Paul College students Charles Carter, Jill Durkin, Allie MacPhee, Brandi McKay, Ben Patt, Johanna Rewucki

 

“Authentic Leadership: What’s Gender Got to Do With It?!”  

Students Charles Carter, Jill Durkin, Allie MacPhee, Brandi McKay, Ben Patt, and Johanna Rewucki of Paul College answered this question through their case presentation at the International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition (IBESCC) last month at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles.  

International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition (IBESCC)

The IBESCC tasked teams with creating and delivering a business case addressing one of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Paul College team based their case on the real-life example of Bangor Savings Bank, addressing the UN Goal that flags the proportion of women in upper management. Bangor Savings Bank (BSB) is preparing for internal training on diversity and inclusion, which builds on its 2018 company-wide Green Dot bystander training, and acknowledges persistent gender disparities in senior level management, mirroring a nationwide pattern. Three times throughout the semester, upper-level managers from BSB traveled to Paul College to meet with students, who provided briefings about authentic leadership, emotional intelligence (EQ), and business ethics, noting crucial links between diversity, gender, and innovation. 

Students recommended an executive level leadership development program that fosters authentic leadership by strengthening the development of EQ.  Their solution brings together improvisation approaches, which engage the limbic brain – the seat of emotions, with education about the ways gender culture limits the development of EQ. 

University Research Conference (URC) & Ongoing Projects
Upon their return, the team presented a version of their project, “Authentic Leadership: What’s Diversity Got to Do With It?!” at the URC, receiving the Award of Excellence.  In July the team will provide an extended presentation in an all-day improv format to a group of twelve Bangor Savings Bank professionals at Paul College.

Congratulations!
Within an IBESCC field of 30 teams from five countries, our students represented Paul College extraordinarily well in its first year participating in this event, receiving enthusiastic feedback as well as offers of future collaboration on their program. Congratulations to Charles, Jill, Allie, Brandi, Ben, and Johanna for their creativity, hard work, and success!  

Faculty Mentor: Betty Woodman