Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald Visits University

Thursday, July 21, 2016, By Keith Kobland
Share

Maxwell Auditorium was standing room only on Wednesday for remarks by Robert A. McDonald, secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The former CEO of Procter & Gamble and U.S. Army veteran discussed “Values Based Leadership,” applying the lessons of his distinguished career across the public and private sectors to transform the veteran experience.

Robert McDonald

Robert McDonald

Attendees at the event, which was organized by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), included students of the Maxwell School’s MPA and Executive MPA programs, African students participating in the six-week Mandela Washington Fellowship program, faculty, staff and other members of the school community.

In his remarks, McDonald stressed the importance of developing a personal set of leadership beliefs, before describing his own eight leadership beliefs and how his approach is moving the Veterans Administration away from being a rules-based organization. “We should be focused on the mission—taking care of veterans—focused on these values, and not be rules-based but principals-based.”

McDonald’s advice ranged from his views on the qualities of good leaders—including knowing one’s own purpose and aligning with an organization that shares that purpose, putting the good of the organization over individual ambitions and taking personal responsibility—to practical strategies for encouraging the best from others.

“Everybody wants to succeed, nobody wants to fail,” he said. “Purposefully plan your day to try to catch people succeeding … and turn those small tasks, and small measures of success, into bigger tasks and even greater successes.”

McDonald also discussed both the values and challenges of leading a diverse organization. “Diverse groups of people are more innovative than homogenous groups,” he said. “Innovation is the way you improve lives.”

But, he added, “If you are running a diverse organization, the Golden Rule is not good enough …. If I’m running a diverse organization, and I treat everyone the way I want to be treated, I’m treating everybody like a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant from Gary, Indiana.… If you are running a global organization of people around the world, you need a Platinum Rule: Treat other people the way they want to be treated.”

McDonald was introduced by J. Michael Haynie, executive director of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, and Vice Chancellor of Syracuse University responsible for veteran and military affairs, who said, “There is no better example of selfless commitment to service and citizenship than what Bob is trying to do for veterans.”

  • Author

Keith Kobland

  • Recent
  • Eight New Recruits Begin Campus Peace Officer Academy
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Christine Weber
  • Media Tip Sheet: Consequences of China Lockdown
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Dean Rajiv ‘Raj’ Dewan to Step Down as Dean of the School of Information Studies
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By News Staff
  • 2022 Graduates Reflect on Service as Academic Coaches
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Ellen de Graffenreid
  • Funding Expands for Newhouse Professors’ Work on Technology to Combat Fake News
    Wednesday, May 18, 2022, By Wendy S. Loughlin

More In Campus & Community

Eight New Recruits Begin Campus Peace Officer Academy

Seven new recruits were sworn into the Syracuse University campus peace officer academy today by Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile. Cecile performed the swearing in of the academy recruits as an official welcome and endorsement of the joint law enforcement…

Syracuse University, JMA Wireless Announce Naming Rights Partnership, Usher in the JMA Wireless Dome Era

Syracuse University and JMA Wireless (JMA) today announced a 10-year partnership for naming rights of the University’s iconic on-campus stadium. For the first time since the venue opened its doors in 1980, the stadium will have a new name, only…

2022 Graduates Reflect on Service as Academic Coaches

Josh Eimbinder ’22 struggled during his sophomore year at Syracuse. The sport management major wasn’t earning the grades he needed. “In high school, they didn’t teach me how to study—they just hand you the work. I went to my advisor…

Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising Team Helps Match Students With Unique Experiences That Enhance Their Studies

When it comes to applying for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships, the team at the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) offers a wealth of knowledge and resources for undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni. Located on the…

COVID-19 Update: Public Health Protocols for Summer 2022

Dear Students, Families, Faculty and Staff: With the 2021-22 academic year officially behind us, I want to again express my gratitude for the cooperation and flexibility of our students, faculty and staff, who committed to the public health safeguards necessary…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.