President Barack Obama mentioned in the State of the Union address on Tuesday that Americans are lacking the skills that employers are looking for. One quality skill that is important is leadership.
The second annual Learning To Lead Seminar is a speaker series that is geared towards sophomores and juniors according to Darren Grant, Ph.D, associate professor of economics in the College of Business Administration. The seminar was the brainchild of Grant, who worked in collaboration with the Career Services and the SHSU Veterans Resource Center to host the event
The main purpose was to bring speakers from civic, business and military backgrounds to share with the audience.
"We have diverse perspectives on leadership and yet there are certain common themes," Grant said.
The speakers in this year's seminar were Stanley Kelley, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Clyde Loll, Vice President of Nabors Oil and Gas in Houston and Lieutenant Colonel David Yebra, chair of the Department of Military Sciences.
Kelley shared that a leader needs confidence to provide stability and trust. He told about how he was an introvert for much of his life and overcame it by getting involved with the agriculture and livestock.
From a young age, Loll learned about discipline and leadership through his upbringing on a farm. He shared how he woke up at 5 a.m. every day to milk the cows and in the process learned about hard work and dedication.
He attended Sam Houston State and majored in kinesiology. After graduating, he became a coach at a high school in north Texas, but realized that it wasn't for him after leading the football team to a 4-6 record three years in a row.
From that moment, he decided to go into the business world and found success. He now oversees 26,000 employees that spans across the globe.
"To be a leader, it takes discipline, commitment and dedication to the people that you are in contact with every day," Loll said. "You have to be prepared and adapt to a changing world and culture."
That can be said about Lt. Colonel Yebra who served 21 years in the military including three tours of duty in the Middle East.
He shared about how employers are looking for candidates who will persevere and can bounce back after mistakes.
"You have to be passionate about what you do because it will help you overcome all the adversity that comes your way," Yebra said.
Those in attendance got great insight into the current job market and what employers want.
"It was very interesting," junior marketing major Julie Manelas said. "I learned a lot about leadership from different perspectives. "I can take this with me when I am looking for a job."
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