{"id":8972,"date":"2020-09-16T21:31:25","date_gmt":"2020-09-16T21:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/2021\/11\/19\/paladin-pivots-turning-crisis-into-opportunity\/"},"modified":"2022-09-07T15:35:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T19:35:10","slug":"paladin-pivots-turning-crisis-into-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/paladin-pivots-turning-crisis-into-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Paladin Pivots: Turning crisis into opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"

It isn\u2019t the crash course in agility training anyone would have wished for, but for all its chaos, COVID-19 has produced masters of the entrepreneurial pivot. In a new virtual speaker series, \u201cPaladin Pivots: Stories from the Furman Network<\/a>,\u201d Furman alumni share secrets from their playbooks to help other enterprises navigate the pandemic.<\/p>\n

The free webinar series is presented by Furman Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FU I&E) and sponsored by\u00a0The Class E Podcast<\/a>\u00a0collaboration with the Department of Communication Studies.<\/p>\n

\"chick-fil-a

Leaders from Chick-fil-A describe the unique challenges they face amid social unrest and COVID-19.<\/p><\/div>\n

A cohort from one of America\u2019s largest fast-food chains and king of customer service<\/a>\u00a0kicked things off this month in \u201cDriving Thru to Success: Adaptive Leadership at Chick-fil-A.\u201d The live podcast featured alumni Clayton Dyson \u201905 (political science and communication studies), senior director of Chick-fil-A\u2019s corporate leadership development program, and franchised operators Rodney Johnson \u201903 (health and exercise science) and Steven Bryant \u201992 (physics).<\/p>\n

Anthony Herrera, executive director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and communication studies media specialist and instructor\u00a0Mary Sturgill co-hosted. Dyson spoke about the efforts of the Chick-fil-A Support Center and its role in bolstering franchise operators, whom he calls the \u201csecret sauce\u201d of the brand. Amid the challenges of COVID-19 and social unrest, Dyson\u2019s responsibility at CSC is to help alleviate the pressures operators face as they work to keep team members safe in their communities.<\/p>\n

\"Zach

Zach Johnson ’03, president and partner of Metropolitan Properties.<\/p><\/div>\n

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 4:30 p.m.,\u00a0Zach Johnson \u201903, president and partner of Nashville-based Metropolitan Properties<\/a>, will offer his insights in \u201cManaging Change: Shifting Business Priorities in a Post-COVID World.\u201d\u00a0He says rather than a full pivot from any practice, he and his team doubled down on core deliverables \u2013 ramping up their responsiveness to clients and focusing on courtesy and expertise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe became more aggressive about reminding our clients that we are working hard during this time \u2013 that we aren\u2019t using the pandemic as a reason to slack off,” Johnson said. “Once (COVID-19) passes, you want to be the company they remember.”<\/p>\n

Herrera says alumni have much to offer through their rich, diverse experiences. \u201cThis series is a way to engage our most successful innovative and entrepreneurial alums and inspire students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community,” he said. “We want to foster a culture of creativity and innovation, a bold spirit of failing forward, and bring the Furman family together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Elizabeth

Elizabeth Marron ’20.<\/p><\/div>\n

Elizabeth Marron \u201920, now a post baccalaureate fellow with Innovation and Entrepreneurship, agrees the series is a great platform for engaging Furman alumni and sharing valuable stories. Marron, a psychology graduate who wants to one day manage her own counseling practice, \u00a0said she\u2019d like to help redefine what an entrepreneur is.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stereotypical entrepreneur is a business major or maybe super tech-savvy,” she said. “This series features alums from all types of backgrounds who have forged their own paths and careers<\/p>\n

Other sessions include:<\/p>\n