by Dan Perkins

Just weeks before starting their summer internships, on a bright sunny morning in May, more than twenty students assembled in a classroom for a brief refresher with Brother Phil Smith, the CEO of Holy Trinity High School.  The session recapped several weeks of instruction that covered everything from business etiquette to interviewing skills to leadership in the workplace.  The instruction is part of an innovative course called Corporate Experience, which Brother Phil designed to prepare Holy Trinity students to succeed in the summer internships arranged through the Friends For A Future Program.

The Friends Program was designed by Craig Dean, formerly a managing director with Bank of America, now a partner at AEG Partners, a consulting firm that specializes in business turnarounds and crisis management.  Dean sits on the board of Holy Trinity and developed the Friends For A Future program to provide Holy Trinity students greater exposure to professional work environments.  Dean believes the Corporate Experience course helps Holy Trinity students gain a competitive edge that allows many students to meet and exceed employer expectations.

Below are highlights from the session which give a glimpse into the scope of the training Holy Trinity students receive before beginning their summer internships.

Topic 1:  Brother Phil on Diversity in the Workplace:  We know there is lots of diversity in the workplace.  There are more than just men and women in the workplace.  There are more than just blacks and Hispanics in the workplace.  There are people in the workplace who are older than you, have more education than you, and have more experience than you.  That’s an important kind of diversity.

Brother Phil on Starting an Internship:  You as a young person moving into these corporate internships, what do you really need to do for the first few days? 

Student Answer 1:  Observe. 

Brother Phil:  Observe, that’s right, what else?

Student Answer 2:  Ask questions. 

Brother Phil:  Indeed!  Ask questions and ask follow up questions.  People who ask questions are not showing they are weak; they are showing that they are strong because they wish to understand.  It is better to ask a thousand questions than to make a decision for yourself that turns out ultimately to bring you grief.

It’s also important to listen.  Listen to what people tell you.  Listen intently.  

Topic 2:  Brother Phil on Leadership:  We talked about 22 characteristics of a leader; can you name any of those characteristics?

Student Answer No. 3:  Charisma.

Brother Phil:  Charisma.  What is that? 

Student Answer No. 4:  It’s a trait that draws people to you.

Brother Phil:  Yes, it’s like a magnetic attraction that certain individuals have.   People who have this trait tend to rise above the ordinary individual.  Significant leaders are charismatic.  People want to line up behind them and follow them.  That’s a characteristic I hope you will develop as you get older. 

Tell me another trait. 

Student Answer No. 5:  Discernment.

Brother Phil:  Discernment, that’s a tremendous quality of a leader.  What does it mean to be a discerning individual?

Student Answer No. 6:  The ability to see deeply into issues.

Brother Phil:  Absolutely.  Discerning people look beyond the surface, down deep, for what reason? 

Student Answer No. 7:  So, they can make good solid decisions.

Brother Phil:  Remember, as a leader, what happens with your decisions?

Student Answer No. 8:  It affects everyone around you.

Brother Phil:  That’s right, can you give me a third characteristic of a leader.

Student Answer No. 9:  A positive attitude.

Brother Phil:  I remember that.  Why is it important to have a positive attitude? 

Student Answer No. 10:  Your attitude can affect everyone else.

Brother Phil:  Yes, some teachers will tell you that it is better to have a positive attitude than lots of aptitude.  That is because if we have a positive attitude, we are usually receptive to new ideas.  If we have a lot of aptitude but not a positive attitude, we can be very closed, and you don’t want to be that way.  You want to open to new ideas and new experiences.   That is what is going to happen for a lot of you during your internships.

Topic 3:  Brother Phil on Achievement:  What do we mean by Desire, Focus and Plan?  Why do we put them in that order?

Student Answer No. 11:  Because to achieve any goal you must first have desire.  Then you have to focus on the goal, and then you have to plan to follow it through.

Brother Phil:  Let’s go back to desire for a moment.  Desire is something awfully important to have because without the desire you probably aren’t going to see anything through to completion. 

What is this business of focus all about?

Student Answer No. 12:  It means getting rid of the distractions so you can concentrate on your goals. 

Brother Phil:  That’s a good answer.  You need to put the distractions aside so you can work on the things that are really important.  Then you must plan.  You must define the actions you need to take to accomplish your goal.  This course was one of the steps you needed to take to prepare for your summer internship.  Next, you will have to apply what you have already learned here, and what you will learn on the job in order to achieve your goal of having a meaningful work experience this summer.

The End

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