OCOB Ann Rep 07-08 - Orfalea College of Business - Cal Poly San ...

COMMUNITYLeadership and the Dean’s Advisory CouncilBY RUSH HILL, ARCHITECTDEAN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL CHAIRGreetings to ouralumni, alumniparents, friendsand all others thathave an interest inthe ever-growingsuccess of Cal Polygraduates. It’sRush Hill Homecoming time,and the emphasisfor our year at the Orfalea College ofBusiness is on leadership!Leadership – we preach it, weteach it and we practice it. So, youmight ask:■ How do we define leadership?■ Why is the concept of leadershipimportant to the studentsof Cal Poly’s Orfalea Collegeof Business?■ What role can the Dean’sAdvisory Council take to furtherthe benefit to our graduateswho are transitioning to theworld of work with outstandingleadership qualities?If quizzed, I am sure we wouldall come up with a different definitionof leadership. Many would includewords or phrases like motivating,coaching, building spirit, and beinga team member. Some might identifyleaders as individuals who stepin to serve without being asked. Or,individuals who are not waiting butoffering – someone who movesforward while motivating othersto follow.I personally believe that a trueleader has the ability to build consensus,remain focused and alwayshas a vision. Most importantly, aleader has the ability to communicatewith conviction and confidence.Fulfilling our slogan, “Thebrightest minds make the bestcompany,” gives us the responsibilityto not just graduate learnedindividuals, but equally importantly,to provide society with tomorrow’sleaders. It is important that ourgraduates compete in the job marketnot only with knowledge but alsowith leadership skills.What we all can agree upon isthat leadership development is notan event or a single academic class.It is a process of developing listeningand coaching skills over time, inaddition to gaining a knowledgebase augmented with experienceand confidence. In Cal Poly terms,it’s a combination of going to classto learn a subject well and participatingin organizing workshops andpanels in our areas of concentration,serving on campus committees andboards, and other similar activities –all with the benefit of exposingyourself to a real-world environment –important by-products of the learnby-doingprocess.One of the best examples inthe Orfalea College of Business of“Leaders-in-Training” is our StudentFulfilling our slogan, “Thebrightest minds make the bestcompany,” gives us theresponsibility to not justgraduate learned individuals,but equally importantly, toprovide society with tomorrow’sleaders. It is important that ourgraduates compete in the jobmarket not only with knowledgebut also with leadership skills.Ambassador program. By representingthe Orfalea College of Business whileat Poly, our Student Ambassadorsmeet top-level executives fromacross the nation, welcome back tothe campus successful alumni, serveas the liaison between Dean DaveChristy and the general businessstudent population, and work oncommunity service projects, all whiledeveloping leadership skills. It isthis kind of Cal Poly program thatprovides our graduates with theupper hand in competing in the jobmarket after graduating.An important task this year ofthe Dean’s Advisory Council is toprovide the leadership role to aneven broader geographic and industrybase to continue to expand theawareness of the capabilities of ourgraduates. Over the past two years,we have led in the effort to redefineour branding and focus our messageto two of our many audiences:students and parents. Now we aretaking a leadership role in developinga focused message to businessand industry that can benefit fromthe leadership and knowledge skillsof our graduates.While Cal Poly’s Orfalea Collegeof Business is the major employeesource for several of California’sleading companies, there are stillcorporations and entrepreneurialenterprises that are not aware of thestrengths of our graduates. OurDean’s Advisory Council will provideleadership this year to expand evenfurther employment opportunities forour graduates while simultaneouslydeveloping even stronger ties to theindustries our students desire to join.By bringing our combined leadershipskills to the table in support ofCal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business,we are provided the opportunityto practice what we preach. Together,we do make a difference.48 ❚ ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08