I would urge anyone not to be afraid to take chances. Be bold and step out of your comfort zone. The last five years of school have been some of the most turbulent in my life, yet I am grateful for the challenges along the way.
Because The School of Business aims to nurture connections and facilitate transformation, student input is often solicited to develop and improve various aspects of our Graduate Business Programs (GBP).
The focus on applied learning helped solidify concepts that I had only previously learned about in lectures or books. The faculty here really helped me build the skills I needed to be able to communicate with my managers or peers who don’t come from a finance background.
Nelson repeatedly spoke to the importance of education to her success. Growing up in a small Arkansas town, Nelson described how education exposed her to new people, ideas and beliefs. “Education was the window to the world,” she said. “It was the key.” Nelson explained that learning often requires discomfort, and so she challenged the audience to “push yourself out of your comfort zone.”
Redefining business means taking calculated risks in order to obtain a desirable outcome. Success requires risk-taking, but fully understanding and mitigating risk increases the likelihood of achievement. Thinking long-term and creatively are key to managing both risk and opportunity.
If future leaders are going to redefine business, they must prioritize ethical decision-making, appreciate financial risk, but respect consumer safety more. They must value trust and understand that it can’t be commodified. Moving forward, leaders must have the humility to know when they’ve failed, and the courage to admit responsibility when they do. Those are the risks worth taking.
By Catherine Parkay Last week, The Gunter Group joined a panel of management consultants to speak to a group of Portland State University business students. We owe much of our success to the encouragement of mentors over the years, so… Read More ›
