Leadership and Business

Some of college football’s biggest and most influential teams and universities have decided to leave their longtime athletic conferences. For example, UCLA and USC - members of the PAC-12 Conference for decades are now a part of the BIG 10 Conference. To the non-sports fan, that doesn’t sound like much. However, the ripple effects of such moves are gigantic. While some universities have already joined new conferences, others continue to seek new affiliations. Why? Television and money. Brian Mann is the Director of Athletics at William & Mary; he previously served as Senior Associate Athletics Director at the University of California Berkeley, a university at the time we recorded the podcast in search of a new conference. He joins us to talk about the business of college athletics, conference realignment, and where it all may end up.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

You have control regarding the way you show up. And as a leader - or aspiring leader - you also have control over the way others perceive you, so developing your leadership style is important. It can work for you or against you. Erin Berube is a Managing Director and Executive Coach at Admired Leadership; a development program focused on the leadership behaviors that create loyal followership and exceptional results. She says the right leadership style will help you inspire others. She joins us today to discuss leadership style and some of its elements; including presence, influence, and advocacy.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Remember when working meant going to the office everyday? Now, countless offices all over the US and the world are empty, or partially empty, thanks to remote work. It’s been over three years since the start of the pandemic, and there’s no doubt its lasting impact on commercial real estate has been significant. And no one’s quite certain what the future holds for the office market. Mike Seiler is a professor at William & Mary’s School of Business. In addition to teaching, he’s one of the country’s leading real estate researchers. He joins us today to talk about the future of commercial real estate, as well as other real estate markets, and what we might expect to see moving forward.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

When companies and organizations discuss digital transformation, they often focus on effective ways to drive technology adoption and transformation. Our guest today says there’s much more to consider. After earning his MBA at William & Mary, J. Singh has spent 20 years working at some of the world’s most recognizable companies; including Target, McDonald’s, and now SportClips Haircuts, where he’s the Chief Digital Officer. His experience is in analytics, merchandizing, digital innovation, and digital transformation. He says there are a number of elements to consider in terms of digital transformation, such as agility and speed, the competition, the customer, the employee and more. He joins us today to talk about digital transformation and how companies and leaders should think about people, process, and tools as they move forward.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Since we first heard about it back in December, the buzz has continued to grow surrounding ChatGPT and other LLMs, or Large Language Models. Companies and organizations are working to determine what role these LLMs will play. Our guest today calls ChatGPT “fast moving” and “fast growing.” And more importantly, he says LLMs are a breakthrough technology with great potential - much like the internet when it was first introduced. Rajiv Kohli is a professor at the William & Mary School of Business. He’s among the top 20 Management Information Systems researchers in the world, and an expert in digital transformation. He joins us today to talk about LLMs; what they are, and where they might take us in the future. Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Succeeding and doing so in the right manor. That’s leading a life of principled achievement. The William & Mary School of Business defines the principled achievement leader as one who values people, diversity of thought, empathy, humility, and success. This leader listens and inspires. To recognize this type of outstanding leader, the Business School created the Principled Achievement Award. It’s based on four pillars: Serving as a role model for principled leadership, promoting diversity of thought, demonstrating ethical compassionate behavior, and embracing the tenets of the William & Mary honor code. Last month, the 2023 Principled Achievement Award was presented to AnnaMaria DeSalva, chair and CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, one of the world’s leading global communications companies. Before the award ceremony in Washington, D.C., DeSalva sat down with us to discuss her thoughts on leading a life of principled achievement.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Energy; it’s always a hot topic. And the American Petroleum Institute is happy to be a part of the discussion. API is a 100-year old trade association that represents all segments of America’s natural gas and oil industry. Its 600 members produce, process, and distribute the majority of the nation’s energy. Amanda Eversole is API’s Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer. Among other things, she’s the face of oil and gas in Washington, DC, interacting with influencers and government officials to inform them about the issues pertaining to American oil and gas. She visited William & Mary recently and after spending time with business school students, she sat down with us to discuss the American Petroleum Institute, energy in the US and abroad, and influencing with integrity. Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

People in the business world have become acclimated to changing jobs and employers. It’s a different picture, though, for those serving in the military. For those in uniform, a change in career or employer is rare. And when the time comes to leave the military, the transition can be an overwhelming experience. That’s where William & Mary comes in. Next month, for the second time, William & Mary is hosting “Flourishing Through Life’s Transitions,” a two-week long certificate program that teaches transitioning military personnel how to flourish in their new careers and in their personal lives. JD Due is Executive Director of William & Mary’s Center for Military Transition, and joins us to talk about this unique and successful program that helps veterans and members of the intelligence community flourish in their transition and beyond.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

As all leaders know, leadership comes with opportunities and challenges. But leading an organization whose parent company is located in another country poses a different set of challenges; especially when the cultures of the two countries are quite different. Jeff Barna is President and CEO of Yokohama Tire Corporation. He oversees the organization’s business in North America. The parent company - Yokohama Rubber Company - is in Tokyo, Japan, where it was founded in 1917. Under Barna’s direction, the organization has experienced solid growth, and the relationship between the leaders in the US and Japan has contributed to the success. While visiting William & Mary last week, Barna took time to join us to talk about the importance of company culture, the tire industry, and how a liberal arts education prepared him for leadership.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.

Outdoor Magazine calls it “the toughest sporting event in the world.” It’s the Race Across America: A 3,000-mile bike race from Oceanside, California, to Annapolis, Maryland completed by cyclists in under 12 days. Last June, 34 cyclists began the race, 14 finished. After cycling 300 miles each day, Kurt Matzler was among the top finishers. Matzler is a strategy professor at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. While competing in the race, he saw a number of parallels between his experience racing across America, and leadership. His new book, “The High Performance Mindset: What We Can Learn From The World’s Toughest Bicycle Race” has just been released in German. The English version is expected in the US later this year. He spoke to our MBA students recently, and today he joins us to talk about the race, his experience, and how it generated leadership lessons.  Learn how the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William and Mary can help you and your organization develop your top talent through customized executive education and professional development programs. Visit us at www.wmleadership.com. Thank you for listening.