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Global Business Leader Jennifer Gilhool Spoke on Creating Success to Full Capacity Venue at Northwestern College

[Chicago-Jefferson Park, IL]  The room was filled to capacity when Northwestern College welcomed global business leader, author, and former Ford Motor Company Executive Jennifer Gilhool to its Chicago Campus in Jefferson Park on March 12.  She spoke about her experiences with gender discrimination and the struggles she overcame while working internationally as an Executive with Ford,  while simultaneously caring for her family and their needs, which many times conflicted with the demands of her career. The talk was hosted by the Northwestern College Social Media, Film and Photography Club and was extremely well attended.

Discrimination is cyclical, Gilhool began, explaining that her immigrant grandfather was denied employment at Ford because he was Irish, which was ironic in that many decades later she ascended to executive status with the company, eventually being selected to travel to Shanghai, China to serve as Ford’s Director of Sustainability, Environment & Safety Engineering for Asia Pacific & Africa. Women make approximately 85% of household purchasing decisions, she explained, so gender discrimination isn’t just a “woman thing”. Getting more women into the workplace means that more money will go into the economy, for women reinvest their income into their family and communities, which builds wealth.

Gilhool spoke extensively on the need to create your own success through persistence, failure, belief in yourself, and growth through both hardships and failures. “Success is a mindset,” she stated. “Every time you do something hard you grow your capacity to succeed.” She used basketball great Michael Jordan as an example, for as successful as he was, there were many games that he lost, and key baskets that he missed, resulting in game losses. It was Jordan’s belief that he grew more successful following each of those failures.

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Much of what Gilhool conveyed to the students about building success came from her book, Sheryl Sandberg, China & Me, an Amazon best seller. The book journals her experience as an executive on the rise when she took the assignment by Ford at their Shanghai office and moved her family half-way around the world for her career. It is written as a journey of discovery shared through the eyes of Gilhool, with all of the personal and business ups and downs that came along with the international assignment. While speaking at Northwestern College, one by one she outlined steps for the students to take in order to build their own success. Create your own power, she suggested, according to what is important to you. Write down your ambitions – give life to them. Pace yourself, she cautioned, for it takes a while to achieve them, and you have your whole lifetime to do it. While it starts with your goals, she explained, things evolve, and you need to re-evaluate those goals based on where you’ve been and where you want to go.

“You have the power – the power of choice,” Gilhool expounded. “Own your choices; be comfortable with them and you’ll be able to set and keep your boundaries, and others will accept them.”

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At the conclusion of Gilhool’s talk, the students peppered her with questions about both local and global issues, seeking her thoughts, input, and assistance with what they saw as problems needing solutions. In addition, throughout her visit she graciously gave away over 30 copies of her book to students, then spent time afterwards talking to them individually and autographing them. 

 

 

About Northwestern College:

Northwestern College (NC) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, http://www.ncahlc.org.  The college offers focused career-oriented associate degree and certificate programs with flexible schedules and a supportive faculty. Day, evening, weekend, online classes and online programs are available. More information can be found at www.northwesterncollege.edu or by calling toll-free (888) 205-2283.

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