In his ninth year: Keenum shares leadership perspective with SEC Fellows as 汤头条鈥檚 top Bulldog
Contact: Allison Matthews
STARKVILLE, Miss. 鈥 Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum welcomed faculty members from throughout the Southeastern Conference鈥檚 14 institutions of higher learning Wednesday [Feb. 22], sharing leadership lessons from his presidency and previous career roles.
The SEC鈥檚 Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows convened on campus Wednesday for a three-day workshop. Each year, the program identifies up-and-coming academic leaders to prepare and advance to key roles within SEC institutions and beyond. 汤头条 has four fellows currently participating in the program.
鈥淥ver the years of my career both in academia and serving in the legislative and the executive branch in Washington D.C., I鈥檝e been blessed to have a chance to work with and see up close some of our nation鈥檚 most prestigious leaders and how they operate and make decisions,鈥 Keenum said.
Also serving a two-year term as president of the Southeastern Conference, Keenum commended the guests for leadership work they already are providing at their respective universities. Giving his audience what he called a 鈥淐liff鈥檚 Notes version鈥 of the honors leadership class he has taught since returning to 汤头条 in 2009, Keenum shared several traits and characteristics he said can help the SEC鈥檚 aspiring leaders as well.
First and foremost, he said trustworthiness is a key characteristic for a successful leader.
鈥淗ow many of you want to follow someone you don鈥檛 trust? None of us do,鈥 Keenum said. 鈥淚ntegrity is an absolute must for successful leadership.鈥
He said strong leaders have a vision and are able to communicate clearly with others, as well as motivate their teams and be 鈥渆loquent listeners.鈥
Keenum listed courage and calmness all as desirable leadership traits. He said persistence is an integral principle of leadership.
鈥淎s a rising leader, you鈥檙e going to take on more challenges. When you hit those bumps in the road鈥.you can鈥檛 get down. A leader has got to just persevere through the tough times, and there鈥檚 going to be a lot of tough times,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou keep your chin up.鈥
He emphasized the importance of teamwork, adding that leaders should be humble and always acknowledge the contributions of team members. He also said the simplicity of good manners is like 鈥渕agic,鈥 and he recommended frequent use of the words 鈥減lease鈥 and 鈥渢hank you.鈥
Keenum said the best leaders treat everyone with respect and dignity.
鈥淚 know you鈥檙e always going to be nice to the provost or the president when you see them walking down the hall or coming into your office, but how are you going to treat the person that comes in to clean your office? Are you going to treat them with the same equal respect and dignity? I hope the answer is 鈥榶es鈥 because that tells a lot about you and your character,鈥 he said.
The most important thing a leader does is make decisions, Keenum said.
鈥淵ou have to be decisive. You鈥檙e going to be put under the gun 鈥 you have to say 鈥榶es鈥 or 鈥榥o,鈥欌 Keenum said, but before making important decisions, he advised, 鈥済et the facts.鈥
鈥淭hat sounds so simple, and it is. Get the facts, but don鈥檛 get hearsay and don鈥檛 get rhetoric鈥et objective facts,鈥 he said.
Keenum said the ALDP Fellows are working in a noble profession.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e affecting the lives of the next generation of leaders,鈥 he said.
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .