B Biz

Just passing through.

President Bill Clinton famously displayed a moon rock on the coffee table in the Oval Office to remind his colleagues and visitors that the United States, and indeed the entire planet, existed long before his administration and would certainly exist long after he left office. Those of us who are fortunate enough to lead institutions, such as universities, with long lives need to remember that we are entrusted with that responsibility for only a mere fraction of the institution’s history.

That important realization is central to my leadership philosophy. As a leader, although I can have a profound impact on an institution’s success and identity, there will come a day when I will pass the baton to another individual who will take the work I’ve done and make it better. That respect for the organization, rather than for the individual, should be paramount when making important decisions regarding current programs or operations or when planning for the future.

It’s all about the people, stupid.

My personality type drives me to accomplish tasks and goals, and then to move on to the next set of challenges. Although that perspective and drive can yield tremendous benefits for an organization and can build the momentum needed for great success, it can also cause one to lose sight of the most important resource of any organization: its people. In my case, I work with an incredibly talented team of faculty and staff who have as a common aspiration to deliver a world-class business education to this country’s next generation of leaders.

Our organization is also dedicated to serving another important group of people: the students who put their faith and investment into the Brock School of Business to guide them through undergraduate or graduate business education.

Although it’s easy for me to get caught up in meetings, strategic goals, tasks, and achievements, I try to set time aside each day to write personal notes of thanks to those with whom I work or to stop by someone’s office to encourage and thank them. As I make decisions, it’s imperative that I look through a lens that will focus my attention on the needs of others before moving on to other institutional priorities. The people who work for the organization, and the people it serves, are the life’s blood of any organization.

If you’re not improving, you’re standing still.

I always assess our organization through the eye of continuous improvement. As the dean of the Brock School, it is my job to ensure that the organization is equipped with the correct processes to ensure that the organization is asking the right questions, allocating its resources to our most important priorities, and making progress on its shared goals and objectives. This strategic management function is the most important for any organizational leader, but it’s often overlooked in favor of what I call “trench warfare”, or letting the “tyranny of the urgent” drive daily work.
It’s my role to bring the Brock School’s various stakeholders together to articulate the organization’s strategic vision. Then, by working with our people to put appropriate continuous improvement processes in place, my work is centered on monitoring our progress and initiating corrective action when things don’t go exactly as planned. Keeping that 10,000 foot perspective is vitally important for me and for any leader.

Sweat the details.

Whoever first uttered the words “Don’t sweat the details” probably never ran a successful organization. The details always matter. In a world in which manufacturers have to be reminded that quality matters and service companies forget that customer satisfaction ensures their survival, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that few organizations put the proper value on those pesky details. In my business, the details are manifest in so many important ways, from making sure our students have the best learning environment possible, to putting great thought and care into our speakers programs for the community, or to communicating successfully with our alumni and donors. People appreciate care and concern over the little things--they may not always notice or express their appreciation when things are handled well, but they certainly notice when the details have been overlooked.

Swing for the fences and celebrate the base hits.

We like to think big at the Brock School. The culture of our organization is to take risks and try new things. Perhaps that spirit is what caught Harry Brock’s attention—he was a risk taker extraordinaire! We are trying to transform business education by jettisoning the old way of doing things and giving our students experiential opportunities to get their hands dirty before they graduate. Our students completely manage a $1+ million equity fund for the university, compete for more than $20,000 in start-up funding for new businesses, and receive loans from the school in their junior year to start micro-businesses.

Are these efforts risky? Absolutely, but they yield the highest educational return for our people, and that’s exciting.

We don’t always succeed—I am also a big proponent of “fast failure,” and we should be unwilling to pull the plug on efforts that aren’t working. Not every idea can be a home run, but that aggressive attitude builds an innovative organization where even the base hits matter.