A “VIP leadership event” called “Titans Lead, Leaders for Our Community” was hosted at UW-Oshkosh Feb. 12, bringing three speakers who shared their leadership experiences with students at the Culver Family Welcome Center.
“It’s very important to understand that leadership doesn’t mean having it all figured out,” Holly Brenner, senior vice president of strategic development and marketing at C.D. Smith Construction and on board chair of the UW-Oshkosh Foundation, said.
The event served as a networking space for attendees and featured a panel discussion about leadership with Brenner, Dr. Ashok Rai, a member of Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents, the president and CEO at Prevea Health and John Matz, Winnebago County sheriff.
Rai said that students should get out of their comfort zone to build the “diversity of opinions” and “diversity of experience.”
“My biggest recommendation for all of you is to find something completely outside of your comfort zone and go experience it,” he said. “This is your chance to get exposed to so many things and so many different types of people. This is the time to really get to know people that are different than you (and) get to experience things that you would never have.”
John Matz said it is important to practice the “art of leadership” in anything a student might be participating in.
“Leadership is a lot about manipulation as well, in a good way, not in a bad way,” he said. “It’s getting them (people) toward that common goal … if it’s a study group, practice being a leader of that study group and they won’t even recognize you are doing it, but you are able to influence everybody within that group.”
Brenner said she would tell her younger self to learn from every person and to enjoy the journey.
“I would tell myself that careers aren’t ladders, they are Jungle Jim’s and that progress isn’t linear,” she said. “You can learn at every stop and you should and from every person regardless of their station and your station. I would say that relationships matter maybe more than results, at least as much as results.”
To attend the event, students had to be nominated by a faculty or staff member at the university.
Mike Lueder, the director of the Center for Civic and Community Engagement, said the event was ultimately open to everyone, but the purpose of the VIP invitations was to bring students who are in leadership positions.
“There is a very intentional idea behind that … to draw in those folks who are in leadership positions whether they think they are or not,” Lueder said. “So, I wanted the other faculty and staff at the university to identify the leaders for me, so I could message them.”
Arianna Jensen, a UWO sophomore who double majors in criminal justice and psychology and also pursues a minor in social justice, said the knowledge she learned from the speakers, she will use in coaching at a volleyball club “Valley Velocity.”
“I learned a lot about the best way to work with colleagues and how to create a good, like, teamwork space,” she said.
Jensen said that she recommends students to attend such events because they are free and provide knowledge from professionals.
“Definitely go to these things that campus offers,” she said. “They are free. You don’t have to pay. You can get free insight from professionals, and it’s just a good resource.”
UWO Chancellor Manohar Singh said that for students who attended the event, it is only the first step in their dedication to change the world.
“Know that this is a beginning of your commitment to changing the world … once you graduate, you commit yourself to being the leader, so that the next generations are inspired by you,” he said.
“Titans Lead, Leaders for Our Community” was sponsored by the Center for Civic and Community Engagement and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.
