by Kevin Clang
Even though they have been at odds with each other at times throughout their careers, there was one thing that four significant leaders from Elon’s history could all agree on: optimism. “It is important upon leaders to convey a positive image,” said current Elon President Leo Lambert.
Four Executives Meet at LaRose Digital Theater
Lambert, the eighth president in Elon’s history, was joined Tuesday night by Earl Danieley, Elon’s sixth president, Noel Allen, president of the Student Government Association (SGA) from 1968 to 1969, and current SGA president Chase Rumley for a discussion titled “Leadership, a Presidential Perspective.” The talk was a part of Elon’s LEADstrong 2009 campaign and sponsored by Elon’s Center for Leadership. The four executives discussed different aspects of leadership and what leadership meant to them during their time at Elon.
“Leadership is a team phenomena,” said panel moderator John Sullivan in his opening remarks, “it is embedded in time and circumstance.” It was clear that some aspects of leadership, among them discipline, integrity and a sense of priorities have remained constant throughout Elon’s history.
Danieley fondly recalled his first few years as President. “I didn’t want to be a dictator,” he explained, saying he likened himself more to an autocrat. “Collegiality and transparency had not been invented.” Even though he appointed his own board, Danieley encouraged them to discuss matters and not go by everything he said. He was the first to organize the board into separate committees and delegate tasks to them.
The tradition has since carried on. Lambert offered the name change from “Elon College” to “Elon University” as a defining moment in his presidency. “Elon was on the cusp of doing wonderful things,” he said, but some worried that a change in name would also trigger a change in values and communities. His determination eventually succeeded. Lambert advised students to “stick to your guns,” especially when they really believe in somthing.
On the opposite side of the spectrum was Allen, who claimed his greatest failure during his time as SGA president was “never pissing Danieley off.” Allen encouraged students to look at matters from a perspective different than their own, something he learned to do after being elected. As an example Allen offered his approach to having mandatory Chapel abolished. Rather than hold a huge protest and walk out, SGA went to several ministers in the community and had them sign letters condemning the practice.
Rumley offered the creation of the Acorn Society, Elon’s student giving community, as his greatest achievement. The set-up was important, but Rumley also stressed his commitment to the project as principal to its success or failure. He is unsure of what will happen when he leaves Elon this spring, but is confident that the project will continue to thrive thanks to its leaders.
The best advice the four could give was to trust the team around you. “Identify talent, delegate ta ks, and take advice,” said Allen, now a practicing lawyer. Rumley told his peers to “respect your mentors and build up a set of leaders.” Danieley offered praise to Elon students. “I tend to get discouraged by the media,” he said, but that is often alleviated by student’s “ability and commitment to do what is good and right.”
