Note from the Dean

Janita Rawls, Dean of the School of Business

As I conclude my last semester as FPU’s founding dean of the School of Business, I won’t give a last lecture, but I will share some thoughts on leadership.

First off, leadership can be practiced from anywhere within the organization. Whether you have a title that reflects a leadership position or not, you can still be a leader if you listen and learn from others. This has been said many times before, but I really want you to hear the impact of this statement.

This leads me to my second point, which is how leadership affects others. In our organizational roles, we constantly have an impact on others, either positive or negative. The question will be how we want to impact those around us. Taken together these two thoughts on leadership make a statement on how we should treat each other within an organization.

Some other important points I would like to share are:

1. Know your core. What are those things that are critical to you, that energize you and focus you? Draw upon these to plan strategy and energize yourself.

2. Be mentally agile. One moment you will have someone crying in your office, the next you will be speaking in front of a group. Compartmentalize your emotions if you must, but go back and visit those compartments.

3. Listen and take time for others. People want to be heard. This requires you to be still in an ever-changing and dynamic world.

4. Don’t be afraid of problems, often those are all you have in your day. Be a creative problem solver and deal with interpersonal conflict immediately.

5. Develop and care for those around you—whomever they are. Also allow yourself the time to develop and grow.

6. Most important, have fun, laugh when you can. Life is too short!

Best wishes to you, our alums, as you build your careers and lead your organizations!