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Rachel Finley
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Brigham Young University
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prspecialist@byu.edu

Kevin Rollins Gives Advice at CEO Club Lecture

Establish a vision of a prosperous online business and set realistic goals to make it happen, said Kevin Rollins, former CEO of Dell Inc. and founding donor of the Rollins Center for eBusiness, at a recent CEO club lecture.

Rollins stressed the importance of sacrificing now to accomplish future goals and to center a future business venture on a passion.

“Do what you love and do it now,” Rollins says.

He also emphasized that grades in classes are essential for future opportunities. He says that more doors will open depending on the amount of time a student spends studying in college.

Along with spending more time in the books, Rollins says the most successful entrepreneurs do not think small, they dream big. He says these ideas often come in times of trial.

“You don’t know what you are capable of—and won’t—unless you are put into a difficult situation and then get out of it,” Rollins says.

He also gave three examples of successful leaders in history to learn from in leading a business. He listed these in order of effectiveness:

1) George Washington–Washington told people things they did not know about themselves. He always made sure to focus on the tremendous qualities each person exhibited.

2) Alexander Hamilton–Hamilton was an intelligent leader but was also arrogant. He often told people what to do instead of allowing people to have independence in their decisions.

3) Aaron Burr–Burr was an excellent leader and really smart like Hamilton, but he used a lot of flattery and compliments to get people to do things.

Rollins also says that exemplary leaders have balanced lives.

“If you’re out of balance, it’s your own fault,” Rollins says. “There’s a time and season for everything. Don’t believe that you can do all things all the time.”

Along with being a great leader, Rollins says a strong work ethic makes a major difference. He says this sets apart the successful business leaders from the rest because there are many leaders in the world with similar educational backgrounds.

“My education was as good as anybody’s,” Rollins says. “What made it different was I really worked hard.”