U.S. Bancorp CEO Praises Offutt School

Mar 15, 2013

osb Emphasis on ethical behavior and leadership development sets Concordia College apart in higher education today, said Richard Davis, CEO of U.S. Bancorp.

He spoke at the inaugural Offutt School Presents seminar, a gathering of 250 business leaders, alumni and students on March 14 in Minneapolis.

Davis noted that a good number of business leaders in the Twin Cities are graduates of Concordia, which develops future business leaders the right way.

“The Offutt School of Business intends to teach young people ethical behavior and encourage them to do something with it,” said Davis. “This is what clearly separates Concordia and its Offutt School of Business from the others.”

Davis views the college’s emphasis on ethics as a call to action to set a higher standard and expect more from our leaders.

“Ethics is experiential, and young people at the Offutt School will be trained and tested to stand up for what is right,” said Davis. “Then we must trust them. We can’t legislate ethical behavior. We find it in us.”

Leadership and ethics go together, Davis said.

“It’s how you do business, not what you do, that matters most. Leadership without ethics is not good business,” Davis said.

Leaders who are building their businesses need to realize that “at the end of the day, if it’s slow and thoughtful, you won’t get there quite as fast, but you’ll get there stronger and you’ll stay there longer.”

Troy Butner ’90, a partner at Ernst & Young Financial Services, flew in from his office in Zurich, Switzerland, to introduce Davis and participate in a panel discussion with him. The two fielded questions from the audience on specific examples of ethical decision making in business.

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