Awa Diaw, DeAnna Hoy, Danielle Hunt, Erica Smith and Tyler Whitsett, Consortium members at Indiana University-Bloomington, contributed to this guest post for The Consortium.
First-year Consortium members Edgar Diaz (Kelley MBA ‘18) and Danielle Hunt (Kelley MBA ‘18) participate in the DIGNITAS Art of Inquiry exercise.
On March 24, The DIGNITAS Agency presented the 2017 Eddie C. Brown Professional Development Summit to Consortium members at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Led by partners Cheryl Burrell, Stacy Parson and Angela Taylor, The DIGNATAS Agency has aimed to help professionals — particularly African Americans — find their authentic voice and gain the necessary skills and ability to gain executive positions in corporations as well as government and nonprofit organizations.
During the day-long workshop, attendees delved into an array of activities. They participated in a vision mapping and personal brand statement session; viewed Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Danger of a Single Story” Ted Talk; and engaged in an “Art of Inquiry” exercise in which participants candidly discussed their own personal limiting beliefs in small groups. That was followed by words of affirmation from other group members and a renewed focus on breakthrough beliefs to counter any negative mindsets.
‘Life-Changing Experience’
Consortium member Tyler Whitsett (Kelley MBA ’18).
First-year Consortium member Danielle Hunt (Kelley MBA ’18) described this year’s Eddie Brown Summit as a “life-changing experience” — while first-year Tyler Whitsett (Kelley MBA ’18) saw it as an opportunity to craft his own narrative.
“As human beings, we are so consumed by living that we do not spend much time understanding what our ‘limiting belief’ is and how it is stopping us from being as impactful as we desire,” Hunt said. “This summit made me really examine the root causes of my limiting belief and furthermore develop questions that I will need to answer so that I can accomplish all the great things that I have planned for my life.”
“We all have limiting beliefs — those thought patterns that we revert to when we start to feel the pressures of life: It’s too hard. Too much to do and not enough time. I don’t know how,” Whitsett said. “During the Eddie Brown Summit, we learned not only how to identify when we engage in those thought patterns, but also how to change the narrative of those beliefs. It’s too hard becomes I do hard things and I don’t know how turns into I will learn.”
Controlling Your Personal Brand
The DIGNITAS Agency presented the 2017 Eddie C. Brown Professional Development Summit to Consortium members at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in March 2017.
“On the surface, it may seem like an exercise in semantics,” Whitsett said. “But in the short amount of time that has passed since this event, I have come to understand the true power of managing those thought patterns and controlling your narrative and personal brand.”
Awa Diaw (Kelley MBA ‘18) and DeAnna Hoy (Kelley MBA ‘17) walked away from the workshop with a new sense of energy — and a sense of gratefulness for Indiana University’s continued investment in personal development opportunities for Consortium members.
“I continue to be very grateful for all the ways that the Kelley Consortium program has invested into my livelihood as a student, professional, and a human being,” Diaw said. “DIGNITAS ultimately reminded us all of our ‘remarkableness’ and our ability to impact change in ourselves and those around us.”
“Oftentimes we face situations where our experience is questioned or we feel the need to prove ourselves over and over,” Hoy said. “I feel so empowered and equipped to finish the last quarter of the MBA thanks to the Eddie Brown Summit. Thank you, Eddie Brown, The Consortium, and Kelley School of Business for providing this opportunity to improve.”
Pictured Above: The DIGNITAS Agency presented the 2017 Eddie C. Brown Professional Development Summit to Consortium members at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in March 2017.