“Release the need to always be right. It’s better to leave a sense of creating a mutual relationship.”
The UCF College of Business Administration (#UCFBusiness) recently invited Florida Blue’s market president, Tony Jenkins, to present at the Dean’s Leadership Class to a group of student leaders. Jenkins emphasized the importance of treating others with respect and how it can play a more important role in hiring and promotion than your technical skills.
A man from humble beginnings, Jenkins skillfully navigated his way through the Walt Disney Company for twenty years before progressing to Florida Blue, and credits his ability to communicate well and foster relationships as the key to his success. “What do people see when they see you coming?” Jenkins asked the standing-room-only lecture hall. This prompted students, faculty and staff to reflect on how they are perceived in both their personal and professional lives. Jenkins continued on to discuss the importance of body language and tone of voice as the main ways we communicate. In fact, effective communication is based 55% on body language, 38% tone, and only 7% on the words coming from your mouth. This is an important lesson for students preparing to enter the workforce. An avid reader, Jenkins’ top two book recommendations for business students looking to improve their brand are How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.
The Dean’s Leadership Class is a bi-weekly opportunity for students to meet and learn about the daily work lives of Orlando business leaders. Students are invited to learn how to compose themselves in the professional world and have the chance to network with business professionals in our community. Distinguished leaders such as Jennifer Kearney, ’07 (market sales leader, Target), Terry McNew, ’86 (president/CEO, MasterCraft Boat Company), Laurette McPartland Koellner, ’77 (former president, Boeing International), and the Honorable Kenneth W. Bradley, ’85 (mayor, City of Winter Park; CEO, Winter Park Memorial Hospital), have also had the opportunity to share their wisdom with the class.
About #UCFBusiness:
Established in 1968, the UCF College of Business Administration offers degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and executive levels. All programs, as well as the Kenneth G. Dixon School of Accounting are accredited by AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
The college provides high-quality academic programs designed to give students a competitive advantage in the world of business now and in the future. As such, the college establishes partnerships with some of the nation’s most innovative leaders to model new and best practices that harness evolving technology. In addition, the college promotes a unique culture of engagement, risk-taking, cross-disciplinary collaboration and data-driven decision making in an effort to ensure students are well prepared to enter a dynamic marketplace.
America’s Partnership University:
The University of Central Florida, the nation’s second-largest university with nearly 60,000 students, has grown in size, quality, diversity and reputation in its first 50 years. Today, the university offers more than 200 degree programs at its main campus in Orlando and more than a dozen other locations. UCF is an economic engine attracting and supporting industries vital to the region’s future while providing students with real-world experiences that help them succeed after graduation. For more information, visit https://www.ucf.edu/news/.