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NIU alumnus and corporate communications expert Harlan Teller to deliver Nov. 2 Jobs PLUS event

October 28, 2016

harlanHarlan Teller, interim vice president of NIU’s Division of Marketing and Communications, will speak on the topic of leadership when he delivers the next Jobs PLUS professional development event.

The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in 71 North of Founders Memorial Library, a new collaborative enterprise space being developed to foster student innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives. Students are encouraged to visit the Jobs PLUS website to register for the event and other upcoming professional development opportunities. 

Teller, an NIU alumnus, is on leave of absence from his position as a senior managing director for the strategic communications unit of FTI Consulting, having stepped down as vice chairman and chief knowledge officer of FD, the predecessor firm, in 2008.

He opened the firm’s Midwest operation in 2005 after a distinguished 30-year career in corporate communications at global PR giants Burson-Marsteller, Carl Byoir and Associates, and Hill and Knowlton (H&K). His clients at these firms included such names as McDonald’s, Borg-Warner, Beatrice Foods, Sears, Ameritech, Allstate, United Airlines, Deloitte, Ernst and Young, AutoNation, Enron and Exelon.    

“Most leaders are not born,” Teller says. “They learn on the job how to lead.

“Invariably, the professional skills that get you your first job and even your first several promotions don’t necessarily translate into the skills it takes to be a true leader of an organization,” he adds. “In fact, many of these skills—active listening, interpersonal communications, critical thinking, behavior modeling—are skills that can be gained from a liberal arts education, and in applying them to any job you may have.”

In this talk and question and answer session, titled “Crossing the Bridge from Doing to Leading,” Teller will define the skills needed to be a great leader. While he will use examples from his own career in corporate communications and public relations, the skills in these disciplines are translatable to other industries and professional services.

Jobs PLUS regularly hosts free professional development events open to all NIU students. Through partnerships with employers, students could even be eligible to attend these events on paid work time. Jobs PLUS events qualify for Passport in the College of Business and Honors Engaged in University Honors.

To learn more about Jobs PLUS or future professional development events, visit the Jobs PLUS website or contact Chad Glover.