“Remember when people used to say boss when they were describing something really cool?... Now boss is just slang for ‘jerk in charge’.”
These are the wise words of fictional character Michael Scott from NBC’s “The Office” that he uses to describe his position in the workplace. While some people may believe his definition of the word “boss” holds true for a particular few, it doesn’t always have to be the case.
In his lecture, “How to lead…without being a jerk," Doug Smith, '68 gave his take on how to avoid being a “bosshole” and thrive as a leader. The lecture was held in Julian this past Tuesday.
"I walked away with the knowledge that at the intersection of a person's passion and their relationships exists a place where someone can arrive to find more work, more joy and more happiness than anywhere else," senior Isaac Seppel said.
Smith has been known for the Happiness course that he teaches every January, in which many of the seniors in attendance on Tuesday had taken at some point in their DePauw University career.
“His lecture on leadership was energizing. There were some parallels from the Happiness class, which was a nice refresher,” said senior Maggie Anderson. “One of my favorite quotes he frequently says is, ‘Seek to understand, then be understood.' That quote has stuck with me…and I believe it’s relevant in all social interaction.”
Social interaction was one of the many points Smith touched on during his lecture, but one subject he found himself frequently returning to was the future.
“Leaders are obsessed with the future [when it comes to] something they want to change or make better as a result of their hard work,” said Smith. “They need to figure out how to bend the future to their desire.”
For Smith, DePauw represents the perfect building blocks to becoming a young leader.
“Really good leaders draw so many different stories,” said Smith. “[A] liberal-arts education exposes you to so many of those things.”
For those unable to attend, here are some takeaways from the lecture:
Definition of leadership: Humans have an inate capacity to dream, think, learn and most importantly, ACT in a collective, cohesive, integrated manner to achieve almost anything they can conceive. Leadership is the act of enabling (not controlling) this capacity.
Four fundamental steps of becoming a leader:
- Visionè of where this business or corporation is going to go 4-5 years from now; ought to be better and different from today.
- Realityè what exists today: physical plan. Leaders can get really excited about tomorrow but know there are things to deal with today.
- Pathwaysè Strategies, measures, etc.
- Engagementè Point that deals with relationships. How do I get everybody to see their role of bringing it all about?