“We gathered to explore why leadership is so important in today's complex business environment, and what qualities we expect business leaders to possess."
— Lila Wei, MBA in progress
On Tuesday, November 30, TWU students, faculty and staff participated in a student-led Roundtable Leadership Conference in-person at the university’s Richmond-Minoru location and online.
“We gathered to explore why leadership is so important in today's complex business environment, and what qualities we expect business leaders to possess,” said Lila Wei, a student in the MBA program and head of the TWU Finance and Investment Club.
Participants included students from BA Leadership, MA Leadership, and MBA programs, as well as TWU staff and faculty. Dr. Don Page, founding professor of TWU’s MA Leadership program, delivered the keynote address.
Lila says that the event was inspired by her peers in the Finance and Investment Club, and from what she was learning in her MBA courses, especially the discussions on business ethics and social responsibility.
“In my MBA courses, my professor repeatedly emphasized how to exert servant leadership in business, deal with business ethics issues, and to have the courage to make tough decisions,” said Lila.
Leadership in the midst of today’s global challenges
Given the context of today’s global challenges, Lila saw that it was an ideal time to bring together a group of current and future leaders to discuss how servant leadership can help organizations face challenges and overcome crises.
“I also hope to explore the expectations of society for future business leaders through this event,” she added.
Lila is confident that the conference provided many practical points of application.
“Participants learned how servant leadership is applied in the real world and were inspired to exert their leadership in the workplace or business field to serve more people and promote the progress of business or society,” she said.
As keynote speaker, Dr. Don Page shared leadership lessons gleaned from his experiences in the Canadian Government as a Senior Policy Analyst and Speech Writer in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, as well as his many years of teaching and consulting with schools, businesses and organizations. Following 16 years of public service, Dr. Page became Academic Vice President at Trinity Western University in 1989. Bringing his wealth of leadership knowledge into Christian higher education, Dr. Page founded the Master of Arts in Leadership program and collaborated in the launch of TWU’s Laurentian Leadership Centre.
The ‘most glorious and rewarding of all leadership tasks’
At Tuesday’s conference, Dr. Page spoke on servant leadership.
“Serving others should be the most glorious and rewarding of all leadership tasks. It is not what others can do for you, but what you can do for others that makes great servant leaders,” he said.
Whereas all leaders use their influence to mobilize others to accomplish tasks or to think in certain ways—servant leaders motivate others to act and think in ways that are “for the benefit of all concerned.”
Following Dr. Page’s address, participants engaged in a roundtable discussion on the topics of relational leadership, female leadership, and Christian leadership. Leaders from different roles shared their experiences of applying leadership in the real world. In addition to Dr. Page, roundtable panelists included Kim Chen, Director of Student Life at TWU Richmond, Rebecca Swaim, Executive Director of TWU Richmond, and Ella Shi, MBA student.
“Having this experience of not unleashing my potential, and witnessing the challenge Christian leaders face today in China, I desire to become a servant leader, which will put me in a position to facilitate people to thrive.”
— Ella Shi, MBA in progress
A dream to ‘facilitate people to thrive’
Prior to coming to TWU, Ella had served in leadership roles in the business world and in ministry, but said that she had been functioning in “surviving mode”.
“I also was a home church attender in Beijing,” she said. “I saw how my female pastor was struggling to lead a premature Christian community while constantly fighting back a challenging environment.”
“Having this experience of not unleashing my potential, and witnessing the challenge Christian leaders face today in China, I desire to become a servant leader, which will put me in a position to facilitate people to thrive,” she said.
“This is why I intentionally put myself in the TWU community: so that I will be nourished in the loving soil of Christ and deeply grounded in faith,” she added.
Ella commented that she was thrilled to learn from Dr. Page about his observations on the development of Christian leaders in China, and “his insightful wisdom to empower more female Christian leaders.”
Being a mother and an MBA student, Ella was born and raised in an atheistic family in China. She says, “The sheer grace and love of God enabled me to encounter Jesus and receive him as a gift seven years ago.”
“As an MBA student, I am grateful not only to learn professional knowledge but also to have the opportunity to learn servant leadership.”
— Lila Wei, MBA in progress
Students supported in their leadership journeys
Lila, who organized the event, is encouraged by the support from TWU’s Student Life Team. She looks forward to beginning her own leadership journey.
“TWU is really a great place to learn and explore servant leadership! It's been a real privilege to live in the TWU community and to meet a lot of role models,” she said.
“As an MBA student, I am grateful not only to learn professional knowledge but also to have the opportunity to learn servant leadership.”
Lila credits professors and staff for their lived examples, and expresses, “I see a strong commitment to faith and dedication to service from everyone in the community. From my community life at TWU, I have learned that faith can keep people hopeful and energetic even in bad times. What a powerful force!”
See also — TWU hosts Richmond Chamber of Commerce networking event at Minoru location, offers city new graduate program in 2022:
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About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four campuses: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.