Practicing Leadership

Being an effective leader on the football field isn't so different from being a successful leader in the workplace, according to Grant Gellatly '14.

Gellatly, wide receiver for Big Red football, says he has learned people management skills from his ILR classes that have made him a better leader within his team.

"I think my classes have taught me how to motivate different types of people in different ways," Gellatly said, who ranked 18th nationally in receiving yards per game in 2012.

"Many ILR courses in human resources and organizational behavior have taught me how to be a better communicator, which I believe is pivotal in leadership."

Being a student athlete has given Gellatly the opportunity to apply the concepts he has studied in his classes in different contexts, he said.

Seven of the 101 players on the football team hail from ILR.

The small number of ILR players allows for a close-knit support network on the team, Gellatly said.

"Now that I am a senior, I try to help the younger guys in ILR with schedules and classes," he said.

"The guys before me, such as JC Tretter, really helped me out and I want to try to be that help for the guys below me."

Tretter '13, former offensive lineman for Cornell, is now a member of the Green Bay Packers.

When he's not busy studying, practicing, or mentoring younger players on the team, Gellatly is applying to law school, which he hopes to attend after graduating from Cornell in May.

No matter where his career takes him, Gellatly is sure that his ILR education has prepared him to be a leader in his field.

"ILR has definitely aided my development as a leader and continues to do so today."