Annual Christmas Fest to Spread Love

Westmont hosts its 13th annual Christmas Festival, retelling the Christmas story by weaving narration with music from the Westmont Orchestra, College Choir, and Choral Union on Friday, December 1, at 7 pm; Saturday, December 2, at 2 pm and 7 pm; and Sunday, December 3, at 3 pm, all at First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance Ave. Tickets for this year’s event, “Covenant of Love”, cost $15 each and are on sale at westmont.edu/christmasfestival. Please call (805) 565-6040 for more information.

The festival blends traditional seasonal carols with historic works performed by Westmont’s Orchestra, Choir, and Choral Union. These pieces include “The Waters of Love”, a 20th-century composition by Patrick Hawes, “Speaking Love”, a 21st-century piece by Danyew, and “Gaudete”, a 16th-century composition arranged by Gary Fry.

Kawasaki Offers Leadership Tips, Apple Insight

Renowned entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki explored leadership and innovation at a sold-out luncheon November 3 in Westmont’s Global Leadership Center. Kawasaki’s speech, part of the Mosher Center’s series on Moral and Ethical Leadership in American Society, offered practical ways to influence and persuade people and change their minds in a moral and ethical way.

Kawasaki said one of the keys to success is being likeable. He told the story of meeting with Richard Branson in Moscow, who asked him if he flew Virgin Atlantic Airways, which Branson founded. Kawasaki said he wasn’t willing to jeopardize his Global Services standing with United Airlines.

“At that moment, he got down on his knees and started polishing my shoes with his jacket,” Kawasaki said. “So that’s the moment I started flying with Virgin Airlines.”

Kawasaki serves as the chief evangelist of Canva, an online graphic design tool, brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz since 2015, and an executive Fellow of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. As the chief evangelist at Apple, he worked with Steve Jobs to launch Macintosh. He left Apple in 1987 to start ACIUS, the Macintosh database company that published 4th Dimension. Kawasaki returned to Apple as an Apple Fellow in 1995, and in 2013 he joined Google as an adviser to Motorola. He has written Art of the Start, The Art of Social Media, Enchantment, and nine other books, covering a range of topics, including social media, and self-publishing.

Kawasaki says trustworthiness is another important trait of a champion. “You have to trust others before you can expect them to trust you,” he said. He explained that he never thought Zappos would be successful selling shoes to women who couldn’t see, smell, and try on the shoes first. “Why did Zappos succeed?” he asked. “Because women trusted Zappos. And why do women trust Zappos? Because Zappos has the world’s best return policy. They pay shipping both ways. You don’t like the shoe, send it back, they will pay.”

Kawasaki emphasized the importance of innovation. He described how the ice-harvesting business gave way to ice factories, which gave way to refrigerators. “No company went from ice harvesting to ice factory to refrigerator,” he said, “because most companies define themselves in terms of what they already do. If you truly want to innovate, you need to get to the next curve.”

Following his presentation, Kawasaki sat down with president Gayle D. Beebe and reminisced about his days working with Apple and co-founder Steve Jobs.

“The company that did the most for Macintosh and arguably saved Apple was Aldus Pagemaker, which created a market called desktop publishing,” he said. “If it was not for desktop publishing, Apple would have died. Imagine the world without Apple. Wrap your mind around that.”

After a pause, he jokingly continued, “You would have phone batteries that last more than half a day, GPS would actually work, and Siri would understand what you say.

“I know we’re at a Christian college and this isn’t exactly C.S. Lewis-level reasoning, but one of the reasons I believe in God is there is no other explanation for Apple’s continuous survival.”

Kawasaki describes Gates as an inspiring visionary such as Walt Disney and Elon Musk. “I think the world is a lot less interesting without Steve Jobs,” Kawasaki said. “Right now, he is telling God what to do. He is also working on Universe 2.0, so if you didn’t like Universe 1.0, stick around. Having said that, I can tell you Universe 2.0, designed by Steve, is going to be late, it’s going to be expensive, and none of your cables are going to work.”

The Mosher Center also sponsors the 2018 Lead Where You Stand Conference June 6-8 at the Global Leadership Center with keynote speakers Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Brooks, and Lynda Weinman. Tickets to the three-day event, which include all materials, parking, and meals, cost $499. Registration will open soon online at westmont.edu/lead. 

Westmont to Light Beloved Pickle Tree 

Westmont ushers in the Christmas season with the 16th annual Pickle Tree Lighting on Tuesday, November 28, at 5 pm at Kerrwood Lawn. Following holiday music and the Pickle Address, a mystery tree lighter will throw down the massive switch that lights the 150-foot redwood tree, affectionately known as the Pickle Tree. The event is free and open to the public.

Hundreds of students, alumni, and neighbors will join the celebration, enjoying warm apple cider and cookies. Santa Claus will pose for pictures with people who brought cameras inside Kerrwood Hall beginning at 4 pm. For more information, please call (805) 565-6056.

The Cold Spring School Choir, led by Sara DiSalvo, will perform from 4:40 to 5 pm and Westmont’s Ahh-Men will perform from 5 to 5:30 pm. 

Michelle Hughes ’89, Westmont alumna and associate professor of education, will deliver the Pickle Address. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and teaching credential from Westmont in 1989 and worked as a teacher and assistant principal in Santa Barbara for two decades. She earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and an administrative services credential from CSU Northridge; in 2014, she earned a doctorate from George Fox University. Hughes looks forward to delivering the Pickle Address and kicking off the Christmas season with the Westmont community.