Chrysler Group LLC's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sergio
Marchionne addressed more than 5,000 students, faculty and family at
Michigan State University’s (MSU) baccalaureate commencement ceremony
held at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, MI.
Chrysler Group has a longstanding relationship with the University as
more than 618 MSU alumni work at the Company and 54 MSU students were
employed as interns this year, more than any other university.
Marchionne used the famous battle of Thermopylae, between the ancient
Spartans and Persian army, to highlight key values centered on
leadership, for today’s graduates.
Marchionne told the group of 500 plus graduates, "Those Spartans
embodied human traits that are timeless: courage, teamwork and
selflessness. I’d like to speak to you today about these three values,
and why I hope they will always inspire you. The Spartans demonstrated
immense courage in taking on overwhelming odds. In the years to come you
will need the same fortitude to lead positive change.
“Your educational experiences have provided you with more than just the
credentials to ender the world of work. They have enabled you the
opportunity to acquire the tools, both cultural and human to face all
the complexities of life.”
He continued, “In an era of incredibly rapid globalization, the
organizations that survive will be those that have leaders who are open
to new perspectives and are not afraid of change.”
Marchionne then touched on the value of teamwork, “What I have learned
from my experience as Chief Executive is that culture is the fabric that
holds organizations together. And this fabric is woven together
continuously, by members or a group and not by deeds of a single
individual. The Era of the Great Man, of a greater-than-life individual
who, working alone, cures the ills of an organization is now finally
dead. The Great Man has been replaced by Great Groups who are able to
accomplish much more than talented people working alone.
“Great Groups are led by men and women with the extraordinary capacity
to bring out the best in others, help them build self-confidence and
grow as professionals, and even more importantly, as human beings.”
Marchionne also talked about the importance of trust in leadership,
“When you are able to build and nurture trust in people, they feel
encouraged to develop both their professional abilities as well as their
human abilities. They follow you not because they are obliged to, but
because it is simply what they want to do.
“Trust is essential in leading change and leading people to do things
with a sense of mission, bringing conviction and belief and devotion to
the effort.”
He concluded with a summary of what it truly means to be a Spartan.
“The name you carry – Spartans – goes far beyond a great college
football team that is going to the Rose Bowl. It goes far beyond the
association with an excellent college, one that since 1855 has helped
democratize higher education and advance the common good. Being Spartans
is a way of living life to its fullest, with the disruptive force of a
community that was a cradle of our civilization. I wish for you to live
all your life as a Spartan and wage the good fight with courage teamwork
and with selfle
