St. John's News

“The secret to great leadership is integrity,” said nationally recognized keynote speaker, author, leadership trainer and educator Nancy Hunter Denney. To inspire St. John’s students to become influential leaders, Denney provided students with what she calls the Zing! Impact Equation. She terms the hard to describe, yet undeniable quality that great leaders exhibit as “Zing!”

As part of the Fall 2008 Academic Lecture Series, Denney came to the Queens campus of St. John’s University, October 7, 2008 to speak to students about the importance of leadership and making a difference in the life of others.

“Zing with an exclamation point is the ability to override competing forces to positively influence others towards a greater social good,” explained Denney to an audience of over 50 students, faculty and administrators.  She enlightened students on the characteristics of charismatic leaders that she calls the “21 Insights on Maximizing Your Influence.” Among the key characteristics are the ability to maintain a positive attitude at all times and being able to clearly articulate your vision for the future.

Denney also revealed what she feels is the number one characteristic of a great leader, integrity: “Integrity means predictability. As long as you are consistent in your actions and do what you say you are going to do, people will begin to trust you and look to you for your leadership.” Denney expressed her belief that the individual is in control of who they are and who they want to become and urged students to “be the best they can be starting right now.”

For Denney, the equation is simple: your leadership potential is a function of you plus your means of making a difference added to your ability to follow the “21 Insights to Maximizing your Influence.” “You will only reach your full potential if you steer clear of things that take away from your potential influence like poor communication skills and being inconsiderate, and then you achieve this thing called Zing!” said Denney.

Nancy Hunter Denney is the author of 21 Insights on Maximizing Your Influence and was featured in the motivational speaker compilation Lessons from the Road: Inspirational Insights by Leading Speakers in Education.

For a list of upcoming speakers during the Fall 2008 Academic Lecture Series, please visit the Academic Lecture Series schedule.