– Michael Masser & Linda Creed (popularized by Whitney Houston)
Let’s gaze into the crystal ball.
Earlier today, I had a chance to look into the crystal ball and catch an early glimpse of tomorrow’s business leaders.
Wow…
I had the pleasure of joining fellow Epley Associates alumnus Eva Hornak in judging presentations delivered by students at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Grouped into teams, their assignment was to research and develop a new product or service for a real-world company that’s currently facing a market or business challenge. The groups chose Volkswagen, GameStop, Office Max and Barnes & Noble.
To put it mildly, I was flat-out blown away by the poise, creativity, business acumen and smarts displayed by the students. Their ideas were smart and well-researched (quite frankly, the ones for OfficeMax and B&N might be ready for prime time right now), and their preparation for and performance during their presentations were outstanding. It was the kind of work you’d expect from students in one of the top 10 MBA programs in the country.
Only they weren’t MBA students.
In talking after class with the teacher, Dr. Sharon MacMillen Cannon, associate professor of Management and Corporate Communication at the school, I was quite literally shocked to learn the students are, in fact, undergraduates (mostly juniors), many of whom are taking their first business classes. (No wonder they all looked so young…) As I told Dr. Cooper, these presentations were more professional, dynamic and downright enjoyable than scores of presentations I’ve suffered, errr, sat through by corporate wonks twice their age. Not only that, they handled Q&A in mock press conferences afterwards with confidence and ease (better than many senior executives we’ve taught in our spokesperson coaching sessions). And the questions they had to field about their ideas weren’t softballs either. Three journalism students on staff at The Daily Tar Heel served as chief questioners.
Much is made about the sad state of youth in our country today. That’s nothing new, of course. For example:
The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.
Sound familiar? It should. Socrates is credited with saying that nearly 2,500 years ago.
I don’t know about the youth in ancient Greece (maybe they were spoiled little brats), but I can say this: if what I saw today is any indication of the caliber of students in our colleges and universities these days, I can say without reservation both they and we as a country have a very bright future.
The great philosopher Socrates (aka, “The Dude”).
Indeed, it was a treat to see these young people. I was a bit envious to hear about what a valuable class they are experiencing so early. Echoing Roger’s thoughts, I know quite a few professionals today who don’t have the poise or the practice that these students did. Kudos to them and to Dr. Cannon for starting out on the right path.