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Leadership

I am involved, as many of you know, in the graduate program at SUNY Maritime.   My mission, as I concieve of it, is to:

“The aim of the graduate program is to provide a quality educational experience that prepares students to thrive and make a difference in the world. The theme of the program, international transportation management, is continually being shaped by events in the world. Hence, to continue to be relevant the program must change in its essential elements – students, faculty, courses, and learning environment.

If Maritime did less it would not be fulfilling its commitment to its most important constituencies, the students and the organizations that hire them.”

The development of leadership skills is essential in discharging this mission.  Consequently, the level at which I teach my courses is characterized by:

"The point of view taken in my courses is that of the middle and upper level executive.  With what issues must these executives contend?  How do they discharge their responsibilities?  What does success mean?  How can that be achieved?" 

This characterization along with other characterizations such as ethics and culture are woven through all of my courses. 

With that in mind, I draw your attention to a post by one of my favorite bloggers, Irving Wladawsky-Berger, titled "Lou Gerstner at MIT."  Wladawsky-Berger recounts a visit by Gerster to MIT in which a number of key aspects of organization and leadership are covered.  You may, as I, have wished you were there, but this is what we have and its worth your time.

Posted on Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 08:33AM by Registered CommenterJames Drogan | Comments1 Comment

Reader Comments (1)

Fascinating - thanks. Clicking thru to Irving's post more so. Particularly in what he doesn't mention. If you read Lou's book in the last several chapters he discusses his belated recognition that changing the culture was his next major strategic challenge followed, secondly, by the realization that as IBM "recovered" the DNA and especially middle management were reverting back to ingrained habit of bureaucracy and organoscelrosis. Followed by the sad admission that Lou realized that doing a forklift on the fundamental DNA was much more difficult and would take longer than he had. And that lack of fundamental cultural evolution lives on today. Despite Lou's argument that he changed the orientation IBM is still rife with measurement systems that focus on narrow and s.t. outcomes causing inter-organization cooperation and developmental efforts to be sacrificed on the alter of artificial s.t. quarterly objectives and narrow, self-interested goals & objectives. While the symptoms are correct the diagnosis was incomplete and the treatment an admitted and demonstrable failure. As judged by employee moral, declining organic growth, and growing customer dissatisfaction and lack of trust. Much of which can be directly verified by examining the Investor briefings, especially from last Spring, on the company web site.
March 23, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterdblwyo

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