David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer at the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY), reflected on his experiences since joining the organization ten years ago. Freund shared that his journey as a regular blog writer began in October 2016 when Randy Wolken, MACNY’s President & CEO, encouraged him to start a weekly blog post. He recounted, “I happened to be standing near Marisa Norcross’s desk, and she must have noticed the panic in my eyes. With a reassuring smile, she said, ‘It’ll be okay — I’ll help you.’”
Freund credited several colleagues for their ongoing support in editing and refining his work. He noted that Marisa Norcross played a key role before her promotion to Chief Operating Officer and that Marissa Beck and Lauren Alexander also assisted during transitions. Freund said, “Without their help, this past decade of blog posts wouldn’t have been possible.”
Over the years, Freund estimated he has written approximately 187,200 words in blog posts, in addition to magazine articles and MACNY newsletters. He stated, “Here’s the truth: I didn’t do it alone. Every one of those words passed through the capable hands of colleagues who offered feedback, edits, and encouragement along the way — helping me to grow with each blog I wrote.”
He explained that the central theme of his writing has been personal growth and learning, with his blog’s tagline being “Charting Your Path to Growth.” Freund added, “I write about whatever I’m learning at the time. As I’ve learned, tried, failed, and grown, the words have followed naturally.”
Freund emphasized the importance of teamwork at MACNY, saying, “I’ve always believed that teamwork makes the dream work, and that’s certainly been true here. After all, it’s one thing to have a dream, but without the right people beside you to help make it real, that dream stays just that — a dream.”
He also described his original goal upon joining MACNY: “My dream was to change the mindset of leadership throughout Central New York — to help shift from transactional management to values-based, transformational leadership. It was an ambitious goal, but I’ve never walked that path alone. My colleagues at MACNY have supported that vision every step of the way.”
The organization recently welcomed Steve Maloney back as Director of Training. Freund announced that Maloney will join him in a new shared blog titled “The Next Shift: Where People and Performance Advance.” Freund said, “We’ll be returning to weekly posts, sharing the duties as we continue to grow together.”
The new blog will officially launch during MACNY’s 10th annual Live2Lead event on November 7th at The Lodge in Skaneateles. Freund noted that registration for the event is open until Friday, October 24th.
