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The 18:83 Speaker Series at UND’s Memorial Union presented its final speaker for the semester, DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UND Alumni Association.
Named for UND’s founding year, the 18:83 Speaker Series offers a unique TED Talk-style learning experience, with each presentation lasting 18 minutes and 83 seconds. Hosted in the Memorial Union, the series aims to impart lessons in leadership and personal development. Every Wednesday at 2:30 pm a distinguished university or community leader addresses students, sharing their wisdom and experiences. This week’s session, led by Carlson Zink, offered a combination of personal anecdotes and professional insights.
Carlson Zink, with her extensive 40-year association with UND, has a multilayered connection with the university as a student, faculty member, parent, and currently as the CEO of the Alumni Association & Foundation. Her journey from organizing events to leading major fundraising efforts demonstrates her versatile leadership skills. Carlson Zink’s educational background, including a bachelor’s degree from UND and post-graduate work at Stanford, complements her professional achievements.
Carlson Zink’s talk, titled “Don’t Be a Flat Squirrel,” centered around six key leadership lessons, each drawn from firsthand experiences. The talk drew a notable attendance, reflecting the community’s interest in her experiences and insights. Her first story, emphasizing courage, highlighted the necessity of candid communication in leadership. She shared an anecdote about managing a cruise of 55 attendees, highlighting her quick decision-making skills and the importance of being a trustworthy leader. Through these narratives, Carlson Zink portrayed leadership as a blend of courage, decisiveness, and empathy.
Further elaborating on leadership qualities, Carlson Zink discussed the power of active listening, using the example of UPS’s Worldwide listening initiative allowing for the then new CEO David Abney to implement and create avenues for employees to share their ideas. She then transitioned to discussing the significance of having a clear vision, citing John Deere’s mission to “feed the world” and paralleling it with the Alumni Foundation’s mission and values as way to reflect and steer course during challenging times and always remember students being part of the core of her work. A value that proved important during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Her talk also touched on creative thinking, referencing the rise and fall of BlackBerry to competitors like Apple to illustrate the necessity of innovation. The theme of resilience and adaptability was woven throughout her speech as she shared the importance of being a transformative leader and maintaining resilience during challenge, akin to a coffee bean altering boiling water.
Carlson Zink also shared the necessity of making decisions with a personal story involving her husband Wayne and their grandchild. She recounted an incident where the family was in an elevator and another family was unsure about entering due to space constraints, teetering on the edge of action or indecision. This hesitation led Wayne to reflect on decision-making with their grandchild using the metaphor of ‘flat squirrels,’ creatures that fail to make timely decisions while crossing the road, leading to unfortunate outcomes.
Carlson Zink’s presentation at the 18:83 Speaker Series provided a comprehensive roadmap for effective leadership. Her emphasis on courage, empathetic listening, clear vision, creativity, resilience, and decisiveness offers a toolkit for anyone aspiring to lead in today’s world.
Art Malloy, VP of Student Affairs, praised the series, emphasizing its role in nurturing future leaders whether they be faculty, staff, or students. It is important to know what type of leader you are, and we are fortunate to have access to insights from our community’s seasoned leaders.
These six key points serve as a reminder that true leadership goes beyond mere management; it is about inspiring, innovating, and making impactful decisions. When an opportunity is offered to you, whatever you do, decide to move forward.
Although Carlson Zink’s talk concluded this year’s 18:83 series, it will return January 10th, 2024, with Brian Pappas. If somebody is on the fence of whether to attend, I will leave you with Zink’s parting advice, “avoid being a ‘flat squirrel,’ indecision leads nowhere.”
Davíd Moreno is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at daví[email protected].
