Massey leads the way at Business Week

Massey University’s professor in leadership has a simple message for students attending next week’s New Zealand Business Week in Palmerston North: follow your passion.

“Whatever it is that energises you, the thing that gets you up and out of bed every day – that’s what you should do,” says Professor Sarah Leberman, associate head of Massey’s School of Management.
“In order to be a leader you have to believe in what you’re doing.”

Professor Leberman will give a lecture on leadership to New Zealand Business Week participants, who will spend Tuesday July 3 on Massey’s Manawatu campus.

“I’m a firm believer that leaders can be made; people aren’t born leaders. It’s a role that you grow and develop into, and there are many different types of leaders,” she says.

“It’s not about having a particular title or even being the person out in front. A leader can be someone behind the scenes, inspiring others to work together. It is being a person of influence.”

Professor Leberman hopes her lecture will help students fulfill their leadership potential. “These young people are at an important stage of their lives and I want to encourage them to reflect on where they want to go, and take stock of what is important to them.

“They need to be clear on what their values are, and make sure the organisation they work for, or the business they start up, is congruent with those values”.

Professor Leberman has shared her thoughts on leadership at previous Business Weeks, and says she always looks forward to the event.

“I enjoy engaging with young, motivated people and Business Week provides an important bridge between school and university,” she says.

“It gives the students a chance to engage with academics, and they get a taste of what it is like to run a business through making decisions about real-life situations. It’s an invaluable experience for any young person considering studying business at university.”

Professor Leberman is an expert on the leadership of women in sport and academia. She is also a member of the New Zealand Olympic Committee’s Women in Sport Group, which facilitates mentoring programmes to increase the number of women on the boards of sporting organisations.

Massey University is a trustee of New Zealand Business Week, along with Palmerston North Boy’s High School and Rotary New Zealand. High School students from all over the country attend the intensive one-week residential programme, which combines academic learning with business decision-making.

For more information about New Zealand Business Week visit: http://www.nzbw.com/home