Perspectives
MORE THAN SKILLS: BUILDING A CULTURE OF OWNERSHIP W hen the first class of Financial Management Association students graduated in 2015, I wasn’t entirely sure what we had built. I knew the students had talent and drive, but there was no roadmap—just a belief that if we gave them the tools and put them in the right environment, they could go toe-to-toe with anyone. That belief still shapes how I think about student preparation. Academic instruction is only part of it. The real impact comes from building a culture that expects and supports more. To me, preparation means pressure and repetition. It means giving students the space to figure things out and the responsibility to take ownership of the outcome. Technical skills are important, and yes, our students build real fluency in modeling, analysis, and portfolio work, but those skills only matter if they’re paired with ownership, drive, and a sense of gratitude. That last part really matters. It grounds the work. It keeps the ambition in check. And it’s one of the qualities that differentiates Auburn and our students. What matters most is whether the students’ experience is evolving and whether we’re building something that’s not just excellent, but sustainable. And the best part? The students are thinking about that too. A shared sense of ownership is where everything starts. As students begin to take responsibility for the program and their own development, showing them what’s possible becomes just as important, whether through exposure to alumni who’ve built meaningful careers or through experiential opportunities that let them achieve something real. After that, you just need to put them in the ring and trust them. Students shouldn’t just hear about success. They should
TRACY RICHARD Professor of Practice Executive Director, Harbert Investment Center Department of Finance
feel what it’s like to navigate it, work for it, and earn it. That’s the shift I look for: when they stop wondering if they belong and start asking what’s next. Growth doesn’t happen in comfort, and that’s where culture becomes everything. The environment has to allow, even expect, students to fail, reflect, recover, and return better. That process is hard, and it should be. But when they get through it, they’re not just prepared for the next role; they’re prepared for whatever comes after it. And when that mindset takes root, something powerful happens: students start reaching back and asking how they can help those who come after them. They become mentors and begin to see their success not as a finish line but as something to share. That culture of interconnected success has been one of the most inspiring outcomes of this work. In the end, it’s not placement statistics or competition wins that mean the most. It’s watching a student walk out the door believing, “I built something. I changed something. I pushed myself, and then I gave back.”
Harbert Magazine 13
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