800 CSU graduates encouraged to lead

With about 8,000 family and friends of Columbus State University graduates looking on, the president and CEO of the W.C. Bradley Co. said a college degree made graduates part of the privileged class, whether they believe it or not.

That was the message for 800 graduates who walked across the stage Saturday during CSU’s 112th Commencement at the Columbus Civic Center. The speaker was Marc Olivie, a native of Belgium who has led the Columbus-based company since 2008.

Olivie said the graduates are now among the 7 percent in the world with at least one college degree. “Believe it or not, you are now part of the privileged class,” he said. “With privilege comes duty. It’s not the first time you will hear that and it will not be the last.”

With a degree, many will do something special, but Olivie said leadership isn’t the same today as it was in years past. Leadership doesn’t mean being the boss with a capital B or leading by example. “It may have worked fine in some cases, but leadership today is much more about working together, coaching others to bring out their best and share decision making,” he said. “It’s about, ‘no, you don’t have all the answers.’ ”

Olivie gave the students what he called nuggets of wisdom to consider in the days ahead. He encouraged them to keep learning but recognized that you never will know everything. “This is what’s particularly frustrating to me,” he said.

As an engineer, Olivie said a supervisor once told him that you’ll rarely have all the facts you would like but you still have to make decisions. “Trust your instincts and learn to deal with ambiguity,” he said.

After graduating, Olivie said his mind was set on going to Brazil but during his training he was sent temporarily to Iran. That detour lasted three years but it gave him leadership experience early in his career. “Grab your opportunities whenever they present themselves,” he said.

He used the recent Elton John concert to show how the entertainer put on a great performance but was calm backstage before the concert. The W.C. Bradley Company was approved a skybox for 200 employees for a contribution to the entertainer’s charitable foundation. A check was presented before the concert but there was no last-minute frenzy with the entertainer. “Don’t obsess but do sweat the details,” he said.

He told the graduates to learn from their mistakes. “The fact is, you can’t change anything that already happened,” he said. “So don’t look back.”

In a world with social media, Olivie warned graduates about how every picture posted or word tweeted is available for others to see. The local company checks social media posts before hiring a new employee and some jobs weren’t offered because of posts.

Kirin Wilson, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theater arts, said she’s very relieved. “The challenge was learning how to prioritize and go to sleep sometimes,” said the former Shaw High School student. “I believed in myself and didn’t let other people tell me what to do in life,” she said.

Wilson said she plans to do stage work with her degree.

Suma Nallajeru said he had waited a year and half to get his master’s degree in applied computer science. “I’m going to search for opportunities here with software companies,” he said.

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 9:23 PM with the headline "800 CSU graduates encouraged to lead."