The National Society of Leadership and Success in conjunction with Career Services and Northwestern Mutual is hosting “Relevant Career Skills” featuring speaker Brett Andrews, Ph.D., dean of the Newman School of Business. The free event will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15, in the Dugan-Conference center.
The evening will begin with a networking mingle and is open to anyone interested in attending. Andrews will give his speech at 7 p.m. and a Q&A panel with Andrews and Alex Swainsbury, managing director of Northwestern Mutual, will conclude the event.
Important topics that will be covered at the event include finding a career that has meaning and fulfillment and developing important skills and practical steps to take in order to turn career dreams into a reality.
Andrews said, “These skills discussed at the event are more important now in 2017 than ever before. Most students communicate well in short, staccato statements because of texting, Snapchatting, etc. That is not the way business operates.
“In years past or even decades past when there was no instant communication technology, there was more of an emphasis on interpersonal interactions, so we took for granted those skill sets. Unless you develop the skill sets for interpersonal communication and drive that skill set to a higher level, you’ll find yourself unintentionally locked out from a higher career path that you want to be in.”
He further explained, “Liberal arts colleges like Newman University do a much better job of preparing students than state universities. But it is incumbent upon the student that they do their homework over the industry they want to be in to get a great internship or job after they graduate and try and discern which habits, attitudes and abilities are valued and therefore need to be brought to the table. It’s not nailed to the door; you have to do your own research. That fact has not changed in the past 100 years. Communication in technology is irrelevant when finding what your future employer values in potential candidates.”
James Leggett, the new president of the National Society of Leadership and Success executive committee, played a key role in putting on the event.
Leggett said normally events involve speakers that are video broadcast from New Jersey where a speech is given and question and answers are asked, so a live event like this is the first of its kind for the society.
“My vision is for students to learn about the things they may not know or understand just by going to class,” said Leggett. “What I’ve heard from a lot of those who’ve graduated is they find out there were things they were never told and never learned skills they really needed. I want to offer students the opportunity to learn information from credible sources that would allow them to know or learn these skills out there so when they graduate they can hit the ground running and be leaders in their industry.”
Leggett describes himself as a nontraditional student who has returned for education in a two-year respiratory program.
“In my generation,” said Leggett, “people would say, ‘Go get a book and read it.’ One of the best ways I find to reach folks in the millennial generation is to say, ‘Here’s what I learned and I want to share that with you so you can be better.’ That approach has been very well accepted so far.”
Leggett is already looking forward to the future where he wants to help put on more events like this.
“I would like to get as many of the departments involved as possible,” he said. “I want to find good voices for students to listen to so they can grow into better versions of themselves.”
Leggett is hoping students from all majors will attend the event.
