{"id":38616,"date":"2024-10-10T16:51:41","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T21:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/?p=38616"},"modified":"2024-10-11T14:48:44","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T19:48:44","slug":"leadership-lessons-from-the-chairman-of-the-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/2024\/10\/leadership-lessons-from-the-chairman-of-the-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership lessons from the chairman of the board"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jim Poolman, UND Alumni Association & Foundation board chair, offers lessons in life and leadership as part of 18:83 Speaker Series<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"jim
Jim Poolman, enterprenteur and chairman of the board of directors at the UND Alumni Association and Foundation, has learned many lessons in his varied career. At his 1883 Speaker Series talk, he summed them up in under 20 minutes, Photo by Walter Criswell\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Oct. 9, standing before an audience at the bottom of the Memorial Union Social Stairs, Jim Poolman, chairman of the board of directors at the UND Alumni Association and Foundation, delivered an 18-minute, 83-second speech sharing his perspective on leadership as part of the 18:83 Speaker Series.<\/p>\n

A UND alumnus and 1992 student body president, Poolman followed his time at UND by becoming a politician, public servant and entrepreneur, having served as a North Dakota state representative, North Dakota insurance commissioner, and the executive director of the Indexed Annuity Leadership Council. In addition, Poolman is a prolific businessman and has invested in successful restaurants, pubs and real estate in North and South Dakota.<\/p>\n

Despite his success in both the private and public sectors, Poolman had humble beginnings as a paperboy for the Fargo Forum,<\/em> a job that inspired his entrepreneurial spirit. At the beginning of his talk, he reflected on his eclectic career path.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I\u2019d put a tagline on this talk: from paperboy to politician and public servant to pub owner,\u201d he said, with a smile. \u201cThe alliteration works, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout his talk, Poolman gave the audience an overview of his career and the unique lessons he\u2019s learned. But it was his time as a UND student and student body president that set him on the path toward leadership, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of my lifelong lessons started here: the ability to gain leadership qualities, the ability to learn about business, but most of all, the ability to learn about people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His eagerness to take advantage of different campus clubs, activities and learning experiences, such as student government, led to his growth at UND.<\/p>\n

\u201cUND gave me an opportunity to really reinvent myself from sort of this nerdy kid that was on the swim team \u2026 to somebody who could get involved in almost everything and provide value to those around me, and I had a fantastic time in doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Poolman concluded his speech, he encouraged the audience to share in his gratitude for the University.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe grateful for your family, and be grateful for your friends, but also be grateful for what\u2019s ahead of you,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m super grateful that you are part of this University of North Dakota community, and I\u2019m incredibly grateful to be here with you today. You\u2019re so lucky to be part of this great community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch Poolman’s full speech below:<\/strong><\/p>\n