Tag: leadership

“You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, as there is no substitute for experience.” So began John Stroup when he kicked off the Defining Moments course in January, where he shared his defining moments and leadership philosophy with students at Olin Business School.

Mr. Stroup is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Belden, Inc., a Fortune 1000 industrial company based in the Saint Louis area. He is a successful business leader who has also repeatedly found himself to be both the youngest and the most senior manager in the room. Most recently, he was elected to Chairman of the Board. Prior to becoming the President and CEO of Belden Inc., he held a variety of marketing and senior management roles, including as Group Executive at Danaher Sensors and Controls.

Hearing John speak, it was clear that he is confident and competitive— traits he attributes to his upbringing and his love for sports. He walked us through his career timeline, beginning with his first job as an entrepreneurial paperboy up until becoming a CEO at age 39.

He centered his message on what he learned and carried forward throughout his career, which fell into four themes: People, Customers, Shareholders, and Self. Mr. Stroup illustrated the need to balance taking care of your people, customers, and shareholders simultaneously. He admitted that it is challenging, but it’s possible—especially if you take care of yourself.

Mr. Stroup speaks with students following the Defining Moments course.

The biggest takeaway from his message was his philosophy of constant feedback, saying everyone deserves their own “scoreboard” on how they’re doing. Creating standards and consistent communication is important in giving feedback because most people are competitive at some level. Developing a “scoreboard” is a great idea I can carry forward in my career to take care of people and customers. The question for each of us is: what would our scoreboards look like, and how are we doing?

Guest bloggers: Tony Nuber is a 2017 MBA Candidate in the Full-time MBA Program at Olin Business School. Marcianne Gagliardi is the Program Manager for the Bauer Leadership Center.

OWN IT WashU is a summit designed to encourage WashU women and women in the St. Louis community to be their best selves and to encourage each other to do the same. We bring successful, driven, and inspiring women from all walks of life to Washington University’s campus. By bringing together these like-minded women, attendees will leave the summit with both knowledge and leadership skills to amplify their personal and professional success.

OWN IT: A Summit for Women’s Leadership

Bauer Hall & Knight Center

November 12, 2016, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

REGISTER HERE

The day will include:
– Four panels of experts: Business, STEM, Impact, and Create (visit ownitwashu.com for full bios of each panelist)
– Interactive breakout sessions and “office hours” with speakers
– Breakfast and round-table luncheon (included in ticket price)
– Empowerment Exchange featuring local business and female-led groups
– Opportunities for networking with peers and professionals
– Empowerment and good vibes all day !!!

FAQ:
Do I have to identify as female to attend?
NOPE! We even have a breakout session specifically addressing “Manbassadors” and how men can participate, and our panelists have great insight to share with everyone.

How much does it cost?
WUSTL Undergrad Students – $15.00
Graduate Students – $20.00
Community Members – $35.00

Link to video.

Guest Blogger: Emily Duncan, Director of Public Relations, Own It WashU 2016

The below post and podcast was republished with permission from PluggedIN, an automated talent recruitment and matchmaking platform specifically focused on startup companies. PluggedIN was founded by Colleen Liebig, who serves as an Industry Career Specialist & Advisor at Olin, with specialization in entrepreneurship.

“When we look to hire people, we look to see that we can get along as a team. We say that they need to pass the barbecue and beer test. Would we want to sit down and have a barbecue and a beer with this person?”
—Jaye Connolly-LaBelle, CEO, RippleNami

Imagine the last time you needed something. Whether it is the nearest grocery store or best-rated dry cleaner in the area, a quick Google search would provide an accessible answer and even a map to take you to your destination. While these benefits of a connected society are often taken for granted in developed nations, people in many parts of the world do not have access to these resources. From 6-hour searches for suitable drinking water to nonexistent information about the nearest primary school, unconnected people in developing nations struggle to get the basic information relevant to them.

Out of this need arose RippleNami. Although the startup is less than two years old, RippleNami has set out to provide unconnected people with simple mapping technologies to better visualize the resources or situations relevant to them. Working with NGOs, logistics providers, aid organizations, and governments in several developing countries, the company has already begun to realize its mission and establish a global presence.

We had the opportunity to learn about RippleNami’s unique work during a podcast episode with CEO Jaye Connolly La-Belle. During our conversation, Jaye shared a host of insights into how she became involved in the project, manages a global team, and helps work towards RippleNami’s mission on a daily basis. Some highlights of our discussion include:

• How Jaye transitioned from her career in finance and accounting to connect with RippleNami’s founder and help operationalize the idea
• Why she embraces a globally distributed team and how she hires the right employees in developing nations
• What leadership strategies are key to running a start-up and why successful entrepreneurs must be able to handle all aspects of the business
• How RippleNami is building its simplified mapping technology and where the startup sees itself in the future
• Why Jaye felt St. Louis was the right startup ecosystem to grow RippleNami, and how the company is participating in two accelerator programs (Capital Innovators and Prosper Women Entrepreneurs).

I’m not sure what happened, but time has a way of sneaking up and then speeding by you. In May, I was looking forward to spending time back home in Denver. I came back to Mumbai in July, and the next thing I know, it’s September. During that time, I finished my last graduate class in India, started my new term as the board president of an international school (volunteer), traveled to Vietnam to attend a governance conference, and am now preparing to travel to Washington University’s St Louis campus to complete the joint WashU-Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) Executive MBA program in October.

Hari Sankaran, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS), spoke to our batch in August about leadership and “thinking big.” (Note: In India, business schools use the term batch vs cohorts in the U.S.) He succinctly stated three points that leaders must act upon for professional (and personal) success:

• People don’t know what they want – It is up to you to decipher what they want and need.
• Congruence of leadership – The leadership team must all be aligned or face barriers and impediments along the way
• Time is of the essence – You must act and take advantage of the opportunities given to you.

When I first started my journey in India, I was focused on traveling and applying what I learned from graduate school. Little did I know was that was not really what I wanted. During my time as an executive MBA student, I’ve learned the following lessons:

1. Making a difference mattered to me

What I realized I wanted was the ability to make a positive impact through strategic thinking, collaboration, and implementation in a multi-national environment. I have been fortunate to be able to give back through volunteerism.

2. Emotional and moral support is crucial

Without the support of my family, the international school community, and WashU and IITB, I would not have been able to shape concepts and lead the decision-making process effectively. Without this unified team, I would have struggled significantly.

Talk about “luck”—I was able to meet Lobsang Pendha, one of the Dalai Lama’s senior leaders in Vietnam.

3. Avoid “analysis paralysis”

You have to act and put yourself out there. To me, luck is not a result, but rather preparing yourself to take advantage of an opportunity that presents itself. I did not intend to become the board president, but going back to school helped me prepare for this honor when it presented itself.

So simple yet so hard to execute. Sometimes it’s trial and error. Other times, it is “luck.” By knowing what questions to ask, how to build consensus, and when to act is the difference between struggle or success. So far, so good–I cannot complain of my results.

This post was republished from Brian’s personal blog, with permission from the author. 

Three Executive MBA students from Olin’s joint program with Fudan University in Shanghai spent a week in St. Louis this month to attend the EMBA Leadership Residency with students from the St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver cohorts. Grace Zhou, Class 11, is Head of Reward and Benefits – Asia Pacific at Johnson Matthey in Shanghai; Thomas Cheong, Class 10, Vice President, Asia North Principal International in Hong Kong; and Michelle Cheng, Class 7, HR Business Partner GN Store Nord, based in Ballerup, Denmark.

Executive MBA students are required to attend four week-long “residencies” during their program that focus on different topics. The Leadership Residency – which occurs midway through the program – includes modules on formal and informal leadership.

Michelle Cheng visits the Ding, a gift from the EMBA-Shanghai Class 1.

A section on creative thinking enhances your ability to generate strong ideas, the building blocks of innovation, growth, and entrepreneurship. Classmates brainstorm concepts for new companies, products, and services in preparation for an innovation project.

The EMBA program provides one of the most academically comprehensive curricula in the country, with 60 credit hours required for graduation. Courses, themes, and residencies focus on leadership development.

The Executive MBA curriculum includes four required residencies: the GO! Week Residency; the Business of Policy: DC Immersion; the Leadership Residency; and the International Management Residency in Beijing and Shanghai.