In October, ASSE hosted its annual Leadership Conference. The conference aims to equip society officers with the knowledge and skills they need to lead the member communities for which they have volunteered and been elected to serve. This year’s event was held at Hamburger University, the education and training center for McDonald’s Corp. in Oakbrook, IL. More than 224 ASSE leaders attended, including representatives from 101 chapters, nine sections, all four common interest groups and 18 practice specialties, as well as council vice presidents and board members.
Beyond learning about ASSE operations and various functions, attendees developed leadership skills and capabilities that transfer well to their career roles. They also heard a keynote speech by Sydney Finkelstein of Dartmouth Business School, who shared his research-based insights on leadership and how influence is best gained by mentoring and nurturing those around us, be they future professionals, current colleagues or other managers. Last year, keynote speaker Harry Kraemer, a business professor at Northwestern University and former CEO of Baxter Healthcare, spoke about principle-based leadership.