Buddy Hobart ’81 Speaks To Student-Athletes About Leadership

March 29, 2011 -

Former men’s basketball standout Buddy Hobart returned to Carnegie Mellon on Monday, March 28 to speak with some of his fellow Tartans about leadership. For the third year in a row, Hobart spoke to select Carnegie Mellon junior student-athletes as part of the athletics department’s Leadership Symposium.

Hobart, founder and owner of Pittsburgh-based Solutions 21, is a leadership expert who played basketball for Carnegie Mellon from 1977-81. Hobart and fellow basketball alum Herb Sendek (TPR'84), who now coaches the Arizona State men’s basketball team, co-authored “Gen Y Now” in 2009.

“It used to be that several years ago you could work hard on technical skills and get ahead,” Hobart told the juniors. “World-class performers realize the need to also develop their people skills.”

Each junior filled out a leadership profile prior to Hobart’s presentation and he reviewed the findings on Monday. Hobart asserted that all individuals have dominant tendencies when they are put in leadership situations. Understanding those tendencies – and learning how to harness necessary qualities that don’t come naturally – makes world-class leaders.

“When we’re under pressure, we have unconscious tendencies,” Hobart said. “We tend to do things and don’t even know we’re doing them. Good leaders understand what they do well naturally and work on what they don’t do so well.”

Buddy Hobart's book Gen Y Now is a must read for any business professional looking to work with, hire and retain today's college graduates and young professionals. www.genynow.com