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Collegians Learning From Leaders: Former ServiceMaster CEO, Board Chairman Speaks On Leadership
5/28/2009
Learning Leadership--C. William “Bill” Pollard, right, a Lake Geneva summer resident and former chairman of the board and CEO of ServiceMaster Co., gave Aurora University students lessons in leadership recently. From left at George Williams College of AU in Williams Bay are AU students Christy Poli and Kim Herman; Bill Duncan, vice president, GWC; and Pollard. Pollard provided tuition and course materials through a generous endowment to AU.WILLIAMS BAY, Wis., – In an inaugural Servant Leadership program, 17 Aurora University business graduate students recently learned lessons from leaders who visited George Williams College in Williams Bay.
Visiting executives included the Servant Leadership program’s sponsor, C. William “Bill” Pollard of Wheaton, Ill.,, a Lake Geneva summer resident and former chairman of the board and CEO of ServiceMaster Co.; and Bob Phipps, a facilitator for The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.
In two earlier sessions at AU’s Aurora, Ill., campus, students met with leaders who included Dennis M. Hastert, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The session at GWC concluded the new course designed to discuss people-centered, ethical, moral leadership based in part upon Robert K. Greenleaf’s concept that leadership begins with the desire to serve, first and foremost, before conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.
The new course is among AU graduate courses offered in the areas of leadership, management and organizational development.
Servant Leadership students were selected from business, education and social work disciplines, based upon faculty recommendations and interviews. Candidates were invited to attend the interdisciplinary course held over three weekends on Friday nights and Saturdays. Tuition and course materials were provided through a generous endowment to Aurora University from Pollard.
Students praised the course. Dan Knapp of Aurora said, “The Servant-Leadership class, under guidance of Mary Tarling, was an insightful approach to practicing Aurora University’s mission involving inclusiveness. The class supported core Social Work values and ethics while supplementing Social Work education with an M.B.A perspective. The Servant-Leadership class allowed me to question diverse styles of leadership to continue developing values and techniques so I can grow as a person & leader in my community.”
Ernesto Cabezas of St. Charles, Ill. said, “I did not know about the concept of Servant Leadership until I took my MBA in Organizational Leadership concentration. The most valuable lesson I received from this course was to identify the capability of practicing stewardship within the business environment without discouraging profitability. The course was structured so that I was able to apply the concepts learned right from the get go to my professional and personal life. Aurora University has surpassed all my expectations with this course.”
Robert Sheets of Lake Geneva, Wis. said, “The course was an overview of defining what servant leadeship is all about. Graduate Students from Business, Social Work and Education dove into the makeup of a servant leader. We studied the characteristics of servant leaders in our three disciplines, contrasted and compared Servant Leaders versus other forms of leadership and applied those learnings to our individual disciplines. Guest speaker leaders described how they incorporated "Servant" into their leadership styles. Those speakers included leaders in education, business, social work, and government. Overall the course helped to identify ways in which leaders are most effective utilizing the methods of Servant Leadership in our careers and every day life.”
Author of the best-selling book, The Soul of the Firm, Pollard has contributed to other books and magazines including “The Heart of a Business Ethic,” “The Leader of the Firm,” “Leading People,” “The Quest for the Entrepreneurial Spirit” and “The Leader Who Serves.”
In addition to his work at ServiceMaster, Pollard served as a director of two public companies: Herman Miller, Inc. and UnumProvident Corporation. He also served as a director or trustee for educational, religious and nonprofits, including Wheaton College, The [Peter] Drucker Foundation and was chairman of the executive committee of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
The Greenleaf Center, founded by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1964, promotes the understanding and practice of servant leadership. The international non-profit holds conferences, publishes literature, sponsors speakers and seminars (its annual conference is in Milwaukee, June 10-13, 2009) and provides information and services for members.
For more information on GWC programs, call (262) 245-8564.
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