Greetings! My name is Lance Lansrud, Broker and Owner of Agentry Real Estate. Tampa is home; I grew up in South Tampa, returned a few years after graduating from college, and have been here since. About 17 years ago I left my career in commercial banking to begin one in real estate, and it has been incredibly rewarding. Community service has been of utmost importance to me since I was a kid, and that remains true today. I have been very actively involved in the Tampa Bay Chamber for approximately six years, commencing with my experience as a member of the Leadership Tampa Class of 2015. Following the class year, I immediately became involved with the committee for Community Outreach Day, one of the first program days in the LT year. Subsequently I became Chair for that program day, was extremely involved in the LTA Community Outreach Committee where I ultimately served as Chair, have served on numerous LT class selection committees, and so forth. I have cherished my experiences with LT and LTA, and have met some outstanding people whom I feel extremely fortunate to call friends.
Tell us a little about your experience as the Chair of Leadership Tampa Class of 2020.
Serving as Chair for the Leadership Tampa Class of 2020 was a humbling experience, and I feel honored to have been a part of this extraordinary group of people. As an organization, we strive to take business and industry leaders who are change agents within the community, and broaden their scope so as to help them further their ability to make transformative change within our greater community. Witnessing them, individually and collectively, go through this process was an incredible experience. People connected the dots on countless issues, and they are working both together and within their respective professional institutions to take what they have learned, and do something meaningful with it; big and small. Leading the group through the year was not always easy, but felt in many ways effortless, which I attribute to the enthusiasm of the class and the extremely high-quality programming of the days. The LT20 year ended abruptly and early due to COVID-19, but the class handled the huge disappointment with grace. I am proud of this wonderful collective of people, and feel exceedingly fortunate to count them as new friends.
How would you describe the personality of the group?
Kind, caring, engaged, and ready to embrace challenges. During the opening retreat, I challenged the class to consider themselves to be like a family; we would have times of joy and sorrow over the course of the year, both individually and collectively, and we needed to be there to support each other through those times. The joys are easy of course, but it is the tough times where you really see true colors. Some of our class members did face some serious adversity, and the class as a body rallied behind them. It was beautiful, and the class really emerged as a bonded group, with care and support for each other.
What is the one thing about this year’s class you will never forget?
COVID-19 put an end to the year, as it did for many things as we know it. Our last day of the year, as it came to be, was Healthcare Day. We made a last minute shift away from the planned day so as to include some really frank conversations about COVID-19, and it was fascinating to hear what executives and leaders within our healthcare community had to say. Now, only two months removed from that day, it would be intriguing to hear what they would say, or even if they would have welcomed us into their facilities, hindsight being 20/20.
What was your biggest challenge?
Very personally, my marriage became irretrievably broken as the LT20 year was being created, followed by separation and divorce, all during the LT20 year. I kept that from the class (a few people knew), because it was their year and it was to be about them. Chairing the class takes a huge commitment of time, along with an investment of personal energy and care to help massage the dynamics and keep things moving smoothly. Balancing all of that, with my own personal struggle, was by far my biggest challenge. Witnessing the care, love, and respect the LT20 class members shared for each other and for our community was a tremendous gift to me in what was a personally difficult time, and it gave me strength to keep moving forward.
For you, what separates LT from other business leadership programs?
The greater leadership body behind the Leadership Tampa program takes the application and selection process very, very seriously. We are very committed to our efforts to assemble a diverse collective of seasoned business leaders, who demonstrate their concern for our community by way of active and sincere community activism and leadership. Continuing to market our organization and pitch it as such is paramount in continuing this legacy, as this facet (beyond our excellent curriculum and content) is in fact one of the major differentiators between LT and other business leadership programs.
Describe how chairing this year’s class has impacted your life or career?
Relationships with others are something I greatly treasure, and I feel very blessed to have created many wonderful new relationships within the LT20 class.
What is an LT benefit you wish everyone knew about?
Leadership Tampa Alumni Association, of course! The ongoing work and energies created during the LT year can be continued and developed by way of LTA. There are so many wonderful, like-minded leaders within LTA, and forging new relationships with those folks while providing service to our greater community are one of many benefits to be recognized following your LT commitment.
What advice do you have for the Chair of Leadership Tampa Class of 2021?
Jill Manthey, the Vice-Chair for LT20, will be Chair for LT21. We have become good friends through this process, and I sincerely appreciate her kindness, work, support, and partnership through this process. I encourage Jill to be strong-handed in order to maintain the integrity and quality of the program, softer-handed in letting the year rollout in terms of how the class responds to and engages in the year, and keep laughing through the messy times while keeping it at bay from the class. I would also welcome her to call me for anything.
Tampa Bay Chamber 