Jozie Nummi '11 

For the Love of Leadership

Some people enjoy knitting -- Jozie Nummi ’11 enjoys leadership training. “I like personal development -- striving to reach the next step,” says the junior global studies major and social justice and legal studies double minor. “Leadership training is collaborative and constructive.”

Last summer, Nummi was one of 50 students in the world selected to attend the prestigious Hesselbein Student Leadership Summit at the University of Pittsburgh. Throughout the four-day summit, students learned how to be effective, ethical, and innovative leaders and worked alongside distinguished mentors, including several corporate CEOs, nonprofit directors, and heads of government and the military.

Nummi picked up lots of tips, including these five basic questions through which leaders can effect change within their company:

1. What is the mission? “Every business should have a mission. It should be one sentence long that you can put on a T-shirt.”

2. Who is the customer? “Think about primary customers and supporting customers. In the case of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the primary customers would be the children, and the supporting customers would be their parents and family members.”

3. What do our customers value? “Know what your customer wants and provide the best service possible. One of our speakers was a recovering alcoholic who started an organization for the children of alcoholics. When she surveyed the children, she learned that what they valued most, despite field trips and playground equipment, were the counselors -- being able to talk to someone.”

4. Are we giving our customers what they want? “Take customer surveys. Look at the results. The results will tell you what corrections you need to make -- what programs to continue and what to abandon.”

5. What is our plan? “Change is spurred by asking these questions. Determine three to five goals. If you have too many, your focus is too widespread. Narrow it down and know exactly what you’re doing.”