A leader is someone who can understand many different perspectives and then use those differences to bring people together under one common goal.
Developing that kind of skill takes experience, and Colby Jenkins, the Director of the Atwood Innovation Plaza at Dixie State University, has a wellspring of knowledge to pull from.
Jenkins’ Leadership Training at Dixie State University
Students, new business owners, and entrepreneurs in St. George, UT, have a tremendous opportunity to learn from Jenkins and use him as a resource for success.
“My role as the director is to manage resources and teammates in support of entrepreneurs, helping them to be successful. I work with corporate teams, sports teams, new entrepreneurs, and students. I work with my team to draw people to the plaza, and we help them build a roadmap to their goals.”
Outside of his role at the plaza, Jenkins is also a public speaker on leadership and team-building. He travels all over the country hosting workshops and offering listeners advice that they can apply toward their own lives.
Now, Jenkins admits to not being a “business guru” that has all the answers for someone in need. However, he can certainly help someone “connect all the dots” and “help them find the next step in their development.”
“So you have this new idea, great! Moving forward, how can we find people who can help that also lead to investment, technical support, development, product launch—I have to give clients that support.”
It’s a tough role to take on, but Jenkins is quite used to challenging situations. After all, he spent nearly 23 years of combined active and national guard military service in the U.S. Special Forces as a Green Beret. He continues to serve today as a Colonel in the Army Reserves.
From a Green Beret Team Leader to a Business Leader
Before stepping into the boardroom, Jenkins spent a great deal of time in the jungles of Colombia and the mountains of Afghanistan dealing with hostage rescue operations or the Taliban. And if he wasn’t deploying on a mission, he was on Capitol Hill working as a liaison for the Green Berets, strategizing with leaders from the Pentagon and Congress.
“I’ve traveled the world with political leaders and helped with legislative affairs. But I also had a young family, and I missed most of their lives by being deployed, so at that halfway mark, I transitioned to the National Guard from full-time active duty. Then I worked at the Pentagon and held different civilian jobs before transferring to Google as a people operations program manager.”
At Google, Jenkins helped with organizing teams to execute different projects and campaigns.
“I helped stand up new teams and recruit new teams, and after a team launched a product or finished its run, I helped them reorganize into new and different teams working on new projects. Every day, we had so many new innovations coming in, so upper management looks internally to source talent. I like to think that everyone has something special and unique to offer—whether that be an idea or a perspective. I like to think I can help steer them in a positive direction.”
He may be too humble to mention, but Jenkins is also a West Point graduate. Not to mention, he still serves as a colonel in the National Guard for one weekend every month, combined with two weeks of annual training usually in the summer. So he knows a thing or two about confidence and commitment.
How Jenkins Builds Success
A common pitfall that Jenkins tries to help clients be mindful of is giving up too early.
“So let’s say that you have a great idea, you’re excited, and then we’ve launched the project…but now we’re falling into that death valley.”
For many first-time entrepreneurs, the reality sets in, and that honeymoon phase gets surpassed by having to do some hard work in several different areas of taking something to market.
“That’s where we at the plaza try to keep that momentum going. We connect an entrepreneur with a mentor who has succeeded in that industry, someone who can help them build those resources. We get people polished up or prepared and give them an audience for that magic to happen.”
Jenkins stresses that anyone who wants to succeed in business—and in life—has to be a “problem solver.”
“People will always hit an obstacle, but rather than get upset, we need to look at the situation from a different angle of attack. For instance, last November, we hosted an entrepreneur here who said that when he was in college, the job he has today didn’t exist. So how did he create that job? Well, he has his passions and strengths, and by devising a strategy to solve problems for various businesses and organizations, he created that role for himself. He didn’t just accept the results at hand and compromise his way of thinking to meet those standards.”
Build Your Resources at Dixie State University’s Atwood Innovation Plaza
Whether you’re a new business owner or an entrepreneur with a fresh idea, Jenkins wants you to know that there are resources available to you at Dixie State University’s Atwood Innovation Plaza.
“At the end of the day, your success all depends on your priorities. If you keep telling yourself, ‘I’m just too busy to do that,’ then truthfully, that particular idea is not a priority to you. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, but if you have too many opportunities in front of you, you can’t achieve them all at once. Therefore, it comes down to what your priorities are—how can you start your venture and get success in that area?”
To learn more about Jenkins’ work building A-Teams and public speaking, visit colbyjenkins.com. To learn about his work as the Director of the Atwood Innovation Plaza and the Plaza itself, please visit innovation.dixie.edu.