The board of Harvard will be searching for a new president who will need to navigate a difficult torturous DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) road. The most important traits the Harvard board should be looking for in a new president are superb leadership skills, emotional intelligence, and a deep understanding of the polarization that DEI as defined by Harvard is causing. The reputation of Harvard depends on it.
Follow these fundamental principles of effective leadership
We should all be guided by what I identify as “fundamental principles” of effective leadership. Unfortunately, many leaders in business, nonprofits and politics miss the mark. They are not effective leaders. To guide the next generation of leaders, these fundamental principles need to be taught to all undergraduate students, regardless of their major. Many of them will assume leadership positions during their careers. This is what they need to know.
Can Claudine Gay survive as president of Harvard?
Author’s note: Shortly after my article on Claudine Gay was published, she resigned the presidency of Harvard.
University leaders need to earn the trust and confidence of not only those on campus, but also the wider community. They also need to hold themselves accountable to the same standards they hold others. Due to her plagiarism and the culture she is nurturing at Harvard, Gay is failing her leadership responsibilities. If she survives, she will be a significantly damaged leader.
Magill’s deplorable responses to Congress showed lack of empathy for Penn’s Jewish students
Was Liz Magill so committed to campus free speech that she allowed calls for genocide of UPenn’s Jewish students? Why couldn’t she understand the pain, fear and intimidation of these students? Free speech that incites violence, whether it be in the form of threatening words or actions, never trumps the safety of students. Never.
When to centralize or decentralize staff support resources
In complex organizations with multiple lines of business, when should a staff service be centralized at corporate and when should it report into a business? If that service is mission critical to the success of the business unit by being part of that unit, that service should report directly into the business unit. Otherwise, the service should be centralized.
Why doesn’t Greyhound give their Philly passengers a great customer experience?
Intercity bus passengers deserve a great customer experience. This is not what they are getting in Philadelphia from Greyhound after the company abandoned their bus terminal and moved to curbside pickup and drop off of passengers. Greyhound claims they follow industry standards. When industry standards are inadequate, leading companies go beyond those standards to differentiate themselves from their competition. Why doesn’t Greyhound?
Walter Isaacson on what drives Elon Musk and how he leads
Every leader has their own leadership style. As a leader, Musk is an outlier, a disruptor, out to accomplish what he believes is possible. Musk is an engineer, so his hard technical skills and way of thinking fit well with Tesla, SpaceX and Boring. However, at X (formerly Twitter), technical skills are not the driver for success. People skills and emotional intelligence are, which is not his strong area.
What you need to know to become a corporate director
Be sure to perform due diligence on any board you are thinking about joining. Understand the boardroom culture. Do some directors have an agenda that might steer decisions in a direction against the best interests of the company? Do directors have sufficient experience to ensure good governance? Is the CEO open and transparent with the board on issues impacting the company? Are the directors people you would enjoy working with?
College campuses are in turmoil. Administrators must defuse and de-escalate tensions
All forms of hate or violence, regardless to whom it is directed, must be condemned. When any group of students feels unsafe on campus, it is the responsibility of the university administration to protect them regardless of their race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. Let’s hope all university administrators fulfill this responsibility.
CEOs have a responsibility to society, not just shareholders
All pharma CEOs need to understand that they have a responsibility beyond that to their shareholders. Maximizing profits for shareholders beyond what is needed to earn a return on R&D investment—at the expense of people who cannot afford their pharmaceuticals—is unethical. Business ethics should be taught not only in MBA school, but in all undergraduate and graduate programs.
Advance in your career by going beyond expectations
How do people really get promoted? Doing the hard work is part of the equation, but its not going to be enough to get ahead. It’s about meeting/exceeding the expectations that your manager never tells you about. It’s about the unspoken rules that are not in your job description.
Saxbys teaches college students to be future business leaders
One of the greatest opportunities a college student can be granted is the responsibility to run a business, lead employees and be held accountable for achieving results. On average, college students achieve their first managerial position seven years after graduation. For those who have been Saxbys student cafe executive officers, on average they achieve their first managerial position 12 months after graduation.