FEATURE ARTICLE
for ROI, the MIT Sloan School alumni magazine and website

ISSUES IN LEADERSHIP SEMINAR

Come in, sit down, and close the door

Like many aspects of the Sloan Fellows Program, the Issues in Leadership Seminar continues to evolve and respond to the changing demands of executive leadership. Yet, the formula of this highly valued component of the 70-year-old program remains unchanged: present top leaders from a diverse array of countries and business sectors face to face with Sloan Fellows. Close the door. Ask the speakers thoughtful questions about their professional and personal choices; challenge them to reflect on their own management and leadership style and, in doing so, help Sloan Fellows to define and redefine their own specific approach. Continue the discussion over dinner. And keep every word off the record.

The Issues in Leadership Seminar delivers a unique experience to every participant. Some are fascinated by the inside glimpse into a leader’s career. Others, like Kevin Kirby, SF ’92, consider it nothing short of life changing.

Learning and living by example

Kirby explains that emulating a seminar speaker is what led him to his current position as deputy director and executive officer of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The speaker, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, told how he had risen through the company on the technical side before becoming a Sloan Fellow. Upon his return, he was made vice president of human relations during a period of major layoff decisions. Initially considering the appointment a slap in the face, the executive later recognized its enormous benefit to his career.

Returning to the NIH, Kirby, also a technocrat, related the story’s insights to his boss. Nine months later, his boss recalled their conversation and named Kirby to replace the Institute’s retiring HR director. In the position for two years before assuming a broader management role, Kirby shares the CEO’s perspective: “It was one of the best jobs I ever had, making me an infinitely better general manager.” This year, Kirby joins the ranks of former SF speakers who will visit Sloan.

Structure with substance

Sessions are structured to reveal both the challenges and the successes of being in a top leadership position. According to program director Stephen Sacca, SF ’90, this is what gives the seminar its impact. For example, participants ask speakers how they have led their organization through difficult change, what keeps them awake at night, or what they would do differently if they could do it over again. The struggle to balance professional and personal priorities is also a common topic.

Rob McKee, SF ’83, executive vice president for exploration and production at Conoco and twice a seminar speaker, acknowledges it’s “a lot easier to make up hard questions than to answer them. Giving honest, helpful answers is both a challenge and an uplifting experience that I get as much out of as they do.” Martin Trust, SM ’58, president of MAST Industries, agrees that the give-and-take is valuable. He’s fielded some very tough questions about where his company does its garment production, how those choices are made, and how he makes sure the company is a good citizen of the countries where it works.

The takeaways

Avner Halperin, Jane Rudolph, and Keith Taylor, all SF ’01, represent a cross-section of reactions to the leaders they’ve met. Halperin, a vice president of the Israeli telecommunications company Radcom, echoes one speaker’s observation on leadership: “The ‘hard stuff’ is easy; the ‘soft stuff’ is hard.” He adds, “The most effective way to learn the ‘soft stuff’—how to manage and motivate people—is to meet leaders who have been successful at it and inquire about how they did it.”

Rudolph, a vice president of Lockheed Martin, notes that some speakers offer examples of how not to lead. “During these sessions, speakers critically and openly reflect upon past failures as well as successes.” And US Coast Guard Commander Taylor has used sessions to reflect on past experiences and take away the best practices. He also values the candor with which these leaders respond to hard questions.

Why they do it

What motivates these high-profile leaders to engage in this program, some year after year? If they’re former Sloan Fellows, they value the experience and want to give back. Some accept the invitation because of other connections to MIT Sloan or because they’re sponsoring a Sloan Fellow. Nearly all recognize the value of an open, honest dialogue that goes beyond the spin and the sound bites.