Lurline McGregor, President & CEO of Olelo Community Television for the past six years, told BYU-Hawaii business students that people concerned with values should consider careers in nonprofit organizations.
Lurline McGregor, President & CEO of Olelo Community Television for the past six years, told BYU-Hawaii business students that people concerned with values should consider careers in nonprofit organizations.
"There's a fine line between profit and nonprofit organizations," McGregor said at the Nov. 18 School of Business entrepreneurship lecture. "Nonprofits still have basic business values as well as more esoteric ones."
She explained that Olelo, Hawaii's main public access TV broadcasting company, has "no commercials nor are we driven by commercial purposes. We're trying to build communities and make the world a better place to live."
"Core values are the most important thing in any endeavor. I feel very fortunate to have spent my career working in nonprofit organizations," she said. McGregor started as an intern for Hawaii Representative Cec Heftel in Washington, D.C., and also worked for Sen. Daniel Inouye before returning to the islands and getting involved in television production.
Of her experiences in the nation's capital, McGregor said they helped her focus on "excellence, which is an important thing to strive for. They were small lessons, but they shaped my career."
She added it was also "very empowering when Sen. Inouye said yes to some of my ideas. When it comes down to values, it's the experience that really helps you."
"I don't think of myself as an entrepreneur. When I was younger, I never would have guessed this is what I would be," said McGregor, who oversees five public access television channels, a main studio in Honolulu, four satellite studios on Oahu and 54 employees.
She explained that Olelo gets its funding from Time-Warner Cablevision as part of a legal requirement in exchange for the commercial cable TV company's use of public airways and easements.
While Olelo and many other nonprofit organizations do not think in terms of "making money," McGregor stressed they must still operate within good management practices. "The first thing you have to be clear about: What is your goal, your purpose?" she asked.
McGregor pointed out you set those objectives as part of a strategic plan that must cover the entire organization, and that she spent her first nine months at Olelo creating a strategic plan. "I can't imagine we operated without it before," she said.
"When you've got a strategic plan, it's got to trickle down to every department and employee. Then you must analyze the data and measure it against your objectives. It's a very intriguing challenge."
McGregor added that it's also important all employees are happy people. "You've got to be fair with the staff," she said. "Get all sides of a story before making decisions, then if you make a mistake, admit it and fix it if you can."
"All the people at Olelo are driven by our mission. They love the potential of what we're trying to do," she said, noting they do not make as much money as their counterparts in commercial television. "Surround yourself with people you trust. Then the more you can delegate to these people, the more you can accomplish."
"At Olelo, we look at not just the staff but everybody who comes in as one big ohana [family]," McGregor said.
McGregor pointed out that Olelo's satellite media centers in Waianae, Kahuku and Palolo are having a very positive impact on the students in those areas.
"The kids have been the most successful part of the whole program. They're blossoming. It's incredible," she said, comparing their productions with "MTV quality. They're really hot."
"These kids now have career potential, and it's exciting that we've created opportunities for them," she said. "I feel very fortunate to have spent my career in nonprofits."