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Amy Barnes understands the power of a story well told.
In her Introduction to Leadership Development class, the senior lecturer and alumna encourages her undergraduate students to hone their leadership skills and strengths through a competitive group project.
The Higher Education and Student Affairs course is part of the new Ohio State undergraduate interdisciplinary minor in leadership at Ohio State. It helps students appreciate their own contributions as well as the different leadership styles and qualities that others bring to a group.
Their task? Two of her classes told the story of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams to other Ohio State students.
Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, has earned a national reputation thanks to the quality and uncommon flavors of her products, an expanding distribution network, and a best-selling cookbook, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Bauer’s ice cream shop has been featured in Cooking Light, Food & Wine, and Time, as well as receiving a James Beard Award, dubbed the ‘Oscars of the Food World.’
Jeni’s concoctions can be found in more than 675 stores throughout the U.S. and in Dubai and Kuwait. In nine shops in Ohio and one in Tennessee, she offers flavors such as Wildberry Lavender, Bangkok Peanut, and Exceptional Salty Caramel.
Bauer said that as her business grows in success, she makes it a point to give back.
“We want to be good citizens and good members of the community,” said the newly appointed Wexner Center Foundation Board trustee. The company is committed to making the best ice creams
possible and making the world a better place.
According to Barnes, Jeni’s mission ties in well with one of the theories taught to future leaders: the social change model of leadership.
Putting leadership into action
Working with Jeni’s CEO John Lowe, the students heard firsthand about the leadership, strategy and the decision-making-process within the Splendid Ice Creams organization. Jeni’s philosophy is to enhance the development of leadership qualities in all staff--those who hold formal leadership positions as well as those who do not.
“We want to share our organizational values, not just sell ice cream to students,” Lowe said. “We want to develop leaders who are not only engaged in business, but in their communities as well.”
After hearing about Jeni’s commitment to local foods, home-grown ingredients and fair trade relationships around the globe, the students created strategies to express Jeni’s vision and make those connections with fellow Ohio State students.
Jacob Miller, a senior majoring in sports industry, explained his group’s proposal, "Spreadin' the Splendid in 2012: Bringing Jeni's to OSU," a three-phase campaign of special events, social media, and on-campus advertising.
“Phase one would include a kick-off event at Jeni’s Columbus location in Clintonville, offering a 50 percent discount for students with a BuckID, a promotional article in the Lantern student newspaper, loyalty punch cards, and the distribution of Jeni's push pops on Ohio State’s Oval,” Miller said. The students’ ideas for phase two included a Facebook contest with multiple ‘ice cream for a year’ winners and a booth to distribute samples at the annual Buck-i-Frenzy festival on the Columbus campus. They would culminate the campaign with an artisan ice cream demonstration by Bauer herself at the Ohio Union.
Miller’s team presented its suggestions to Lowe, who was supposed to select the best approach. Instead, Lowe was so impressed with all the Introduction to Leadership Development projects, he invited the entire class to present concepts to Bauer and her marketing team.
“The student plans were very innovative; we couldn’t pick just one winner. We are looking at all their suggestions,” Lowe said.
According to Lowe, partnering with the class is an opportunity for the company to expand relationships with the university and to tap into dynamic and fresh ideas. For the students, it gives them a platform to express their personal and team leadership qualities and gain insight into how a socially conscious company turns a profit. Or, as Lowe jokes, “at least stays in business.”
“The students spend the entire course learning about their own leadership abilities and strengths and about how they interact in a group setting,” Barnes explained. “This project allowed them to translate the course concepts into action and then reflect on how their behavior affected the other members of their group and ultimately the group’s success.”
