Outrunning the Future
Renowned alumnus Gary Hamel presents
Photo by Christa McConnell, IMC student photographer
by Lucero Castellanos-Aguirre
In October, alumnus Gary Hamel (BS ’75, MBA ’76) presented to the School of Business Administration his very own way to “Outrun the Future.” Hamel has been ranked by The Wall Street Journal as one of the world’s most influential business thinkers and referred to by “Fortune Magazine” as a leading expert on business strategy.
After receiving a donation from the parents of an alumnus who were very appreciative of the progress their child had made in their career, Allen Stembridge, dean of the School of Business Administration, decided to contact Gary Hamel.
“He’s a very busy man,” says Stembridge, “But we got an email out of the blue from his secretary that he hadn’t forgotten and had time to come. It took a year due to his busy schedule, and though he typically charges between $50,000–$75,000 to speak, Gary charged us nothing for this presentation.”
It was a well-attended event targeted specifically toward business students and special guests, with an audience of about 130. Hamel focused on the future throughout the entire presentation, emphasizing innovation and change.
Hamel motivated the audience to think about “problems that are mind-bending” and asked stimulating questions like, “How do we be relentlessly optimistic?” and “Why don’t we aim higher?”
“It was exactly the kind of thing that education is all about,” says Brent Geraty, University legal counsel, who attended the event. “He challenged the students—all of us—to think about things as they could be rather than as they are.”
“I believe our current students should not concentrate solely on the theory," says Hamel. “It’s a good base but they need to go through it and forward and focus on the future.”
He continued by sharing with the audience his idea of the competitive advantage.
“One way of getting that is to be ahead of the competition—to do something different, unique, and out of the box.”
After the presentation Hamel socialized with the students, signed books and answered their questions.
“Hamel certainly did not come across as unapproachable,” says Stembridge. “He was extremely friendly and happy to be here. I think he was pleased it was a good turnout of students, because that’s who he wanted to talk to.”
Students seemed very enthusiastic about Hamel’s talk. Many were honored to have attended the event.
“The presentation was crisp, innovative and intellectually stimulating,” says Azez Hagos, senior finance major. “It feels good when I find myself studying at a school where Gary Hamel completed his undergraduate and graduate studies!”
