LP 40 for 40 – Dr. Yoram Solomon
The Plano Chamber of Commerce’s signature program, Leadership Plano, celebrates its 40th anniversary! For the past 40 years, Leadership Plano has been dedicated to educating, developing, and empowering current and future leaders for the community and motivating them to serve civic, charitable, and business organizations.
We are celebrating the impact of the past 40 years by spotlighting 40 Leadership Plano graduates who have paved the way for future generations, created meaningful change for the community, and continue to serve in leadership roles. This celebratory series, Leadership Plano 40 for 40, is Presented by UBS – The Kravitz Group.
Introducing our next spotlight, Leadership Plano Class 31 Graduate, Dr. Yoram Solomon. Dr. Yoram Solomon is the author of The Book of Trust (now in 3rd edition, and the most comprehensive book ever written about trust), the book series Can I Trust You? and host of The Trust Show podcast. He published a total of 19 books and more than 300 articles on Trust, Innovation Culture, and Entrepreneurship. Yoram holds a Ph.D. in organization and management, an MBA, a law degree, and an engineering degree. He is an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship, a 3-time TEDx speaker, a former executive, elected official, pilot, and member of the Israeli 35th airborne brigade.
1. What first made you interested in participating in Leadership Plano?
In 2013, I ran for the Plano ISD school board. I lost that election but realized I wanted to stay involved with the city. As of now, this is the longest I’ve ever lived in the same house (in Plano) or even the same city. I learned about the Leadership Plano program and decided to start there. Since then, I ran again for the PISD board in 2015, but this time won and served 4 years on the board. Later, I continued and went through the Plano Police Citizen’s Academy, and the Plano Fire Citizen’s Academy.
2. What is the most memorable part of your experience (or what is something that was happening in Plano that you remember about that year)?
Probably not what you expected to hear. The call that I got during “Education Day” in Leadership Plano. My phone buzzed. Andre Davidson, the then executive director, was trying to burn me with her stare because I took the phone, went outside, and took the call. When I came back, I just had to say it, “I’m sorry, I had to take the call, it was the White House.” Sure enough, it was the White House inviting me to a meeting of the White House business council a few months later. I suspect that my involvement in Leadership Plano could have impacted my selection for that meeting.
3. Why do you think LP is so impactful for our community?
I believe that people who go through Leadership Plano become more engaged in the community. They get exposed to things they never knew existed. They get to meet people in leadership positions in Plano and realize that those are people just like you and me.
4. What is one thing you can attribute to LP that is a success in your life or career?
I don’t know about my career, but I love being involved in my community, and I think that Leadership Plano helped me be even more involved than my role on the PISD board did. I think that my involvement in Leadership Plano may have even played a significant role in me getting elected in 2015, and in making connections that later helped me when I served on the board.
5. If your class had a class project, what was it and why was it important?
I Actually don’t like to think of my class as the “best class ever.” Not that there was anything wrong with my class… I used to come every year to the kickoff of the new class, that Saturday at 7am, and when each of us alumni was asked to introduce him/herself and their class, while every alumnus would say their class number and “best class ever,” I used to say that I’m from class 31, and that I with their class would be the best class ever. But something that I’m very proud of that my class did was the class project. We ended up choosing to launch a TEDx Plano event, and launched the first one, handed it over to the city, which will run it for the tenth year this year.
