Brochu, Hjalmquist Discuss Teams, AI at Lunch and Lead
Hunt Insights · Alumni and Homecoming
Brochu, Hjalmquist Discuss Teams, AI at Lunch and Lead
The 2026 alumni honorees took student questions about leading teams, finding work, and adapting to AI.
The Big Picture
Brochu and Hjalmquist take student questions.
UTEP’s 2026 Distinguished Alumnus Mike Brochu ’74 and Hunt College Gold Nugget John T. Hjalmquist, CPA ’78, took questions from students at Lunch and Lead on Friday, Sept. 25. At the El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center, they discussed managing employees, finding work, AI, and when to give a struggling employee another chance.
The Questions
Students ask about leading friends and changing teams.
The discussion covered leading friends on a team, influencing change without a senior title, and deciding whether a struggling employee needs more coaching or a change in role.
What They Said
Teams, technology, and a missed investment.
On building a team
Brochu urged new leaders to hire people who will challenge their ideas. “The worst thing you can do is micromanage them. Let them run. They will make some mistakes. That’s okay.” Hjalmquist said leaders should recognize good work, even with a simple thank-you.
On making decisions
“If you make the wrong decision, correct it and fix it,” Hjalmquist said. Brochu urged emerging leaders to be assertive without becoming aggressive and to make a call when the decision cannot wait.
On changes at work
Hjalmquist described moving restaurant managers from six-day to five-day workweeks, giving them rotating weekends off, and raising starting wages when hiring became difficult. His company is now reviewing its AI policy. Brochu drew a parallel to the arrival of the internet: “We need to embrace AI. It’s here.”
On a missed investment
Asked what he would tell his younger self, Brochu recalled declining an early opportunity to invest with Howard Schultz. “Nobody is going to buy coffee for $4 a cup on the corner,” he remembered telling him. Schultz went on to build Starbucks. Brochu’s advice to students was to listen longer before dismissing an unfamiliar idea.
On getting started
Hjalmquist urged students to meet people and ask directly about opportunities. “Don’t be shy. Do not be shy. And don’t be afraid to be a little bit bold.” Brochu recalled walking into El Paso Natural Gas without an appointment to seek his first job after graduating from UTEP.
The Final Exchange
Brochu and Hjalmquist weigh mistakes against patterns.
The discussion returned to Hjalmquist’s earlier point about replacing an employee who was not succeeding. The issue was how to distinguish a recoverable mistake from a persistent performance problem.
Brochu said the answer depends on why the mistake happened and whether the employee learns from it. “You want your people to stretch. So when they do stretch, they are going to make mistakes.” Hjalmquist said he felt obligated to give people a genuine chance to succeed before deciding they could not continue in the role.
