Pa. First Lady gives leadership advice

The Honorable Marjorie Rendell paid a visit to her alma mater yesterday afternoon and addressed an intimate crowd of students as part of the Fox Leadership Program's Lessons in Leadership series. Samuel Preston, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, introduced Rendell as a former Penn graduate and current judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. "Today's guest was recently called by The Philadelphia Inquirer the most powerful woman in Philadelphia -- and it's a big city," Preston said. Enjoying a warm round of applause, Rendell -- who became the First Lady of Pennsylvania last month with the inauguration of her husband, Governor Ed Rendell -- began her talk with a lighthearted quip. "I hate to correct a dean, but I need to set the record straight in a couple respects," she said. "I think the quote that I was the most powerful woman in Philadelphia, was other than Judith Rodin and Rebecca Rimel." To begin her discussion, Rendell separated leaders into two categories: nominal leaders and leaders without titles or designated followers. Describing her current position of leadership as a nominal one, she went on to emphasize the more challenging role of a leader "without a portfolio or preordained designation." Drawing on her experiences as a practicing attorney and vice chair of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Rendell discussed three aspects of leadership she considers essential in any position. "First, you have to understand the needs of the people who you want to follow you, and that may be the most important thing that I think there is about leadership," Rendell said. "That element of trust and acceptance is the toughest yet most crucial element." The other aspects of leadership Rendell touched on were a clear, forward thinking to solving problems and the ability to paint a clear vision of a goal that others would follow. At one point, Rendell used the governor as an example of a leader. "People follow him because he says, 'We're gonna do it, we're just gonna do it and I'm not taking no for an answer.' And he tells them how he's going to do it, one-two-three." Following her address, Rendell fielded some questions from students in the audience. When asked whether she had ever made a decision that was at odds with that of her husband, Rendell laughingly replied, "Yeah, when I turned him down the first time he asked me to marry him." Student reaction to Rendell's talk was overwhelmingly positive. "I think her coming here to speak gives me a better perspective on her and Governor Rendell," College freshman Ling Wu said. "I learned a lot." "It's great to have someone with so much experience and a history at Penn come back to help undergraduates," said College senior Mandy Doherty. "She made some good points, especially about getting people to accept you as a leader before you can succeed." In addition to graduating from Penn with a major in French, Rendell was involved in the Phi Beta Kappa society, volunteered for the local Red Cross and was president of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.