Leadership Philosophy & Achievements

Leadership Philosophy and Approach

Many people do not know that at its core the Boy Scouts is a leadership development organization.  It is structured so that its young members organize into groups with leaders, elect a senior youth leader, and govern themselves through consensus building. The adult supervisors are trained to delegate leadership and to influence rather than dictate to the members – you can’t tell a teenager what to do anyway! The organization’s adult “Wood Badge” leadership training course, in which I participated, is so highly respected that many corporations pay for their employees to participate.

I have only recently realized the degree to which this organization and its training have influenced my life. As a boy I learned not to fear to step forward when needed, and to accept leadership roles and the responsibilities that go along them. Later, as Scoutmaster of a large troop in Michigan, I learned how to develop the skills and leadership abilities of the youth in my charge. 

In my professional life I have accepted leadership roles because I am driven by a vision that requires influence to be enacted. However, my experience with the Boy Scouts inspires me to delegate leadership and responsibility and grow the people in my organization.  I consider myself an integrator - of people, organizations and systems, and enjoy creating an environment and structure that enables the institution, and the people within it, to achieve their maximum potential. As a leader I believe that my role is to help create a strong institutional vision by distilling existing culture, mixing it with my personal vision and best practices from other institutions; to forge consensus and create a sense of joint purpose for the faculty, staff and students, and to apply innovative approaches and problem solving skills to achieve our mutually arrived at goals.

Major Leadership Achievements

The following are some sample initiatives in which I have had a major leadership role:

Radford University

Fort Hays State University

Mercy College

Stony Brook University

Penn State University