Business leader and chair to the SMU Board of Trustees Carl Sewell speaks to SMU students in the Hughes Trigg Forum about how they can improve SMU Wednesday evening during the Turner Leadership Forum. (Casey Lee)
Students gathered yesterday in the Hughes-Trigg Forum for President Turner’s Leadership Summit, featuring Carl Sewell, a prominent leader in the auto industry and the Dallas and SMU communities. Sewell was introduced by President Turner, spoke for 45 minutes, and closed with a question and answer opportunity. Student leaders from many organizations, including LEAD, the Hunt Scholars Program, and the President Scholars Program, were present at the Forum.
The summit consisted of Sewell giving his opinions of SMU and its progress from the point of view of a graduate with many familial ties to the school. He then turned to and then to leadership in general and how to make the best of a person’s potential to lead. He discussed the importance for students to take advantage of the many opportunities for involvement on campus, from holding officer positions in a club to being the student representative on the Board of Trustees. Sewell explained that the main goal should be to get involved, and to keep leadership options open. Next he recommended that students seek out leaders in whatever activities or communities they are involved in. One of his most salient points was that finding a mentor is one of the best things a budding leader can do for himself. His mentor, Stanley Marcus, founded Neiman Marcus and became one of Dallas’ most important leaders. Sewell reflected on the things he learned from Marcus, and on how his guidance helped when it came time to write a book on leadership and his own marketing theories.
Sewell concluded by defining leadership as “leadership is performance” and encouraged students to pursue their goals and remember that success in the hands of the hardest worker.
President Turner’s Leadership Summit will continue in November with guest speaker Ray Hunt of Hunt Oil and the Hunt Leadership Scholars program. The final date of the Forum will be announced in the coming week.
