On Wednesday, August 20, the School of Business welcomed distinguished business leader Rosalind Brewer to speak to graduate program students, faculty, staff and guests. Rosalind, better known as Roz, is the president and CEO of Sam’s Club and served as the keynote speaker for the new academic year for the business school.
Ms. Brewer’s keynote address offered many insights regarding leadership. Essential in her talk were five keys towards development as a leader and a person:
1. Set Big Goals
- Set a goal that stretches you and work hard to achieve it
- Once you achieve a goal, set the bar a little higher and get to work
- Keep repeating the process
- Hard work is a major key to success
2. Make Yourself Visible
- Do what is right (live and lead with integrity—this is your brand–trust)
- Be prepared for responsibilities and events
- Continuously learn new skills and functions of the business (self-development)
- Anticipate future needs of the company and acquire skills today
- Seek out mentors to further your development—you own this relationship
- Bring everyone into the conversation
- Ask the right questions and bring tough issues into the conversation
3. Work with a Purpose
- Find a job that allows you to use your skills and contribute to higher purpose
- Serve humanity in some fashion
- Seek opportunities that will allow you to grow and learn new skills
- Invest to build relationships
4. Bring Your Whole Self to Work
- Be authentic—know yourself and what you stand for (values)—live and lead accordingly
- Be the same person at work as you are at home (integrity)
- Share your story with your employees so they get to know you
- Show people opportunities, show them growth
- Be humble
5. Be Agile
- Anticipate future trends
- Be open to and embrace change
- Be a continuous learner
- Seize challenges to continue your growth
With a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spelman College, Roz began her career as a scientist, developing products for Kimberly-Clark. She joined Walmart in 2006 as regional vice president and became president and CEO of Sam’s Club in 2012. Ms. Brewer oversees more than 110,000 employees and reported fiscal 2013 revenues of $56 billion for the company.
The full video of Ms. Brewer’s keynote address can be found here: