Tom Ross.
Thank you, Chancellor, for your kind introduction. President Bowles, Chairman Hassenfelt, Chancellor Sullivan, distinguished members of the Platform Party, faculty, degree candidates and guests, I begin by thanking the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Chancellor Sullivan, the Board of Trustees, and the faculty for today awarding me an honorary degree. Those who knew me when I was growing up a few blocks from the UNCG campus would certainly have never seen this day coming.
I appreciate this honor more than you can know and more than I can adequately express. To receive an honorary degree is amazing for someone like me, but to receive it from an institution that knows me so well and that I regard so highly is special indeed.
Then, on top of this wonderful recognition, to be asked to deliver the principal remarks at the last official commencement of the person I have often been heard to call the best chancellor in North Carolina is truly a marvelous privilege.
Someone from the Chancellor’s office called my office in Davidson several weeks ago wanting to know the title of my remarks. Of course, as most in higher education might expect, particularly students, I had not started to write my remarks. Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow or, what the heck, until the deadline? Actually, even though I had not begun to write I had been thinking for a long time before that call came about this ceremony and what an extraordinary occasion it is.
After 13 years of leading this remarkable place, Chancellor Pat Sullivan is going to retire soon. It is hard for many of us to believe. Chancellor Sullivan has become so closely identified with UNCG we cannot imagine this institution without her at the helm. In reflecting on the Chancellor’s tenure and my years of working with, actually for, her, numerous adjectives have come immediately to mind that capture Pat Sullivan
• enthusiastic (I can still see her campaigning in the grocery store for the University bond issues);
• committed (demonstrated most obviously and recently by her willingness to delay her retirement so she could work to bring UNCG’s Students First Campaign across the finish line);
• visionary (witness her ability to see UNCG’s future quickly and clearly when she arrived in 1995 and to then develop and implement a plan that transformed the institution in many ways);
• encouraging (how can you doubt this one if you have ever received one of her celebrated personal notes, which of course everyone has because she has sent so many);
• collaborative (best exemplified by her reaching out to NC A&T to build a relationship that now includes the Gateway Research Park and the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering);
• courageous; compassionate; inspirational; supportive; caring; interested; honest; passionate;
I could go on and on. But, there is another word that describes Pat Sullivan. And it is this word I want to talk with you about today – the word is leader. Chancellor Sullivan has been one of the strongest, most effective and successful leaders I have ever known.
Now, what makes one a “Pat Sullivan” type of leader? “Leader” is a word we toss around frequently when we are talking about formal positions. If one is CEO of a business, president of a community organization, captain of an athletic team, chair of a church committee or holder of an elective office, we call that person a “leader” -- even though we all know the word fits some of them some of the time, but never all of them all of the time.
To me leadership is about a lot more than a position. Some say leaders are born, not developed – that leadership is natural for those destined to lead. I simply do not think people are natural-born leaders. I truly believe all of us can become strong, effective leaders. So, seniors, as you stand on the threshold of new adventures, you might fairly ask, what the path to leadership is. Let me share with you in our few minutes together six principles of effective and positive leadership. Follow these principles and I suggest each of you can, in your own distinctive way, become “Pat Sullivan” type leaders. `
Principle number one – Know yourself. To be an effective leader I believe you must first spend some time understanding who you are and what you bring to the table. Evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses; identify your skills, abilities and interests; discern your passions; reflect on your own behavior; seek feedback from others; accept guidance and supervision; and learn from experiences. Your self-evaluation must be constant and ongoing, and you must be open to changing and improving yourself as a result of what you discover.
Effective leaders know they have not learned all they need to know – they are people who understand the value of constant inquiry, of challenging assumptions and of thinking critically about solutions to whatever dilemmas they face. Take from your education here at UNCG the awareness that the more you know, the more you know what you don’t know. In short, effective leaders appraise their strengths, acknowledge their weaknesses, work to improve their abilities and strive to absorb new knowledge with an open mind.
In addition, effective leaders tend to be people who communicate well – people who can write logically and forcefully; articulate their views clearly; listen constantly, intently and respectfully (perhaps the most important communication skill); and understand and adapt to different contexts and audiences as they find them. These are abilities upon which we each of us can improve. It takes intentional commitment to do so. To be an effective leader, you must know yourself.
Principle two – Care for yourself. Effective leaders understand the need for balance in their lives. They know that physical exercise and good health enhance mental agility and alertness; that serving others augments emotional health; that learning and leisure are both vital to success; and that effective management of one’s time is perhaps the most important and challenging lifestyle issue to be faced. We hear often about the need to feed our souls. There are books and more books on how to create balance in our lives and maximize effectiveness – not efficiency, but effectiveness. Strong, successful leaders not only pay attention to the importance of a life in balance, they work to achieve it. They understand they must be able to manage themselves before they can manage others. To be an effective leader you must care for yourself.
Principle three – Clarify your values. The most effective leaders I know have a personal belief system that requires them to care about more than just themselves. They have clearly defined values that require honest and straightforward dealings on each and every occasion; they understand the relationship between individual action and its intended and unintended effects on society; and they challenge the unfair, unjust and uncivil behavior of others. Leading with integrity and honor is at the center of successful leadership. You cannot command the respect necessary to lead unless you maintain your credibility and nothing is more important to your credibility than trust. People must believe in you and trust your motives if they are to be expected to follow the direction you propose. To be an effective leader you must clarify your values, embracing honor and caring deeply and passionately about the common good.
Principle four – Appreciate and embrace difference. Everyone is different. Some of us are tall, some short; some are Catholic, Jewish, or Baptist, others are from other faiths or no faith at all; some are black, some are Asian, some are white or Native American; some were born in the US, others come from lands and cultures across the globe; some are athletic, others are not; some are conservative, others liberal, and some are young and the rest of us are not. The best leaders are those who not only understand and respect, but cherish and celebrate the differences that exist among those they lead as they steer them toward common goals and directions.
To prepare for this task, the best leaders I have known intentionally spend time with a variety of people working in a variety of endeavors. It is this time that teaches and informs understanding of others. To be an effective leader you must appreciate, embrace and cherish difference.
Principle five - Seek Talent. Great leaders surround themselves with talented people. Leaders who are confident in their own ability to lead and who want the best outcomes, relish the opportunity to consult with talented people who challenge their thinking and offer contrary opinions. Such leaders are inclusive in their approach and able to share power and credit as long as the best result is obtained. They consult with others, seeking their ideas and input about actions, priorities and choices. Including those you lead in the formulation of strategies, directions and goals will invite shared responsibility for the direction you develop together. In fact, the best leaders are even willing and able, in the right situation, to follow those they lead.
Robert Greenleaf, who founded the Center for Applied Ethics in Indiana and spent much of his retirement studying and writing about leadership, said once that “the only test of leadership is that somebody follows.” I agree with Greenleaf only if the “somebody” being led isn’t just a follower, but is instead a person with his own mind, ideas and thoughts who has potential himself to lead. An effective and positive leader seeks the ideas and opinions of those with talent.
Principle six – Take a risk. The diploma you receive today represents a level of intellectual growth and achievement reached by only a few in our world. In America in 2007 the percentage of all Americans who have obtained a bachelor's degree from a four-year institution of higher education reached 29%. Internationally, the percentage of people with such degrees is far lower than in this country with only 26% receiving any education beyond high school. I mention these statistics only to highlight the all too rare, but significant nature of your accomplishment and your opportunity. You are better prepared for the diverse, changing, global world of tomorrow than most of the other people in the world today. You have what it takes to be competitive and you are positioned to do well.
In a famous book it is said that “to whomsoever much is given, much is required.” You are not only in a position to do well; you are in a position to do good. You have what it takes to make a difference. You can be a leader, an effective and positive leader for the good of others and for society. From my remarks today, you now know what I think it takes to become an effective and positive leader: Know yourself. Take care of yourself. Clarify your values. Embrace differences. Seek talent and take risks.
What remains is for you to decide whether you will do more than just live your life. You must decide if you will lead. You must decide if you will take a risk and, when the chance arises, accept the challenge of leadership. You can start small or large. Whether it is at your workplace, in the community, in your place of worship or among your friends, you will have opportunities to lead. You will have plenty of chances. You must decide whether to continue to prepare yourself to be a leader; you must decide if you will seize the opportunity when it arises. You can do it. You have what it takes to lead. You just have to be willing to try, willing to risk it.
As you leave here today to begin the next phase of your life, use as your exemplar the leadership that Chancellor Pat Sullivan has provided to your University over the past 13 years and to you over the last four or so years; recall her sacrifices, the risks she has taken, the time she has committed, the energy she has given and the amazing, transforming difference she has made. Recognize how much she has given to you and to all of us. Model yourself after her. Be what Chancellor Pat Sullivan is – an effective, positive leader. She chooses to do so much more than just live. She seizes the opportunity to make a difference, to serve and to lead for the common good. So today, as you accept the diploma you have worked these years to earn, I urge you to hear these words if you hear no others today - Don’t just live, lead. Don’t just live. Lead. The world needs you to lead. Thank you!
