Nearly 200 people attended the 2016 Fifth Annual University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business Administration Women in Business Breakfast, showcasing two prominent speakers from Husker Athletics in a panel discussion billed as
Leading Great Teams: Learning From Sports and Business. Husker Softball Coach Rhonda Revelle, the all-time winningest coach in any sport at Nebraska, and Mattie Fowler ’15, MBA student, former member of the Husker softball team and 2016 Female Student-Athlete of the Year, participated on the panel.
Revelle preceded the panel discussion with a motivational talk. She emphasized the importance of culture in any organization.
Revelle (right) emphasizes the importance of building positive culture
“We are either moving our culture in a positive or a negative direction,” said Revelle. “There’s no in-between. When we move culture in a positive direction it tends to multiply. Culture is like faith. You cannot always see it but you feel it from the inside out. Every year our team works hard to energize our culture. It serves as our foundation and lighthouse to be lived on a daily basis.”
Revelle has the distinction of competing in the Women’s College World Series as both a player and a coach for Nebraska. She emphasized leadership as the cornerstone to building a strong culture. She sees her own leadership profoundly influenced by both mentorship and what she called, “Knowing your why.”
“Know why you do what you do. What is your life purpose? Your mission statement should be short and simple, and able to be recited at gunpoint. My mission statement turned into my ‘why’, which is simply to work to have a positive impact on the people around me. That is knowing my why,” said Revelle.
Dudney, Fowler, Revelle and Beck at Women's Breakfast
Fowler joined Revelle and co-hosts Dr. Tammy Beck, associate dean for graduate programs and external engagement, and Dr. Donna Dudney, associate dean for undergraduate programs, to talk about leadership and answer questions from the audience. She credited Revelle for her athletic and academic success.
“She challenged me to bring the same quality of leadership regardless of my personal success,” said Fowler, who came to Nebraska from Tucson, Arizona, and earned her bachelor’s degree in finance. “You cannot just be a leader when it’s convenient. There is always adversity in sports but Coach Revelle taught me to provide a calm leadership regardless of circumstances, and I will take that with me wherever I go in the workforce.”
Fowler became Nebraska’s 30th CoSIDA Academic All-American in her final season on the softball team. She plans on graduating from UNL for a second time next spring with a MBA degree.
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Published: October 17, 2016