Discussing business education at Kendall College

Learning the real skills needed for professional success is one of the best investments a pre-professional can make – whatever career the individual is preparing for.

On November 18, I was honored to participate in a discussion about this topic at Kendall College. Anthony Chirchirillo (one of my Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Chicago co-founders) and I were among seven participating entrepreneurs and leaders in business and government. Invited by Kendall contributing faculty member and HAE member Valerie Beck, we were delighted with both the discussion and a delectable breakfast (reflecting Kendall’s specialty in culinary arts).

We talked about the skills and attitude we are looking for in prospective hires, and how these matters could be integrated into classes in all subjects. For example, learning to use Excel could be included in math classes, and almost any subject could include learning how to create a PowerPoint presentation.

After our discussion, students were invited in to meet with us and ask questions. Valerie followed up with students with a summary including skills such as “lead from every seat,” “be able to tell a story,” “be present,” and “see what needs to be done and do it.”

Other discussion participants were Valerie Beck (Chocolate Uplift), Stephanie Neely (Allstate VP and treasurer, former Chicago city treasurer), Jacky Schiestel (Google HR), Barbara McIntyre (PWC finance and Kendall adjunct professor), Youssef Elyyadi (Vienna Beef, Kendall alum), and Virginia Kinnard Lionberger (VKL Consulting).

After the event, Valerie wrote to all of us, “Your valuable contributions and time are immensely appreciated, and it was wonderful to chat. The invited business students absolutely adored meeting you, and were grateful for the opportunity to practice networking and to hear some words of wisdom.”