Rhoda Olsen
Just as Dr. Freiberg suggests leaders should do, Rhoda established a culture of innovation and leveraged it to yield an action-oriented strategy that would position Great Clips well ahead of its competition.
MINNEAPOLIS (PRWEB) April 04, 2018
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota (http://www.smumn.edu) will honor Rhoda Olsen, former CEO and current vice chair of the board of Great Clips, with the 2018 Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership at this year’s Hendrickson Forum. The Tuesday, April 24, 2018, event, “Innovation Culture,” is presented by Saint Mary’s Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership and will feature a keynote address by author, business owner, and renowned leadership speaker Dr. Jackie Freiberg.
“We are thrilled to honor Rhoda as our 2018 Hendrickson Medal recipient,” says Audrey Kintzi, Saint Mary’s vice president for development and alumni relations, who leads the Hendrickson Forum. “She is a wonderfully kind individual whose contributions to Great Clips are too numerous to count. Under her leadership, the organization implemented innovative technologies to completely transform the customer experience. Just as Dr. Freiberg suggests leaders should do, Rhoda established a culture of innovation and leveraged it to yield an action-oriented strategy that would position Great Clips well ahead of its competition.”
At the helm of Great Clips, Olsen championed online and mobile check-in for customers, allowing them to see wait times for haircuts and be added to salon waitlists before arriving. Olsen also developed a robust customer database that alerts stylists of customers’ preferences, ensuring a consistent experience for the customer each and every time – no matter the location or stylist.
Olsen began at Great Clips in 1984, was named president in 1998, and promoted to CEO in 2011. She led Great Clips from 1,000 salons in 1998 to 4,200 salons at the end of 2017. She has more than 30 years of executive leadership experience in numerous positions at Great Clips as well as prior experience in human resources, business leadership, and consulting at various companies.
Past medal recipients include Inge Thulin of 3M, Mary Brainerd of HealthPartners, and more. Nominees for the Hendrickson Medical for Ethical Leadership have made significant contributions to the Twin Cities community and exhibit ethical leadership that is globally oriented and innovative or creative; citizenship that significantly improves the lives of others’ appreciation for diverse ideas and perspectives; and a commitment to inspiring emerging leaders.
This year’s Hendrickson Forum will feature a keynote address from Jackie Freiberg, author, business owner, and renowned leadership speaker. Recognized as one of the Top 30 Minds on Leadership by Leadership Excellence Magazine, Freiberg helps companies foster work environments where their employees can do their best work. Freiberg is the co-author of seven award-winning books, including NUTS!, the international bestseller describing Southwest Airlines’ leadership, culture, and profitability; GUTS!; BOOM!; NANOVATION!; Do Something Now!; Be a Person of Impact!; and most recently, CAUSE! A Business Strategy for Standing Out in A Sea of Sameness. To learn more about Jackie, visit http://www.smumn.edu/hendrickson.
At the Hendrickson Forum, Freiberg will discuss how organizations can harness innovation in a new way. Focusing on three critical roles for organizational success (notice, lead, and disrupt), Freiberg’s keynote will empower attendees to take on these roles and begin taking advantage of opportunities to transform new ideas into real solutions.
The Hendrickson Forum is a luncheon event, held this year on Tuesday, April 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., with check-in and networking beginning at 11 a.m., at the Saint Mary’s University Center on the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus, located on Park Avenue in Minneapolis. The program also includes the presentation of the Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership. The event is open to the public and general admission tickets are $50 per person, which includes lunch. Advance registration is required. More information and online registration is available at: http://www.smumn.edu/HendricksonForum.
About the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership
The Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership is an educational enterprise of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and serves as an educational and transformational resource to the community. Founded in 1994 and located in Minneapolis on the Twin Cities Campus of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, the Institute serves both current and emerging leaders. It is an academic resource for Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and the community, and a forum for exploration of ethical issues. As part of its mission, the Institute strives to provide programs that encourage and develop ethical, globally oriented leaders, offer integrative leadership models, promote ethical principles that are practical, and infuse leaders with an appreciation of spirituality and free enterprise. For additional information, visit http://www.smumn.edu/hendrickson.
About Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota awakens, nurtures, and empowers learners to ethical lives of service and leadership. At Saint Mary’s, students find in every classroom—whether in person or online—a relationship-driven, person-centered education. Through intense inquiry, students discover the truths in the world and the character within. Founded in 1912 and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota enrolls 5,800 students at its residential undergraduate college in Winona and its Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs, based in Minneapolis but extending worldwide. Saint Mary’s offers respected and affordable programs in a variety of areas leading to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, as well as certificates and specialist designations. Learn more at http://www.smumn.edu.