Discussion Highlights from the Chancellor’s Leadership Forum

A highlight event of Founders Week 2006 was the Chancellor’s Forum on Leadership moderated by Janice Faulkner. Present at the March 30 event in Hendrix Theatre were 99 leaders, selected to represent the faculty, students, administration, staff, athletics and alumni of ECU, the Greenville and Pitt County community, the field of medicine and the military. Distinguished ECU alumni Ron Clark, Valeria Lovelace, Carol Mabe, and James Maynard participated in the forum and were asked to define leadership and the role of East Carolina University in developing leaders. Following are key points from their remarks.

1. Define Leadership.

James Maynard Leadership is articulating and defining a purpose or mission and then guiding an organization to accomplish it. There are no born leaders; it takes skills, attitude, and aptitude to develop these abilities. Oftentimes, greatness is thrust upon us in situations that cause leaders to emerge.

Carol Mabe As John Maxwell wrote in 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, leadership influence – nothing more, nothing less. Once you earn the respect and confidence of those around you, you earn their trust. A leader sees more, farther, and before others do.

Valeria Lovelace Characteristics of a good leader include commitment, energy, enthusiasm, vision, and willingness to change. A leader also is willing to hear the bad news. A leader brings together teams that bring out the best in individuals.

Ron Clark It’s hard to sit down when addressing a group. A leader has the ability to inspire others with passion. Energy is contagious when a group has similar goals.

2. How do you recognize leadership when you see it?

Carol Mabe Leaders are marked by enthusiasm, a sense of confidence, charisma, and passion. Leaders are results-driven – they plan and deliver results. Leaders have a strong belief in people – they surround themselves with great people and empower them.

Valeria Lovelace I interpreted this question a bit differently. A leader knows what the organization is about – he or she knows everyone from the secretary to the CEO. When’s there’s clarity, there’s a leader.

Ron Clark One person is never enough. A team that allows people to do the jobs they do best creates an effective structure.

James Maynard Leaders are enthusiastic and competitive; they like to win. Winners keep winning; leaders keep leading. You can recognize a leader by what he or she has accomplished. Leadership holds you accountable.

3. What did ECU do to help you become a leader?

Valeria Lovelace My freshman year at ECU was my first time away from home. Being a student required me to explore different ways of approaching things. I also met husband here, and we now have three sons. I returned to ECU as a Board of Trustees member. This experience gave me still another perspective: I saw the university in detail but also in its wholeness. I was inspired by Dr. Leo Jenkins and his vision, which had no boundaries. He taught me that even if it seems impossible, change can happen.

Ron Clark Being a Teaching Fellow lifted me up. I was surrounded by others with the same passion and energy. I liked living in the smaller residence halls because of the sense of community. Our residence hall president wasn’t doing anything, so we impeached him. I was elected president, and we got into the community and “adopted” a single mother and her five children.

James Maynard I also met my spouse here. My wife Connie has been training me to be a good husband for 46 years. You can get as great an education at ECU as you can anywhere. It will help to prepare for whatever you want to accomplish. While I was a student here, I realized that I could learn anything I wanted to, including how to use a library!

Carol Mabe I also met my husband of 35 years at ECU. While I was a student here, I learned to multi-task, manage time effectively, be adaptable and flexible, and to prioritize my goals. My competitive spirit deepened. I also was exposed to diversity and the warm and friendly culture of ECU.

4. What can ECU do to help prepare tomorrow’s leaders?

Ron Clark I was never taught some of the basics of leadership, like how to deal with negativity or how to run a meeting. A leadership class could address these kinds of issues and give students experience. Also, more global understanding and respect for other cultures needs to be built into every class.

James Maynard I have restaurants in Texas on the Mexican border. On both sides of the border, there is the same sun, the same earth, but the differences in success in the two places are due to leadership. Every student at ECU should be required to have a leadership role in some way, whether in the classroom or through an extra-curricula activity. But because of the positive culture at ECU, I know that I can hire the attitude and train the skills. Carol Mabe Leadership should be an everyday message and a lifelong learning process. We need to give kids a chance to gain experience. Faculty in every discipline should be encouraged to talk about leadership. Expose students to great leaders in classes and forums. Extra-curricular activities are critical. Team projects are exciting way to develop skills. Also, the focus must be global.

Valeria Lovelace Students must be prepared for global living. It’s no longer ECU versus Chapel Hill; now ECU is taking on the world! An example of this is Dr. Rosina Chia’s virtual international class. Our schools are not excelling in preparing our students for college. ECU must be competitive – an educational leader. In some ways, we’re more segregated now than in the sixties. We need to be sensitive and appreciate cultural differences. College can help break down the barriers of diversity. We need to get our own house in order and learn other languages instead of relying on interpreters, but psychology tells us that 75% of communication is non-verbal, so we must understand culture beyond language.

Consensus: Excellence in education is a requirement for successful leadership.