And Chamber CEO Liz Hartman will give us the ever-important What You Need to Know in LO!
Leadership Lake Oswego - Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce | Leadership Lake Oswego
Leadership LO Meet and Greet - Thursday, August 21, 5:30-7 pm at Directors Mortgage, click here to reserve: Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce | Event Details
OnPoint Credit Union - Kruse Meadows Branch - OnPoint Community Credit Union
Northwest Housing Alternatives - Northwest Housing Alternatives
Artisserie Fine Bakery - Artisserie Fine Bakery | French Patisserie in Portland
Networking requests - send to liz@lake-Oswego.com with three potential dates in 2026.
Podcast sponsor = $250; Solo program = $500 HOME | Modcast Productions
Chamber Sponsorship Opportunities: Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce | Sponsorship Opportunities
[00:00:00]
LIZ HARTMAN:: This is Business LO, a podcast by the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce, which connects, educates, advocates, and champions, our business community. We have nearly 500 members from international corporations to home-based businesses, and we serve them all. Each episode of Business LO gives insider information to the local business community and the neighbors who support them.
LIZ HARTMAN:: And now let's talk business LO
MICHELLE ODELL:: It is July 23rd, 2025, and this episode will publish on August 1st. And here's a question for you. Are you ready to take your career and work life to the next? Level. Well, that's what we're talking about today. Leadership Lake Oswego has been helping leaders create the conditions for success since 1985.
MICHELLE ODELL:: And the class of 2025 will be honing your leadership skills and fostering greater connection within the community. And today [00:01:00] we have our one and only Crystal Hannah from Lyons Capital Mortgage. She's in the captain seat with questions for our chamber members, Tony Cola from. On Point Community Credit Union.
MICHELLE ODELL:: He is the member relationship officer and joining us as well as Karen Edsel, she's the Resource Development Coordinator at Northwest Housing Alternatives. Now, both are from the Leadership Lake Oswego class of 20 24, 20 25, and of course we have with us today chamber, CEO, and. Everyone's go-to person, Liz Hartman.
MICHELLE ODELL:: She will give us the ever important what you need to know in lo information. I'm Michelle, Odell, and Crystal, let's take it away.
KRYSTAL HANNA:: So I've taken leadership, lay as we go. I think I'm class of 2022. Yeah, but it's changed in recent years, and so I'd love to know mm-hmm. How it's changed and some feedback that you guys have.
KRYSTAL HANNA:: So tell us a little bit about your experience. I had
KARIN EDSELL:: a really [00:02:00] wonderful experience at Leadership Lo. There were a lot of surprises, a lot of things that I learned that I didn't expect to learn. I mainly went there to deepen relationships with people from the chamber. I hadn't expected to learn so much about myself and myself as a leader and how that translates into work and also my personal life.
KARIN EDSELL:: I feel like I got a lot of great nuggets out of it, and I'm really appreciative for Christopher and for the whole class. And the relationships I've made through it.
TONY BUCCOLA:: Yeah, I agree. I've gotten to know Christopher over the last two years by going to Chamber AM networking and other events, so his input and his wisdom was profound in so many ways.
TONY BUCCOLA:: I think starting with leadership starts within leading yourself through work, family, in your community. What I learned to bring to work is that I may not have a title of leader, manager or anything like that, but by teaching younger staff or less [00:03:00] experienced staff, I felt more like a leader, and I do feel like a leader because of the amount of years I've, I've been with on point almost 10 now.
TONY BUCCOLA:: Learning, appreciating what my role is as a leader within myself, and then for the staff. And then also I'm raising two kids right now, nine and seven years old. So showing leadership skills as a father is also something I got from the program.
Speaker 3: And Karen, you mentioned surprises. What was the most surprising thing for you?
Speaker 4: When I first joined, because I had expected to go mainly for relationships, the first thing I learned about myself is that I am a little skeptical when it comes to having these trainings, kind of, or going to these kind of workshops. It takes me a bit to be able to see how I feel about the person leading it and if I can trust them and all of these different pieces.
Speaker 4: And so I realized my hesitancy right away. And then within that first session, Christopher. Was he kind of blew me away with the different activities that we [00:04:00] did with ways he presented material and ideas and questions in ways that I hadn't thought about before. And going around the circle at the very end of class with everyone sharing what they were taking away from it.
Speaker 4: Everyone naming something different and all of those things being vastly important and things you could like do a deep dive into was really impressive and it made me really excited to go each month to this class. I expected it to mainly translate to my professional work, which it definitely has, but the impact that it's made in my personal life, I hadn't.
Speaker 4: Expected as much. I kind of, I thought it was gonna be more of trainings around like tactics and strategies of how to be a leader at work, but really it was like this foundational work of who am I as a person, as a leader, and, and how can I lead, like Tony was saying, how can I lead myself in order to lead other people?
Speaker 4: And. [00:05:00] It's made a huge impact, which I'm really grateful for.
Speaker 3: I would agree. There's definitely an element of self discovery that was not anticipated for me as well. Can you talk a little bit about like the community involvement and the civics and how they bring everything together?
Speaker 4: Something about.
Speaker 4: The leadership class that I also really loved was that at each session we had someone from the community come in and talk for the beginning portion of the class, and each leader that came in came from such a different background and they had such different experiences and the way that they even talked about themselves being a leadership was so different from person to person.
Speaker 4: And it really fostered some interesting conversations. And there were certain people that. I realized I resonated with and kind of being curious into why and what I appreciated about them being a leader and what I looked up to and admired about them was interesting. And also being able to see people that I [00:06:00] don't see in, in everyday life from the police to, you know, the person who leads an arts group to you just see meet so many different people in the community.
Speaker 4: That I don't think I would otherwise be able to meet. And so I really appreciated those connections.
Speaker 3: That's amazing. Can you talk about the community connection?
Speaker 5: Well, two things. One, I, I remember the first part of the question was about what surprised you. So I was surprised, I think from day one when Christopher started.
Speaker 5: By saying all of you are already leaders. Again, going back to leading yourself, it made any title that I could be given insignificant in a way because in my personal life it, I can always be a leader by leading myself and it, it helped me appreciate whatever role I have. And then, so in the community, I feel like I've made some very strong ties through the Lake Oswego Chamber, through my job at On Point.
Speaker 5: In particular in the last couple of years, being given the freedom to get out into the community more.
Speaker 3: I see you everywhere, [00:07:00] Tony. So you guys get to come back this next year and be part of the leadership team. What's inspired you to do that?
Speaker 5: I like getting outta the office. Good
Speaker 3: answer. Love that.
Speaker 5: Sharing what I learned and.
Speaker 5: Helping to facilitate what Christopher teaches and what the community leaders bring to the program. One of the big things that Christopher taught that always stands out with me is repetition. And by going through the program, and again, in a sense, I'll get, you know, I'll walk away with something new from each speaker in each class that he gives being a part of it, and then.
Speaker 5: I like the responsibility of teaching, teaching that to new fresh faces. It, it's an honor actually to be a part of that.
Speaker 3: The classes are so fruitful and so taking it a second time, it'll be interesting to hear what it is you take away this next time. 'cause there's so much to digest. So it's a great way to keep it in front of your mind and like you said, kind of pass it on [00:08:00] to other people.
Speaker 3: What about you, Karen?
Speaker 4: A big part for me is that the class was such a wonderful experience for me, that it'll be great to. Help and volunteer and be there to support and give back in a sense. And facilitating discussions in like the small groups and, and taking on that role will be a nice practice for some of the things that we went through this past year.
Speaker 4: And it's just like you both said, a huge opportunity for continuing to learn because yeah, you, you said that they were fruitful and they absolutely were. Each session just had so many things in it that, that I wasn't able to like totally digest in the moment. And so I would leave class and have maybe two big.
Speaker 4: Like thoughts in my mind of like, I'm gonna really pay attention to these over the next month. And then I would listen to the video 'cause they send the recordings out afterwards so you can revisit the material. So I would listen to it [00:09:00] again and then be like, oh my goodness. I didn't even, like, couldn't even let myself think about this other big piece because I was so preoccupied and I think I just absorbed enough that day that I couldn't really take it anymore.
Speaker 4: So each time I hear it and each time I read. The material. I always come away with something new. I'm excited as well for helping people get together in between sessions. This past year I did that a bit, but I could have done that a bit more, and that would be in between sessions is when I got together with people.
Speaker 4: It was a really great opportunity to talk about what we learned and then to talk about like the concrete examples of how we're implementing those things in our work and in our life in general. And I noticed a difference whenever I'd actually like talk it through and talk through examples. It kind of stuck more and it reinforced the learning and the practice of it all.
Speaker 4: So I'm excited about that part as well.
Speaker 3: Can you talk about kind of the structure of the class? 'cause there's an in class element to it. I believe there was some homework and [00:10:00] then there's the one-on-ones with your peers that are assigned too. So maybe you can talk a little bit about how that's set up.
Speaker 4: The class is set up so that there's one class a month, which is very doable. It felt. Like, you know, sometimes I join workshops and trainings where I feel overloaded. So this felt like the perfect amount each month, to be honest. But then in between your assigned homework to read the material for the next month and to meet with somebody, they give you a, a buddy to meet up with a.
Speaker 4: In that month between so you can contact them and set up a coffee date. That's what I often did. And then some groups were interested in like meeting up as a group. It's all what you have capacity for, and that part is totally optional, but it provides a really big benefit and I'm excited to get excited and hopefully excite people about that this year.
Speaker 4: So they wanna do it. I'm excited.
Speaker 3: How much reading was involved?
Speaker 4: It was like a, it was front and back page, so just two pages of reading. Very doable and easy, but again, the content is so packed that you [00:11:00] could read it a couple of times and just kind of think about it, let it marinate before you get into class.
Speaker 3: I'll say that's something that's been surprising for me too, just with the chamber in general, is just some of these relationships that I've turned into friendships because you're getting to see them so often. There's a lot of overlap.
Speaker 5: That's really rewarding is when those connections made it networking or in the leadership like Oswego, when.
Speaker 5: We can go visit them at their business or they can come to on point and just. To help each other through our, our business or personal lives.
Speaker 3: Yeah. 'cause we do business with people we know, like, and trust. And this is just another way to develop that trust. Is there any one particular theme that you guys just, that really stuck with you and you've been able to implement?
Speaker 3: Any little nugget you can give us?
Speaker 4: Well, there are a few nuggets I guess I, I have taken away and there, yeah, there are so many things I think I could name right now. A few, like three just ran through my mind and I was like, pick one. And I'm gonna choose the fourth. So okay. The, through mistakes, the importance of [00:12:00] making mistakes and to expect mistakes like waking up in the day and expecting that I'm gonna make mistakes during the day and like I'm excited to because that's how I'm gonna grow and how I'm gonna learn.
Speaker 4: And the fact that Christopher, the way he teaches, really embodies what he's teaching. And so even in one class, he made this like small mistake and he. Called himself out on it. It was really great seeing a leader, you know, not just teach the material, but practice the material and the like. The better connection that we all had, I think because of it was really tangible.
Speaker 4: So that's, that's feels like this. I dunno, it feels like this nice, easy way of waking up and just being like, okay, things aren't gonna go the way that I planned today, but like, that's gonna be fine. 'cause I know that's gonna happen. The class kind of sneaks up in me and the things that I learned from the class sneak up on me throughout the day.
Speaker 4: Like, you know, my personal life, spending time with a friend and then things going awry and then coming back to like this. What was the intention [00:13:00] of spending time with this person right now? And can I focus on that rather than on this problem that's arising? And can we just focus on our connection, spending time and enjoying time together?
Speaker 4: And
Speaker 3: how is this leadership class different from any other training that you've done?
Speaker 4: Well, the content is so thought out. The flow of all of the classes from month one to month nine is, is so intentional. Once you're in it, you really understand the arc of why he designed it the way that he did.
Speaker 4: Connecting with other people in the class and making the. Deep connections and relationships. Seeing them come and to our businesses and, and supporting each other and, and developing those relationships is really special. And the amount of interaction and practice that's. Really ingrained and part of this program is really special.
Speaker 4: So it's not just somebody, I think I've been to trainings before where someone just tells you these strategies and tactics and they speak in front of a room and you just listen and take notes and that kind of a thing. [00:14:00] And this is very interactive and thought provoking and there's plenty of time to get in groups and to talk and to do exercises to meet outside class if you have time and are able to.
Speaker 4: And it's much more foundational instead of strategies and tactics only, which it does offer, it's also looking at yourself. How can you be a leader? Self-reflection. So it, it just reverberates into, I think, all areas of your life when you take this class. And that's something that I heard before, taking it, and I remember being intrigued by that and wondering if I would feel the same way.
Speaker 4: And I absolutely do.
Speaker 5: What's different? I think Karen's right a hundred percent. About the interactions that you do during class and sharing with your classmates help you embrace the program even more. Because I think Christopher gives you the information and, and then when we get in our groups or we meet for coffee, we relate it to experiences that we're having, whether at work or at home or [00:15:00] out in the community.
Speaker 5: I'd never thought of myself as a leader before, but I kept pushing myself to. Will it to happen?
Speaker 3: How would you say or would you say that your confidence changed since taking this class?
Speaker 4: The first thought that I have is one of the classes where we talked about like not having like the right answer because there is not a right answer, a final answer, and having a sense of direction instead.
Speaker 4: And I feel like that has given me a lot of. Freedom and, and more confidence to, to speak and share thoughts because instead of, I guess holding them back because they're not fully formed or because I know that they might change depending on, like over time, depending on what I learn from that. So I think that's one aspect where I've grown in confidence.
Speaker 4: And another is through the class. We have to do a lot of speaking in front of the group as Tony mentioned. So, it was good practice having to introduce ourselves all the time and to participate in class and to share thoughts and to ask questions, and to work in the small groups [00:16:00] and also in, in the full class itself, just relearning certain lessons too.
Speaker 4: Christopher talks about, you know, we learn these lessons and then sometimes we forget them and then we relearn them and it, it means more the second and third and fourth time. Just having that practice in the classroom and outside the, the classroom has really helped with those conversations and with taking initiative and, and public speaking and all of that.
Speaker 5: I think I've gained confidence in making mistakes is part of the process. Sometimes you have unexpected. Consequences of a process that you thought, you know, and, and mistakes happen. But if you, and it's easy to say, you just learn from them and move on, but you actually, one class we talked about you, you can discover an unexpected goal when your, your process is diverted because of a mistake.
Speaker 5: It doesn't mean you have to give up entirely on the goal that you originally set, but if there's another goal that that mistake directed you towards, then. I, I have confidence now that making [00:17:00] as many mistakes as I do in life that I, I'm gonna, you know, I. I'm still leading myself towards a goal, whether it's the goal I anticipated or not,
Speaker 2: I love it.
Speaker 2: So, if you have any questions, you're gonna join Leadership Lake Oswego, director Christopher Boyer and others for a free meet and greet event on August 21st at Directors Mortgage on Cruise Way. And of course, all the information you can sign up, you can do everything at the Chamber website. We'll also have links in the show notes as well.
Speaker 2: I wanna thank you so much for joining us today and thank you for all your work and everything you do with the Chamber.
Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you guys for your time. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 2: Alright, so now it's time for what you need to know in Lo Liz, what is going on around town.
Speaker: Well, everybody wants the insider information and today's insider information is that new French bakery on First Avenue has opened.
Speaker: It is rotisserie [00:18:00] and they have cake. They have cookies, they have illy coffee, and. Beautiful flowers. So if you want a little touch of France, go to Rotisserie and then wanna let our corporate members know get your request in to host networking in 2026. The calendar is open now for corporate members and it will be open to business members after August 20th.
Speaker: You just heard about Leadership Lake Oswego. Now is the time to sign up for Leadership Lake Oswego. The class caps at 35 people. The meet and greet is Thursday, August 21st at five 30 at Director's Mortgage, and that is the one that is at 45 50 Cruise Way. We look forward to welcoming you two. The class of 2026 Leadership Lake Oswego, and today is the day to lock in your sponsorships.
Speaker: The tree lighting is on Friday, November 28th. It is one of the biggest attended events in Lake Oswego. We have the title sponsorship, and that means you get to [00:19:00] talk to the entire crowd on our great new public address system and you get to light the tree. What could be better of that for a sponsorship?
Speaker: Yes. And finally we have the podcast. You can sponsor an episode for $250, or you can have your very own episode for $500. You can call or email the chamber and you can have your own personal podcast because this is a great way to get the attention of people for 15 to 20 minutes.
Speaker 2: Well, thank you Liz, so much.
Speaker 2: Another wonderful episode in the books and I wanna remind all of our listeners. That every day is a Chamber of Commerce Day here in Lake Oswego,
Speaker: the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce. Thanks you for listening to Business Lo. We would love to have you as a member so you can help Lake Oswego continue to be one of the best places to live, work, and play.
Speaker: If you wanna share an idea for a future episode. Or become a member. Visit us@lakeoswegochamber.com [00:20:00] and please like and follow us on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And for help with your business podcast, go to podcast productions.com.