Troy leader speaks to chamber

Dr. Jack Hawkins, chancellor of Troy University, spoke about leadership and how to lead in a global economy at the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce luncheon on April 9.

Hawkins, the second-longest tenured leader of a university in the country, said while America is divided, strong leadership can turn it around in this era of “unprecedented change.”

The world, and the economy, have changed throughout the decades, Hawkins said. In 1987, Hawkins remembers perusing a pamphlet that lambasted the Souths, calling it the country’s greatest economic problem.

The South is certainly in a much different position more than 30 years later, Hawkins said.

Speaking of Alabama and the high number of automobile manufacturers in the state, Hawkins said the state has become known nationwide for its work in that industry.

“We’re known as the Detroit of the South,” Hawkins said.

In 1989, when Hawkins took the head job at Troy, the school had 40 international students on 26 military bases in 10 countries in Europe. Over time, that evolved as the school shifted toward countries such as Japan, Korea, China and Malaysia. The school was the first in the country to offer a bachelor’s degree in Vietnam, beginning in 2008, and now has 1,000 graduates living there, Hawkins said. There are now 85 languages spoken on Troy’s campus, Hawkins said, and the school last year sent 22 student delegations to 17 countries as part of the school’s study abroad program.

“Their lives will be changed,” Hawkins said.

Speaking to the group of business leaders, Hawkins said life is about relationships, not just financial portfolios.

After speaking about the ever-changing nature of business in the wake of globalization, Hawkins spoke shortly about leadership, teaching by using the letters from the word, “lead.”

First, Hawkins said leaders should “lead from the front.”

“Don’t ask anyone to do what you’re not willing to do,” Hawkins said. “And remember that leadership is not about a parking space closest to the building or a bigger office or a title. It’s about the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those who you are there to serve.”

Hawkins then told the crowd to lead by example, to put their integrity first.

Hawkins quoted Chick-Fil-A founder Truett Cathy, who once told Congress he couldn’t speak to them about business ethics, but would be glad to tell them about personal ethics. In Cathy’s view, there was no difference between the two.

Next, Hawkins said leaders should have the right attitude. He said most people in America lose their jobs, not because they can’t do it, but because of their poor attitude.

Lastly, Hawkins told the crowd they must have direction, quoting Proverbs 29:18, which reads, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Hawkins told the story of Walt Disney developing the idea of Disney World in Orlando, and how he passed away before it opened. At the groundbreaking, a relative said they wished he had been able to see it. Walt’s older brother Roy Disney said he did, because he had the vision to plan for the future.

Hawkins asked the crowd to remember why they were in business in the first place.

“What do you stand for, and what do you stand on?” Hawkins said.