Kellogg Reunion

Wow! What a fantastic weekend!

I often attend Kellogg’s class reunions as one of the guest speakers. However, the reunion this past weekend was more special because it was also MY class’s reunion.

Admittedly, my name tag threw me off: It said I was part of the class of 1979. That would make this year my 45th reunion. I asked one of the reunion volunteers how it could possibly be my 45th reunion if I am only 39 years old! 🤣🤣🤣 I tried to convince them that 1979 was actually my date of birth, but they didn’t seem very convinced😎

The weekend started with Julie and I attending the annual Special K! review. The variety show is in its 45th year and consists of nonstop dancing, music, skits, and jokes. Julie and I have had the opportunity to see every show since the show first launched. In fact, Julie wrote several of the songs in the very first show!!!

This year’s show was fantastic. The singers, dancers, and musicians performed for almost three hours. In fact, we saw the second show of the night, which means that they performed for nearly six hours nonstop that evening! The support staff did an amazing job keeping things moving without a break in the action.

Here are a few of the many pictures I took.

I think even Dean Francesca Cornelli performed in the show. I say “I think” because the performer looked like Dean Cornelli and talked like her, but based on the photos below, it appears there were actually TWO Dean Cornellis!!! (There is a rumor that one of them could be Guillermo Nevado, but no one knows for sure🤣🤣)

The reunion weekend included a lot of informative talks on a variety of topics. I attended Professor David Besanko’s fantastic talk on “Budget Deficits and National Debt.” Professor Mohanbir Sawhney delivered an insightful presentation on generative AI strategy. Many other distinguished faculty members shared their expertise with us.

I also had the opportunity to moderate a panel of CEOs titled “Leadership: Journey to the C-Suite,” which included Steven Booth ’89 MBA, chairman and CEO of Baird Financial Group; Liz Williams ’04 MBA, CEO of El Pollo Loco;  and Suresh Krishna ’99 MBA, president and CEO of Northern Tool & Equipment. The panelists discussed the paths that brought them into their CEO roles as well as the lessons they learned from leading large organizations.

Additionally, I gave a talk about my third book, “Your 168: Finding Purpose and Satisfaction in a Values-Based Life.” Despite our best intentions, many of us experience a chronic imbalance between the desire to live our values and the distractions and never-ending to-do lists that can get in the way. I discussed possible ways to pursue a values-based life by identifying and committing to our personal values and priorities. I used personal stories and insights from others to help realize the difference between what we say is most important and where we actually spend our time. Through this process of introspection, we can uncover the obstacles preventing us from leading a value-based life.

As always, it was wonderful to see so many Kellogg alums from different years all at the same time! I cannot wait until next year’s Kellogg reunion.