Neeli Bendapudi, President of the University of Louisville, joins Steve Hopkins, VP of Client Development at Oliver Group and Tom Cox, President of Oliver Group, for Episode 11. Neeli highlights the importance of character and humility in leadership, the art of building effective teams and the fact that you can be nice and still be a strong leader.

Neeli admires many leaders. She’s found that, instead of the admiring the people themselves, she looks to the characteristics that inspire her. She’s especially drawn to examples where the leaders set aside their own ego and put the mission before themselves. She aims to emulate this at University of Louisville.

Her advice to fellow leaders? Build strong teams. Her approach: complement your own strengths and buttress where you are weak. Working at a university, she knows that she isn’t always going to be the smartest person in the room. Neeli says, “If I am, I know I haven’t built a strong team!”

Neeli also discusses the skills she values most when building a team. Be sure to listen for these important tips!

In 2020, Neeli faced her biggest challenge: leading a major university in a time of racial and social justice movements as well as during a global pandemic. She credits her team’s resilience and grit for getting them through that difficult time. We at the Oliver Group don’t doubt that Neeli’s skill at team building helped position the university well, and we look forward to watching their continued success in 2021.