MIT Sloan Master Feed

Stand and Deliver

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:05:15 GMT

In the cellars of the night, when the mind starts moving around old trunks of bad times, the pain of this and the shame of that, the memory of a small boldness is a hand to hold.
- John Leonard

The first speaker in MIT Sloan?s Dean?s Innovative Leader Series on my watch was Bruce Gordon, and it was a real honor to introduce him. Bruce has been a successful business person; but also, in his time as head of the NAACP, he showed real vision and courage, pursuing great change at significant risk. It is a little bit old-fashioned to describe him this way, though. Current -- and in truth, accurate -- management knowledge emphasizes the idea of distributed leadership, recognizing that the person at the top of any organization chart will necessarily be incomplete as a leader, and that successful firms encourage leadership throughout the organization.

In contrast, earlier conceptions of leadership were variants on the ?great person? theory. Attract a great leader and he/she will, through charisma and genius, single-handedly make the whole organization successful. The search was on for the ingredients making up this godlike individual. Breathless biographies and, especially, autobiographies, fueled the image of a solitary figure at the helm, steering the ship into safe and productive waters. In lazier moment of journalism and research this outdated view still lives.

Yet, as we throw out the bathwater of Zeus as CEO, there?s still a baby here in the private leadership moment. Encouraging and empowering managers to see what isn?t, and what is better, and what is difficult but perhaps possible: I am not sure we can have too much of these tales.

When I think of individual leadership moments, my friend Ira comes to mind. Ira runs a profitable private company that is a leader in his industry. Strong internally generated growth, a visible and respected brand, and a company oriented toward emerging opportunities. Ira is very much the leader, the driver of the firm?s commitment to success. He knows the business inside out, and is often asked by the media to share his expertise regarding trends in his industry.

But this is not the most impressive, or fundamental, thing about Ira. His firm operates in the security business. That?s security as in protection, rather than securities. Years ago he bucked the industry norm and decided his firm would no longer have its employees carry firearms. He also committed his firm to a living wage for all employees and a package of employee benefits unusual in this sector. He built the foundation of the business around a set of core values, and set about not just pursuing, but creating, segments of the market that are willing to pay for comprehensive, quality services rather than commodity services. And he has made it work, for his customers, his employees, and his community. Indeed it is clear that his firm?s success has stemmed from his taking the path less chosen.

But this is not the most impressive, or fundamental, thing about Ira. Ira also cares deeply about the world in which his enterprise operates. His philanthropy has been broad and deep, and devoted to education and tolerance. Both as visible progenitor and quiet enabler, he has made a real difference in multiple communities.

But this is still, I think, not the most impressive, or fundamental, thing about Ira. In 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas, a federal judge ordered the forced desegregation of Central High School, producing a flash point of hatred and bigotry. Nine terrified African American students were admitted to the school, over the opposition of the white students, the faculty, the administration, the governor, and the state police. NBC sent its young national reporter, John Chancellor, to cover the story. At the same time, a youngster, 16 years old, from another school in the area, the editor of his school?s yearbook, had access to the presses inside Central High. He was a friend of one of the nine students. His own values and experiences led him to feel that the world had to know what was happening. So, at great personal risk, he sought out John Chancellor and became his informer. Mr. Chancellor built his reputation as a network newsperson on an extraordinary set of reports from the site, repeatedly revealing the discussions taking place inside the school in support of segregation. His informant was Ira Lipman. When I think of the success of his firm, Guardsmark, it seems ridiculous to divorce it from this personal element -- the internal compass, the willingness to question, the ability to see what can be better, and bravery to make it so.

The rest of us did not live in Little Rock in 1957 with this opportunity for leadership to be fused, or at least revealed. But how many of us would have seen what could really be different, could really be better, at great risk, and choose to be the person making it so? More important, when you know what someone like Ira did, does it change you? I hope and believe it changed me.

Vision and courage. There is a role for these in the modern organization. Not just at the top, indeed, but throughout. It is still worth encouraging. That?s why we have the Dean?s Innovative Leader Series. That?s why I wanted to write about Ira. We may not be able to instill morals. But in a great school of management we can do more than impart knowledge. The stories of Bruce, and Ira, show the potential of visionary leadership. They remind that bravery is possible, and necessary. They embolden.

Worthy music:

Land ho

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:05:15 GMT

Commencement is but a week away, and a number of graduating MBAs are returning to campus from a sailing trip in the British Virgin Islands as part of a tradition for 2nd years. Here's hoping they had a safe, relaxing trip, with plenty of wind at their sails.A nautical reference seems appropriate from my shoreside position in the Marketing and Communications Office. See, few students would liken MIT Sloan to calm seas. The water can be choppy; the wind, unpredictable and ever moving. The experience can be frenetic, taxing, and exhilarating.Land is in sight for our graduating MBA students, and it has been quite a sail. They have survived the intense first semester core. They have forged cohesive teams among students with disparate backgrounds, expertise, and perspective. They have been instructed and inspired by faculty who play a role in shaping the real-world practice of the very topics they research.They have heard from and met with visiting speakers who were here not only to speak but also to listen. They have traversed the globe on for-credit trips and treks that are as much a part of the learning experience as classroom lectures. They have balanced the demands of school and family and sorted out for now the possibilities of the future. They have had their share of fun, of course. And foremost they have challenged themselves and each other -- and prevailed.My colleague Michelle Choate and I began interviewing students for our Student Stories podcast series a little over a year ago. Many of the students we interviewed at the beginning were first years, and I remember being struck by how each student had a wonderfully rich educational, personal, and professional background and how each seemed exhilarated by the present ? however insanely demanding their schedule. Now, those very students are eying the future with the proud realization, I suspect, that their past here at MIT Sloan was one heck of a prologue.Land ho, my friends. Great job!- Posted by Scott Rolph

Ric Fulop, founder of A123 Systems

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:35:53 GMT

Ric Fulop, founder of A123 System, gave us a talk in our Managing Innovation class. A123 Systems is the Boston based startup (MIT spinoff) that everybody talks about. It develops next generation Lithioum-Ion batteries (high power and fast recharging),

I already had the opportunity to talk to Ric multiple times earlier this year.

Interestingly he said:

"If you are in a mature market, you cannot make any mistake with your customers... they will never talk to you again. But if you create a market and the customer wants your product very badly, then you are allowed to make mistakes or be late"

He also discussed about competitive advantages of startups. He said that in a startup you need:

Either low cost or proprietary technology: With one of both you can knock at the door of somebody.
Customer integration (supply chain): this is something you develop later (you cannot start there).
System locking: it is critical for long term sustainability

Witnessing History: The MIT $100K Competition

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:38:59 GMT

The MIT $100K competition is one of the biggest entrepreneurship competitions in the United States and in the world. Hundreds of ideas that come out of MIT?s labs are measured, weighted and eventually founded. This competition has been the cradle...

Handling Resource Oscillations Through Selective Misinformation

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:08:06 GMT

When resource consumers select among competing providers based on delayed information, inefficient oscillations in resource utilization can emerge. This paper describes an approach, based on selective stochastic resource request rejection, for dealing with this emergent dysfunction.

Fiona Murray has won the Davis Conference on Qualitative Research 2008 Best Paper Award

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:23:12 GMT

Murray's winning paper is titled "Trading in the shadow of the market: An analysis of layman-scientist exchange relationships in genetics."

MIT Entrepreneurship Competition awards $100,000 grand prize to Diagnostics For All

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:21:12 GMT

A team proposing patent-pending technology for diagnostic tools that will dramatically improve the health care management of patients in developing countries walked away with $100,000 in start-up funds after beating out six remaining finalists during the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition awards ceremony held last night on the MIT campus.

Social Media Mashups

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:38:23 GMT

Agents of Change: Model Partnerships with Academia

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:48:05 GMT

This panel offers some evidence that sustained alliances between academia and other organizations may help us more effectively address climate change issues.

Summer in San Francisco

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:48:13 GMT

"The coldest winter I ever knew, was summer in San Francisco" ~ Mark Twain So, I've moved over to San Francisco for the summer (haha) for an internship and so far I'm loving it. Loads of my classmates are also...

Forging Fellowship: Tanya Bodell, SF '08

Wed, 28 May 2008 20:45:00 GMT

The value of your experience

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:54:33 GMT

Sunny and slightly chilly. One good thing about being at MIT is that it is really an entrepreneurial place--there's an entrepreneurial "ecosystem" which includes the E-Center, as well as courses taught by current and former entrepreneurs with their battle scars...

Professor Thurow/Summer Internship

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:34:26 GMT

Rule Ten: The biggest unknown for the individual in a knowledge-based economy is how to have a career in a system where there are no careers. Building Wealth: The new rules for individuals, companies, and nations in a knowledge-based economy,...

Spring is here!

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:47:56 GMT

I?m proud to report a beautiful day of 75 degree weather?the flowers are blooming?.birds are singing. It?s a lovely time of year in Boston. I am into the final weeks of my Sloan career with just three more weeks of...

Social Media Mashups

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:38:23 GMT

RSS Widgets and Gadgets - - - Social Syndication... Get The Fwicki Feed Cloud Widget!

New Semester, A Whole New Feeling

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:28:26 GMT

So the core is over, so that means that the toughest part is over right? That depends on how you set up your schedule?. After the core, you have the option to take some classes as H1 or H2, meaning...

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:44:22 GMT

I am on my way back to Boston after an exciting 3.5 weeks in ?Hella? for my GLAB project. For those of you are like me, I found out that Greece is also called Hella. And Greek is called Hellena....

Finals Finality

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:42:43 GMT

The Core is done. Rejoice. Since my last post, life has taken on a slower pace (not slow, but slower). Sure, there were 3 finals to study for, but they were spread out over a 10 days. All of the...

The Truth about MIT Sloan

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:25:51 GMT

Was it fun? It was, by far, the best three months of my life. Every day, I walk into our beloved yet crammed and congested E-51 building, and I am inspired by the people around me and energized by the...

"Two more years and you'll be done with school"

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:55:00 GMT

Now I don't normally wear Plain White T's, but for this post's sake, perhaps I should sport one... I know I sound like a broken record when I say that time really flies when you?re having fun, but I can?t...

My Core Team

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 22:00:00 GMT

So at most B-schools, your class is divided into several cohorts (around 60 students, depending on the institution) and then once again subdivided into "core teams". You are assigned various team projects and assignments that you need to solve together...