Turning Today’s Students into Tomorrow’s Values-Driven Business Leaders

Viewpoint – Jerry Colangelo

[Editor’s note: Jerry Colangelo shares his views, written from thestandpoint of his association with Grand Canyon University, on a philosophythat successful leadership transcends the traditional “bottom line.”]

Last month, I was blessed to have my name attached to a new150,000-square-foot College of Business building at Grand CanyonUniversity. As I watched students file in and out of the state-of-the-artfacility, with its classrooms and laboratories that are molding bright mindsinto workplace-ready graduates and budding entrepreneurs, I couldn’t helpbut reflect on my own 50-plus-year career. Mostly, I thought about what ittook to get there.

When GCU asked me to serve on its board of directors in 2009 andas an adviser to the university’s athletics program and business collegea few years later, I eagerly accepted the invitation because I shared itsphilosophy of doing business the right way. Now, my most fervent hope isto instill these values in the next generation of business leaders.

What students learn in a textbook is important as they develop theskills and knowledge to address the demands of a contemporary businessenvironment. But being a brilliant entrepreneur, skilled accountant orsavvy marketer is only part of the recipe for being successful in business.The other part is serving a higher purpose and giving back to somethingbigger than yourself.

Values-driven business leaders inspire positive change in theirorganizations and impact society in unimaginable ways. Their approach iscontagious, because they encourage and motivate others along the way.For them, business transcends how they contribute to their companies toways they can make their communities better places to live and work.

These are leaders with strong character and integrity. They know theimportance of building and nurturing relationships, making their word theirbond and operating with the highest ethical standards. Most of all, theyhave an insatiable desire to use their skills in business as a force for good.

Grand Canyon University not only teaches those principles, it servesas Exhibit A in applying them in the real world. GCU’s growth in the past10 years has been remarkable, but it has used that growth to make hugeinvestments in its West Phoenix community. Through a $1.6 million safetyinitiative with the Phoenix Police Department, a free tutoring programthat is impacting underserved students at 130 inner-city K-12 schools, ascholarship program that has provided 300 scholarships in the last threeyears to kids whose families couldn’t afford college, a partnership withHabitat for Humanity to renovate 700 homes in the Canyon Corridor,and the creation of new businesses that employ residents in ourneighborhood, GCU is using its position as a major employer in Phoenix totransform the surrounding community.

It’s a concept called conscious capitalism, which involves using freeenterprise to not only create jobs and spur the economy, but also betterthe community in philanthropic ways and serve others. Our students in theColangelo College of Business are proud to be part of an institution whereconscious capitalism is in our DNA.

Make no mistake: Servant leadership doesn’t mean taking your eye offthe ball or apologizing for energetically delivering on a company’s bottomline. There’s a sense of accomplishment that comes from setting goals,formulating a plan and then bringing that plan to life.

But there’s something to be said for taking a values-driven approach tobusiness that also serves the community around you. As I visit classroomsand impart my knowledge to GCU students, I emphasize that thoseprinciples are also a big part of their education.

Jerry Colangelo is an international sports and business icon and thenamesake of Grand Canyon University’s Colangelo College of Business.