The Pentagon’s current Director of China Policy, Brenan Richards Kane, visited the Frank Batten School’s Student Leadership Conference on Saturday to discuss leadership on a national scale. Kane, a UVA Batten alum herself, shared certain strategies she’s used to navigate some of the most critical conversations concerning national security.
Speaking to students, Kane voiced the bipartisan nature of her work. Her career has spanned across multiple presidential administrations, meaning that putting problem-solving policy over politics is a daily occurence.
“As a civil servant, we serve no matter the administration, Republican or Democrat. I really look at my job, my team’s job, as what is the problem, what are we trying to work on, what do we think is the best answer,” Kane expressed.
With fifteen years of experience shaping policy at the Department of Defense, the National Security Council and a Combatant Command, Kane was in a unique position to offer current students advice.
“Where you stand is where you sit,” Kane said, sharing the famous aphorism, the Miles’ Law, when asked about by a student on how to increase team unity in high pressure situations.
“I made it a priority to meet one-on-one with each of the departments and agencies, the people that are the most passionate. People just want to be heard.”
Kane also spoke on the value in finding common ground in the process of problem solving.
“Understand where [people] are coming from and what their perspectives are… before you try to tackle the really really hard things,” Kane said.
Such advice resonated with the theme of the conference: “Bridging Divides: Leadership in a Polarized World.”
In addition to providing advice on navigating opposing perspectives, Kane touched on certain “soft skills” that are valuable for those entering the workforce. Working in the Pentagon, Kane sees many young professionals often unwilling to take on the smaller tasks that may not appear as rewarding. However, a willing attitude and dependability on even the smallest of jobs are critical.
“You don’t have to hit a home run every day,” Kane said. “It’s about being reliable, dependable, getting the work done, nothing is too small…you have to build trust and you kinda have to prove yourself to your boss and your team.”
The 09’ Batten alum carries an extensive resume, but the advice she passed along to students did not require similar experience. Recalling a time when she was cold-called in a meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office, Kane highlighted the importance of always coming prepared.
“Don’t expect to talk in a meeting, especially when you’re more junior, but always be prepared to talk and be prepared to have an opinion or recommendation on something,” Kane said.
In addition to offering advice on how to succeed in the workplace, Kane offered practical tips to students, but especially third and fourth-years looking to follow the Charlottesville to D.C. pipeline.
She emphasized the importance of graduate degrees in the D.C. job market, encouraging students who are looking for careers in the policy realm to work for a few years and then consider a part-time program or night school. However, Kane also acknowledged the success of those around her, in particular her Batten classmates, who have forged career paths by going more non-traditional routes and receiving additional degrees later.
“There’s lots of different ways,” Kane resassured students. “There’s no one right way. It’s whatever is the best way and the most interesting way for you.”
Baillie McNitt, the conference chair and a mentee of Kane, was inspired to put on an event of this nature when she realized a majority of student leadership conferences, especially those centered around national security, all take place at the nation’s military academies. McNitt, a Batten student, found herself asking why at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, there was no leadership conference for students.
She then took a vision, and then turned it into reality.
The two-day event took place in Garrett Hall and spanned Friday and Saturday, with speakers including Professor Ken Elzinga of the UVA Economics Department and Tami Pyfer, Chief of Staff & VP of External Relations at UNITE, alongside Kane. In addition to hosting keynote speakers, the conference included opportunities to hear from policy-specific panelists, as well as time to break into small group discussions.
Virginia Webb, programs co-chair for the conference, hopes that it will continue to be an annual event.
“We’ve definitely learned a lot of lessons about what works, what doesn’t,” Webb said.
She and this year’s student leadership team plan to reflect on such lessons and pass them down to those who will be running the conference next year.
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