Inspiring future leaders
Stories of passion, struggle and success were shared with 350 New Zealand secondary school students at Inspire 2013 – a unique collaboration between a university, a not-for profit organisation and a company to recognise and inspire the leaders of tomorrow.
The event on July 12 was hosted by AUT Business School and organised by Fuji Xerox with support from the Sir Peter Blake Trust as part of Leadership Week. AUT Faculty of Business and Law also hosted Shadow a Leader day on July 10 which enabled 100 students to experience a day in the life of 50 of New Zealand’s top business leaders.
Eight leaders highly respected in their fields revealed the tactics they used to reach their goals: National Business Review owner Todd Scott, Olympic triathlete Hamish Carter, Auckland Grammar School headmaster Tim O’Connor, Christchurch Student Volunteer Army founder Sam Johnson, adventurer Mike Allsop, boxer Billy Graham, AUT Bachelor of Business (Honours) student Afra Abdeen and AUT PhD business student Nimbus Stanilad.
Carter said: “Focus on the things you can control – for me this was the difference between Sydney and Athens. In Sydney I thought, ‘I really want to win this race’. In Athens I thought, ‘I don’t know if I can win but what can I do?’ I suddenly had clarity again. It wasn’t about winning – it was about applying myself better than anyone else.
“Whether it’s in business or music or whatever you set out to do, apply yourself and learn along the way.”
Abdeen is the outgoing president of the AUT branch of Enactus, a global network using corporate power to bring positive change. The AUT students are about to launch a project to help refugees set up their own social enterprises selling lunches to company workers.
She said: “A lot of people we heard from today are awesome but they all started somewhere. They made the most of opportunities that presented themselves. Leadership is something that a lot of people think is beyond them but it’s something we’re all capable of – just begin in the right place and have the right people around you.”
AUT’s Business Relations Director Sarah Trotman said: “AUT Business School has been involved in nine Leadership Week events because we feel that leadership is an important part of the education experience. These events all reflect the School’s deep relationship with business.”
For more information please contact Esther Harward, AUT Communications Manager, phone 09 912 9688 / 021 632 309 or email eharward@aut.ac.nz