William Masselli ~ Editor-in-Chief
On Feb. 22, 2022, at 6:00 p.m., best-selling author Glenn Llopis, will visit University of Lynchburg’s Hall Memorial Ballroom to talk about his new book, Unleashing Individuality.
Dean Nancy Hubbard, dean for the College of Business, was responsible for organizing the event.
Hubbard said, “The biggest issue we have in organizing this has been the inevitable COVID restrictions one has to have in place. It continues to require a degree of flexibility in approach especially in ensuring everyone’s safety but while maximizing opportunities for Glenn to interact with students, faculty and staff. For instance we couldn’t have a reception with food due to mask mandates. We have asked for people to be understanding and so far, everyone has been wonderful.”
“I have had the pleasure of hearing Glenn Llopis speak about leadership in a post-COVID world, and to be honest, I found it shook me up. After hearing him speak, I couldn’t stop thinking about what he had said. He challenged many of the ideas we take for granted in higher education and business. I believe his perspective is the future for higher education especially in the product and way we operate at the University of Lynchburg–with small individualized classes and personal attention to students. I wanted others to share in hearing this message,” said Hubbard.
Dean Hubbard’s favorite part of the book is how it relates to the University of Lynchburg, stating, “I find Glenn’s entire approach makes me question just about everything we do in ensuring students get the best education for each and every person. Each customer–in our case the student–is unique and should have a personalized education. Goodness knows students and their parents pay enough for this. That means we, as educators, must question everything we do in order to ensure this happens. Unleashing Individuality makes me rethink ideas I have in the past, taken for granted. To innovate, one must do this every once in a while just to make sure we don’t inch along making incremental changes when there may be the opportunity to make a substantive change for the better.”
Furthermore, Dean Hubbard talked about why University of Lynchburg is the greatest place to host a book launch event, stating, “So many larger institutions of higher education are seen as almost a factory system. I tell the story of my son, who attended a fine university of 6,000 students, being the last student to close out a section of Introduction to Psychology with 500 students. Our largest class in the College of Business at U of L is capped at 25. So when it comes to personalization, we do a far better job than most of our larger counterparts. We know our students, their strengths, areas of growth, and where we can add value to them. I doubt that is possible when there is a professor, a couple of graduate assistants, and 500 students. In that respect this is a perfect fit for Glenn and Unleashing Individuality.”
“Unleashing individuality requires you to look for what’s true about yourself and others. To look for means it’s an active pursuit. What’s true means you’re ready to stop suppressing what’s real. About yourself and others means you’re looking in all directions. When you confront and unleash your truth, that’s when you make your most significant contribution. Unleashing individuality requires a concerted effort to know and account for the realities and the values of individuals. Do your teachers, coaches and academic advisors know students as individuals? Not just in the classroom and on the field, but also based on what is going on in their personal life and what ultimately matters to them? Students and athletes can’t be the best versions of themselves unless their teachers, coaches and advisors put them in the best position to stretch themselves in ways that optimize their full capacity and with the dignity they each deserve,” said Llopis.
Llopis noted that University of Lynchburg students would find his book interesting because, “I’ve spent years helping people avoid falling into the standardization traps. Because standardization makes us try to meet someone else’s standard rather than our own. My hope is that the book will guide students to deeply reflect upon their life experiences and the many times they may have unknowingly been suppressed by others that wanted them to abide by their standards. And from this self-actualization, show them how to move from suppressing to unleashing their individuality. Much of our lives are ruled by standards, we had no voice in crafting and often feel no ability to challenge. My goal is to not only help students realize that they are not alone, but to also help them recognize they have more influence than they think and the capacity to modernize old, outdated standards that get into the way of progress. Students must be unleashed to help set forth a path for a better future.”
Llopis was inspired to write the book because, “Having had a front row seat at some of the largest institutions in the world, I’ve come to realize that whether you are in higher education, healthcare, or the corporate sector, we are all trying to overcome the same barrier to drive sustainable growth: how to best serve a much more informed and knowledgeable individual that has become less tolerant of the status quo. Unfortunately, our systems and institutional models were never designed to serve individuality. Institutional standards were designed to listen to sameness, not difference. The pandemic and social unrest have served as the ultimate wake-up call to the reality that we have never truly been student, patient, employee, and consumer centered. Many of the old, outdated standards were designed for the institution to define the individual, not the other way around. Now that the balance of power has shifted from Institution to Individual, why are we unprepared to best serve a more informed and knowledgeable individual? Because we have never measured inclusion. The book introduces the five indicators of individuality that not only measure inclusion, but how people can feel the thrill and purpose of their lives and work again.”
Llopis stated, “We have suppressed people in two profound ways: We inadvertently keep people functioning far below their full capacity. We fail to see and support each other’s dignity. I want to help students understand why they matter and give them a playbook they can make their own as they navigate uncharted waters and learn how to thrive in these times of uncertainty. We must stop ruling by assimilation and start leading through inclusion and individuality.”
Dr. John Angelis, an assistant professor of operations, at the University of Lynchburg, said, “In general, I think that students should try to go to at least one talk per semester. Speakers can show a more current and dynamic view of business than professors can teach in class.”
He continued, “I’ve reviewed some of Glenn Llopis’s materials, and I’m intrigued to hear more about his views on leadership and personalization. When I teach management, I tell my students that change and innovation are difficult to do well in the workplace. Glenn’s work is focused on personalization and inclusion, in a way that adds more innovation and change-focused mentality to being a manager. I think it will teach the students some new perspectives on how to express themselves in the business world.”
Angelis also said, “Panel Discussion and Q&A should be quite helpful. Oftentimes the best part of a talk isn’t the talk itself, but the after-talk content. I hope as well that some of the students ask specific questions of Glenn to see how his content applies to their specific dilemmas and scenarios.”
If you would like to learn more information about this event, please contact Dean Nancy Hubbard at hubbard_na@lynchburg.edu.
