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ALUMNI WORKSHOPS JACK BOWSHER IN September, the Illinois Leadership Center was proud to host University of Illinois alumnus Jack Bowsher on campus to speak about rising to the executive ranks. Jack graduated from Illinois in accounting and obtained his MBA from the University of Chicago. He began his illustrious career with IBM as a sales trainee. He rose through the ranks to become the Director of Management Development, a position in which he was responsible for training over 400,000 employees while also managing a budget of $900 million. He later went on to author four books. With such an impressive resume, it was a great honor to hear Jack Bowsher speak. Jack stressed the importance of leadership skills, stating that they are imperative to achieving an executive position. “Leadership skills are required in EVERY organization,” stated Jack. He shared with the crowd his three-prong methodology for management that is essential in every organization: Vision. Goals. Strategy. Every single organization must have a vision. They must envision a future and maintain direction to drive forward and advance. But what is a vision? A vision is a picture of the future that evokes passion in an organization and, according to Jack, it is this passion that people want to follow. An organization that lacks a clear vision is like “a river without banks - it stagnates and goes anywhere or nowhere.” Is it enough to have a vision? Jack said no. Within this vision, there must be goals that an organization can rally around to achieve their vision. The achievement of an organization’s goals imply the accomplishment of the organization’s mission. Without these goals, no vision will be recognized. Lastly, Jack introduced the concept of a strong strategy. Within each goal, there must exist a strategy to accomplish the goal. This strategy may take weeks, months, or even years to accomplish, but persistence is key. The strategy must be “an embraceable strategy, not an impossible one.” This is the roadmap to accomplishing organizational goals. Upon firm execution of these three essential tools, one is equipped with the ability to contribute as a successful leader in an environment. At the conclusion of Jack Bowsher’s lecture, students were given the opportunity to ask questions. After the question and answer portion, a small post-presentation reception was held in which all guests were free to mingle with one another and Jack. It was a great pleasure to have the opportunity to bring back such a distinguished, successful leader. The Illinois Leadership Center appreciates Jack Bowsher’s time and willingness to return to Urbana-Champaign! 5
ALUMNI WORKSHOPS ALEX BRATTON Alex Bratton, CEO and Chief Greek of Lextech Global Services and University of Illinois alumnus, was welcomed back to campus to talk to students about technical leadership in March. Ever since he was young, Bratton has worked with technology and his understanding for technological knowledge has only grown since then. As CEO of Lextech Global Services, his company combines business and technology to solve problems through the development of apps and software. His company also aids a variety of groups from the military to farmers. Bratton is passionate about his company and shared his insights about the growing market of technology with students. He returned to campus to give University of Illinois students his “need-to-knows” of running a successful business. Bratton presented the idea that great teams start with great leadership. He spoke of what it meant to be a leader—such as: knowing when to say no, asking questions, starting simply, knowing one’s own strengths, and testing potential employees’ stress management under tight deadlines. He revealed that having the right team creates a better work environment. Alex Bratton also discussed the types of innovation that every company should have. He believes that companies should invest the most time into starting with core innovation in order to make the best products even better. He suggested that time should then be spent in adjacent innovation that involves reaching out to new customers with current products or creating new products for current customers. Lastly, he brought up the need for time in disruptive innovation,which is innovation in markets that do not yet exist. Because timing is everything, Alex shared how the best time to release a new product is when the public is ready. It’s important not only because technology is always changing, but also because of the current projects in the world of technology such as drones, commercial space flight, internet of things, digital manufacturing, and mobile apps. Since drones are among his favorite new technological advances, Alex showed a video taken by one of his drones of a pumpkin being dropped from one hundred and fifty feet up in the air. In addition, he revealed that Lextech isn’t all work and no play—employees enjoy riding scooters and go-carts around the office, as well as participating in the annual Halloween costume dress up. After the workshop, students were able to talk to Alex Bratton and the Director of Talent Acquisition, Chad Lilly, about employment at Lextech and ask further questions on any topics mentioned in the workshop. Our thanks goes out to Alex for coming back to campus to share his insights and knowledge with students wanting to learn more about technical leadership. 6
Page 1 and 2: ILLINOIS Leadership®Center
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS CAMPUS OUTREACH 3
Page 5: Leadership Campus Conversation Than
Page 9 and 10: LEADERSHIP LEGACY A CONVERSATION wi
Page 11 and 12: LOUIS BLANC SARA BRUMM Louis Blanc
Page 13: A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE Even thou

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