Students who attended business executive Neil Braun's speech yesterday evening were equipped with a long-lasting solution to tackle future obstacles.
"Some leaders cope with the waves," he said. "Very few can cope with the tides."
In front of a crowd of around 50 people, Braun -- who is the president and co-founder of Vanguard Animation LLC -- shed light on what it means to be a leader.
Braun began his talk by asking a series of rhetorical questions meant to help students consider the nuances of the business world: "Is leadership in and of itself a virtue? When am I a leader? How much of leadership is innate, and how much is learned?"
He then stated that leadership exists when "someone makes something happen that otherwise would not happen."
With this in mind, the audience was treated to a narrative of Braun's own journey through the thickets of the entertainment business and his effort to achieve the very quality he had just defined.
After a brief stint as a lawyer, Braun took the position of chairman and chief executive officer of Viacom Entertainment.
When the company was taken over by Paramount in 1999, Braun decided to use his experience and expertise to make a foray into the world of broadcast television.
He aimed high -- the presidency of NBC, a position that was not even available when he met with NBC CEO Bob Wright.
However, Wright was so impressed with Braun's novel ideas for solving many of the problems that had plagued the network in the past that he offered him the position when it was vacated weeks later.
Eventually, though, Braun said his work at NBC grew too tactical, political and cut-throat for his tastes.
"It was the corporate life that you see in movies," Braun said. "But if it's not who you are, it's time to make a tough decision."
Braun and Shrek producer John Williams co-founded Vanguard Animation LLC, a company whose purpose is to create family-targeted films.
After telling his personal story, Braun left his captive audience with a few gems about leadership that he had mined from experience.
He advised students to "do something well in life's flow of traffic where someone can notice" and also to be self-aware.
Finally, he challenged audience members to simply "start leading."
The students in the audience took the message to heart.
As College freshman Leslie Mah said, "I need to make myself available to opportunity if I want to lead."
The event was held at 3619 Locust Walk as part of the Fox Leadership Program's "Lessons in Leadership" series.
