He just wanted to quit.
A janitor at Long Beach City College was upset about his colleagues throwing cigarette butts in his designated workspace. However, Beverly O’Neill, an administrator at the time, convinced the man not to quit by listening and empathizing with him.
It’s the story of O’Neill’s life; one that the former Long Beach mayor told at the Notable Speakers Series event in the College of Business Administration building last Thursday.
O’Neill — a three-time mayor of Long Beach — explained part of her success as an administrator with this philosophy: “What’s relevant to me may not be relevant to you at all.”
She practiced that philosophy by switching the janitor’s shift and a talking with his colleagues.
O’Neill inspired many students with her speech on positivity and effective leadership. Her presentation was based around her biography “Overcoming Adversity: The Beverly O’Neill Story” by Harry Saltzgaver, executive editor of the Gazette newspaper.
According to Saltzgaver, O’Neill learned a lot of her leadership skills during the 31 years she spent working for Long Beach City College.
“She established trust with everyone she worked with,” Saltzgaver said. “She let everyone know she cared.”
During her time at the college, O’Neill established the Continuing Education Center for Women in 1969 — an achievement she is most proud of. The center has grown over the years and is now called the Women and Men’s Resource Center, according to the college’s website.
Saltzgaver first met O’Neill while covering her campaign for the 1994 mayoral election. She was handing out “I Love Long Beach” buttons promoting civic pride.
Many believed she would not last, but that was not the case.
O’Neill was re-elected as mayor in 1998 and became the first mayor of Long Beach to win a third term as a write-in candidate.
“Turns out, there was a lot more about that lady than buttons,” Saltzgaver said.
During O’Neill’s incumbency, Saltzgaver felt that she had a good story to tell to others.
“Her way was a positive way of leadership,” Saltzgaver explained.
O’Neill stressed that there is a difference between a boss and a leader. According to her, bosses work alone and do not tend to the need of their workers. Leaders, on the other hand, inspire others and show that they value their employees and share a vision with them as well.
“People support what they help create,” O’Neill said.
Kolap Samela, an education technology masters student, felt she had something to learn from O’Neill from a teacher’s perspective.
“You want to show them that you care and I could relate to that as a teacher,” Samela said.
MBA student Lucy Craig especially liked the fact that O’Neill had created a center for women going back to school because she herself is a woman who got back into education.
“I thought it was so inspiring,” Craig added.
Former Associate Students, Inc. president Chris Chavez also attended the event and said that he was inspired by what he heard. A Long Beach native, Chavez said that he remembers what O’Neill’s time in office was like.
Chavez said, “One of the things she touched on very well is that everything is so negative [but] when it comes down to it, we’re all just trying to help our city, our state or our nation”
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