Why leaders should build community, one connection at a time

Any leader who steps into the role of CEO at an established company competes with the legacy of their predecessors. Only some of us are lucky enough to have had a mentor come before them, one who was as vested in their successor’s success as they were in their own. Jerry Lee, now a retired architect and executive director of our MG2 Foundation, was my CEO predecessor at MG2 and my mentor.

Jerry has always understood growth as something far deeper than financial success. From the earliest days of his career, he learned that resilience and purpose come from how we show up for others. “Part of being generous,” he once said in a commencement speech at Washington State University, “is basically being helpful.”

Helpfulness—it’s so basic, but so profoundly important. He learned the value of helping from his parents. “My mom and pop had a grocery store in Seattle, and it was in a rough area—all the businesses around their store had been tagged or had their windows broken, except ours,” he recalled to me recently. “And there was a good reason for that. When someone came in hungry, my dad always gave them something to eat. That was a part of my upbringing, to be part of a community, not just a business in a community.”

This grounding in humility and helpfulness informs every choice he makes, whether leading MG2 or giving back to the community. “Our mindset was never about the bottom line,” he says. For Jerry, success is measured by connection, impact, and the relationships we build along the way. He sees generosity not as an obligation, but as a source of mutual growth: “When you give, you get back more in return.”

CREATE MOMENTUM BY HELPING

Jerry’s propensity to connect with people is not just natural—it’s catalytic. Whether mentoring young architects, raising funds for cancer research, or spearheading community initiatives, he creates momentum simply by showing up and inviting others to do the same.

On one long-discussed project in Seattle’s Chinatown/International District, he demonstrated this instinct in action: “A group approached us and asked if MG2 could help with the Chinatown Gate. They had been working on it for 50 years. Fifty years! Well, I said, ‘why don’t we just do it?’”  He helped, raising funding from scratch, contributing pro bono work, and bringing a decades-long vision to life. This drive is rooted in the belief that leadership requires generosity, patience, and dedication. Jerry’s philosophy extends beyond business: It guides how he engages with the broader community. From the annual Rotisserie Chicken Giveaway, our charitable drive that serves hundreds of chickens and fixings to people in need over the holidays, to that now historic Chinatown Gate, his initiative shows how small, deliberate acts can multiply into lasting impact.

THE FOUNDATION OF GROWTH

The impetus behind his commitment is deeply personal. Jerry has seen firsthand how loss and hardship shape character. He would be the first to tell you that in the beginning, he was a hard-driving CEO, which was reflected in the firm’s work culture. “I was very focused. It was stressful.” But that changed after his late wife was diagnosed with cancer. “I was able to put myself in other people’s shoes. That had a lot to do with it. I was a lot more understanding after she passed away,” he says.

The work was never about recognition or accolades—it was about creating connection, fostering resilience, and leaving communities stronger than he found them. Every decision, every project, every moment of engagement is a chance to build something bigger than himself. In his own words, the practice of generosity, commitment, and courage isn’t optional—it’s the foundation of growth, both in business and in life.

Taken together, Jerry’s story underscores a consistent throughline: Leadership, at its best, is relational rather than transactional. From lessons learned behind a grocery counter to building an international architecture firm and sustaining decades of civic engagement, his impact has come not from scale alone, but from intention—listening carefully, investing in people, and acting decisively when something meaningful needed to be done. Whether growing MG2 by empowering others or strengthening communities through quiet generosity, Jerry demonstrates that enduring success is built one connection at a time, guided by humility, trust, and a belief that what we give—our time, attention, and care—ultimately shapes the legacy we leave behind.

Mitch Smith AIA, LEED AP is the CEO and chairman of MG2, an affiliate of Colliers Engineering & Design.