The secret to success isn’t difficult. In fact, it’s the easiest thing a person can acquire if he or she is willing to take a risk, according to CitiBank Regional Vice President Mark Nerio at a recent lecture.
           
Nerio is just one of many scheduled lectures in the “Learning from Leaders Distinguished Speaker Series” sponsored by the Center for Institutional Advancement.
           
He recounted his experiences at Frito-Lay and CitiBank and how these jobs taught him different aspects of his field. A Harvard alum, he’s had 15 years of field experience and has worked with many leaders, more notably, first lady Laura Bush. They both served on the Board of Trustees at Southern Methodist University.
The series, now in its third year, aims at allowing students the opportunity to meet with local leaders, both civic and business, and learn about leadership roles through a variety of perspectives.

The audience is usually composed of about 15 business students. Thirteen leaders were invited to speak during the spring semester to encourage the students to strive for success.

The main purpose of the series is to “learn how (these people) run organizations and respond to leadership challenges, and in doing so, inspire the next generation to aim and reach higher,” said Jim Eskin, vice president of the Center for Institutional Advancement.

Sessions take place throughout the semester to give students the opportunity to hear about a leader’s experiences and incorporate them into their own lives.

The students are given an assignment by Dr. Hamid Kahn prior to the lecture and are instructed to react to what they saw, learn from what was said, analyze the behavior displayed, and record and demonstrate their own individual results in a paper they turn in after the lecture.
           
“I find these sessions to be helpful and you definitely learn a lot. We receive advice,” said human resources management major Leticia Peña.
           
Students also got the chance to ask Nerio questions through follow-up discussions to gain further insight into to man who grew up by the city’s West Side and became a success story.
“It was very exciting to have him here. He gave his points of view, and showed that students have the material in (them). You can utilize that, and use it as a ladder,” said Dr. Kahn, who sat in on the lecture as well.

Other speakers will be visiting within the coming weeks. As for Mark Nerio, he concluded his session by emphasizing the need to “not be afraid of doing something that is not well-defined. Just go for it!”