L&D Manager Spotlight - Mulu Ferede

Mulu Ferede, Executive Director, University Unions 
 

1. Describe your role for UT.  

I serve as the Executive Director of University Unions.  The organization manages and administers five facilities specifically focused for servicing the campus community especially the student body. The Unions is charged in programming and managing small and large events across campus in spaces such as Hogg Memorial Auditorium, the Texas Union, and the William C. Powers, Jr. Student Activity Center.

2. What was the most important lesson you learned as a new manager?

The most important lesson I learned as a new manager is the same one I still learn as a seasoned leader and is you are only as good as the organization you build and the people who support the organization’s mission.  

3. What advice do you have for managers to help develop their team?

Keep an open mind, allow maximum latitude for mishaps, and trust people and the training protocol you have in your organization.   

4. Why is learning in the workplace important?

Learning in the workplace is important because it keeps employees engaged.  It is also important because the lessons learned have some organizational context which can easily translate to effectiveness and efficiency.  

5. What have you recently learned, what are you currently learning about, or how are you developing yourself as a professional?

What I’ve recently learned, and I’ve known all along, is organizations are dynamic, so it’s important to maintain your core principles while being  flexible to the current conditions.  Leadership is a human enterprise.