MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth native Steven Skinner has accomplished quite a bit in the 28 years since he last called the Maple City home. He started his post-Monmouth journey by enrolling at the U.S. Naval Academy and is now an executive with Microsoft. Along the way, he earned his MBA and worked for Home Depot, Accenture and IBM before joining Microsoft, where he is the general manager for worldwide industry strategy and solutions.

During his Whiteman Lecture at Monmouth College last week, Skinner discussed "critical success factors" that have been important to him in his professional career, and he listed several areas for the audience to consider, including developing their own "personal brand." In his talk, which was targeted to the college’s student body, Skinner also explained how he "almost started World War III."

Skinner said that his time in Annapolis overlapped with that of future NBA star David Robinson. The 6-foot-5 Skinner, who starred in basketball at Monmouth High School, reported that his "claim to fame" was blocking one of Robinson’s shots, albeit before the future San Antonio Spur grew more than half a foot in college.

He nearly has a claim to infamy, as well. While serving as a weapons officer, Skinner, who achieved the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, nearly executed an order to blow up a vessel that was in close proximity to his submarine. Fortunately, he said, the Navy’s source couldn’t offer 100 percent validation of the danger the boat represented and, at the last minute, he didn’t have to follow through on destroying a vessel with scores of women and children on deck.

That was just one of the nuggets of Skinner’s life that the audience learned, and many of the others pertained to his philosophy on finding success. Interspersed were some of his favorite sayings, including "We become what we think about the most" and "If we did the things we were capable of, we would astound ourselves."

Skinner has certainly experienced success. A strategic thinker, he is known for his world-class skills in multi-channel retail strategy, shareholder value analysis and global supply chain management. He has an extensive background in corporate strategy, general management, planning, international business development and information technology.

Skinner told the students that he considers his three critical success factors to be education, not being fearful of risk and having fun.

"Education is the bedrock of success," he said, "especially the kind that makes you continue to stretch your mind. Having a thirst for learning helps you test the boundaries of what is possible."

Skinner then delivered the meat of his lecture, which was titled "Ten Keys to a Successful Career in Business." He broke the keys up into four categories: manage yourself; manage your personal brand; be a leader – not a manager; and empower yourself.

When discussing brands, Skinner asked students to raise their hand if they had visited a Sears recently, and then to raise their hand if they had been to a Best Buy. The latter chain was by far more popular, and Skinner told the students they need to think of themselves in those kinds of terms, as well.

"You need to show some vim and vigor in your brand," he said, "otherwise, you’re hard to differentiate. People are attracted to your passion."

Skinner encouraged the students to manage their thoughts, goals and actions. He called goals "your dreams, in writing," and added, "Someone will set your goals for you if you don’t do it yourself. Take control of your own destiny."

Skinner even revealed some of his personal goals, including writing a murder mystery titled "Death By Chocolate" and being a college professor by the age of 55.

Regarding the latter goal, Monmouth College academic dean Jane Jakoubek, one of many in the audience who was impressed by Skinner’s lecture, called out "You’re hired!" from her spot in the balcony.

The Whiteman Lecturer closed his talk by quoting Robert F. Kennedy, who said, "Only those who’ve failed greatly can achieve greatly."

Concluded Skinner, "I wish you all great failure, punctuated by great success. You only live life once – grab it and go!"

The Whiteman Lecture is named in memory of Wendell F. Whiteman, a Monmouth College alumnus and long-time executive of Security Savings Bank in Monmouth.