MAKE YOUR LIFE'S WORK SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE IN, KELLER TELLS GRADUATES Under sunny skies, the next generation of business leaders received degrees and embarked on the next stage of their careers at convocation June 15. Keynote speaker Dennis Keller, ’68, sent graduates on their way with advice on how to lead in a fast-paced, rapidly changing global society. “We’re living in a highly complex society. The economic, political, and societal rules are rapidly changing. Financial markets function globally and are more diverse than ever. As managers, you’ll have to make critical decisions more frequently and you’ll have less time in which to make them."What does it take to lead in such times?” Keller asked–then offered some basic answers. “Play to your strengths. Identify aspects of leadership in which you excel and which come naturally to you,” and rely on them, he advised. If certain important qualities are not among your strengths, “Surround yourself with wonderful people who complement your strengths. “Playing to your strengths also means listening to your heart about what you really want to do and arranging your life’s work in a field that you enjoy and believe in,” Keller added. The chairman and chief executive officer of DeVry Inc. has done just that. While a student at the GSB, he drafted the business plan for what became his life’s work: using private investment capital to expand the availability of education. “Today I am happily involved in a calling that I find deeply satisfying on both a professional and a personal level. My wish for this graduating class is that you will all have similar good fortune.” Keller advocated a “servant as leader” model of leadership. “In this vision of leadership, the leader looks to the needs of the group before looking to her own, and thinks constantly about ways to improve group and individual performance. Helping those who follow us reach their full potential is the most important and difficult job we will ever face.” Likewise, he urged graduates to take time to give of themselves to others outside of their families and workplaces. To achieve greatest happiness, “it’s important to keep a few lines out in altruistic endeavors–on helping others beyond your family, friends, and colleagues, just because you want to help them. “On this day of commencement, reserve a moment to appreciate how far you’ve been able to come. Then reserve another to make a commitment to a future of promise and reward that extends beyond yourself to others.”     E-Mail GSB Chicago - Front Page - GSB Home - Current Issue -Archive