Only weeks after Ignite had passed, he became a cohort captain, escalating his network as well as desire to become even more involved. Later he became a BSA director, BUS 201 Seminar leader (coincidentally grading my own 201 presentation), V.P. Academic of BSA, U of A appeal board member, and a tough rival in countless case competitions. All of this vast experience eventually led to the position he currently holds – BUS 201 Coordinator. I asked Aaron to share some of the insights and advice that he has accumulated over his SoB experience. Here is what he had to say:
ON BUILDING THE PERFECT TEAM:
O N T H E P E R F E C T P R E S E N TAT I O N :
Don’t talk business right away. When putting together a new team,
Expect the Unexpected! Keep an open mind when working on a
it’s important to share your interests and figure out each other’s
case or presentation. Always think to yourself - what is the main
strengths and weaknesses. Sitting down for a coffee and talking is
message you want people to get out of this. Worry only about
important; Remedy Café is my personal favorite location to meet.
things you can control, and handle things as they come up. There
It’s important that every member of the group speaks up during
are a few pillars I believe are imperative to a successful presentation:
group discussions. That being said, it’s important to be a good listener, open to other people’s ideas, always paying attention to the discussion at hand, so you can figure out where other people are coming from. If you do this right, your team can become as tight as the 55 person family I was part of, while preparing for the JDC West 2013 case competition.
O N C O O P E R AT I N G W I T H T E A M M AT E S : Usually, if you command attention, people will listen. At the same time however, you don’t want to be the Diva. When conflicts arise in group situations, I try to follow a few key points:
åå Hear people out, let them have their say. åå If you disagree, present your idea as an alternative, rather than an opposing view. åå Look at yourself frankly—are you being closed minded? Reflect and internalize. åå When issues persist, take it to a private discussion. åå Challenges will arise; you have to deal with it. That’s life. åå You have to be the bigger person! And you need to be able to work with all kinds of people. A lot of interview questions in industry will
å å ENERGY— smile, be positive, be excited! Energy will make you more engaging and will attract your audience’s attention. å å PRACTICE — sweat it out. Practicing will dictate your timetable and get the whole team familiarized with your challenge; not to mention each member’s presentation style. å å INDIVIDUALITY — do not lose your unique qualities - use them to differentiate yourself. A good example would be using hand gestures as you speak. Utilize your strengths to get people to buy into you, and your message. å å ATTENTION — make sure people are listening! Command the room. å å CONSIDERATION — know how to present yourself well, when to speak professionally and when not to. å å ALIGNMENT — don’t disagree with the people you are working with. Even outside the SoB, misalignment ruins the integrity of your message.
come from experiences you have in BUS 201.
What to Take Away from BUS 201? Learn how to influence other people and how to handle things you can’t control. I used to think I had to do everything myself, very hands-on. Now I know how to delegate and make sure people do the things you assign them to complete. Aaron was very approachable in our interview, and truly showed his successful and decorated career in both a personal and professional light. Aaron gave the Lazy Faire great insights and advice from his multitude of SoB experiences, and made it easy to see for all SoB students why his exceptional University career has put him in our Student Spotlight.
13