Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin shared his advice and experiences at the New Horizons Lecture at Langdon Hall. Austin, commissioned as an Infantry second lieutenant in 1975 after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, has a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Military Academy, a master's degree in education from Auburn University and a master's in business management from Webster University.
Reflecting on his 41 years of experience in the military, Austin shared five major pieces of advice to the crowd.
"I’ll talk from my own experiences leading troops, but once again this same advice applies to leaders outside of the military as well," Austin said.
The first, according to Austin, is to "take care of your people" and lead them.
"If you earn their respect, they will move mountains for you," Austin said. "That’s proven to be the most invaluable advice of my career."
The next point Austin shared
"Troops, or the folks that work for you, they will listen to every word that you say, but they will watch what you do even more closely," Austin said. "Be willing to do the necessary reps and sets and strive to be the very best in the world at what you do, no matter what that is."
Austin also advises enabling others in their goals to gain success.
"In the military, we conduct operations, and we fight as a team," Austin said. "The fact is that most professions place a premium on teamwork, so my advice to you is to seek to contribute your unique talents and your energies toward supporting and enabling the team’s objectives."
Not being consumed with climbing the ladder is another point Austin shared.
"It’s good to have goals. You must have goals," Austin said. "If you focus on taking care of your people and doing the job that you’ve been given while doing it better than anyone else has ever done it...I promise you that you will be successful, enormously successful, but you need to be patient."
Austin's final point was to never compromise your values, which he said are the cornerstone of the Auburn Creed.
"The character of every individual is a reflection of his or her values," Austin said. "They are the bedrock upon which this great institution is built."
Fahad Digankar, freshman in business, said he thought Austin's five major points were inspiring and insightful.
"As a cadet in the program and as a student and a guy growing up, it's very insightful to have advice such as be confident [and] don't hesitate," Digankar said. "It's a good foundation for myself for learning how to grow right now, and in the
Digankar said he thinks Austin's advice can apply to students who are not involved with the military as well.
"I feel like anything he said can apply to a general student," Digankar said. "The five major points aren't just about leading people, but they're about also leading
Marcellus Smith, junior in computer engineering, said he thought Austin's speech "hit the tenets" of being a good leader.
"It was very thought provoking and made you open your eyes and think with a different perspective," Smith said. "What he said about frustration and seeing the conflicts [in the Middle East] and not fully understanding them...that does bode a lot of
Austin said to take advantage of the great opportunities at Auburn University and to treasure the experience.
"You are building a tremendous foundation here at Auburn — a foundation that is based upon strong values, intellectual rigor and a wonderful, wonderful network of friends, mentors and fellow alumni," Austin said. "If you do all those things, I believe that you can feel confident that the right opportunities will present themselves at the appropriate times, and you will be incredibly successful."
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