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March 9, 2004
Undergraduates Take Initiative at Leadership Conference
Students at the McCombs School of Business are proactive when it comes to their educational goals. The Undergraduate Business Council’s Leadership Conference, which was held on March 6, showcased this initiative on the part of the undergraduates.
Although the weather was distractingly sunny, over fifty student leaders and a number of administrators from the McCombs School spent the better part of their Saturday in the recesses of the State Capitol.
This location was selected to communicate the serious nature of the conference. “We are here,” said Nick Staha, BBA 04, in his introductory remarks at the conference, “because we want to make the next golden age of the McCombs School of Business, and every golden age is made by its leaders.”
Before the conferring began in earnest, students heard from Eric Webber, a vice-president and director of marketing at the Austin-based ad agency GSD&M. He contended that leadership entails flexibility and an individual style. “One thing most leadership programs don’t take into account is that leadership is a very fluid, flexible thing,” he said, adding that one should lead different people in different ways: “If you make everybody follow the same rules, you’re not going to get the best out of them.”
Consequently, Webber said, GSD&M only holds to a few fast rules: “You can’t smoke in the building unless your name is on the building, and no dogs until after 6 p.m.—again, unless your name is on the building.” Beyond that, their employees enjoy a maximal amount of freedom and are held to a high standard of personal responsibility.
Similarly, Webber felt that leaders should be flexible about their own personal leadership style, rather than following a stock set of leadership guidelines. When you emulate someone’s style, he said, “You don’t become a better you; you’re just a worse them.” This individualistic attitude had served him well, said Webber, citing a string of decisions that seemed foolhardy or reckless to others but had served the company well in the long run.
With these thoughts in mind, conference attendees went on two breakout sessions to discuss topics that concern students, such as advising, academics and careers, and suggest ways to improve the undergraduate educational experience at McCombs.
Students offered a range of suggestions, and were pleased with the administration’s answers. “Perhaps the most exciting and immediate response from the administrators was their announcement that they will begin having monthly sessions in the atrium, where students are free to stop by and discuss any concerns,” said Kate Nanney, BBA 07, a member of the conference committee.
“I was very excited to see changes being implemented before the conference had even ended. This accommodation on the part of the deans makes me feel the conference definitely accomplished its goal.”
For information on specific programs at the McCombs School, consult our contacts page. For media information, contact the Communications Director by phone at 512-471-3314 or by email at CommunicationsDirector@mccombs.utexas.edu.
