Applying What I Learned as a College Professor to Business Leadership

There are many words that capture my first semester of teaching Business Problem Solving to college students - rewarding, exhilarating and fun (like when they played a practical joke on me 😂). More than anything, though, it was an amazing learning experience.  And when I say that, I mean for me (and I hope that was the case for them). Here are some of the things I unexpectedly experienced and learned along the way.

Adaptability and Flexibility: 

There were many times my teaching or methods just weren’t landing even after a lot of preparation. When that happened, I acted quickly by getting feedback and trying something new.

Resilience and Problem-Solving in Real-Time:

There were times when I had to pivot and demonstrate problem solving real time. Like the time I literally forgot my computer at home (that never happens to me!).  I was able to make things work with a backup copy of my lesson in the cloud and a classroom computer - all within 10 minutes before class started.

Inclusion and Giving Everyone a Voice:

I had an introverted class and it was hard to engage many of them verbally. When we began our team projects, I met with the student team leads to specifically discuss and train them on how to ensure all voices were heard in their groups. They did really well!

Relationship Building:

In a large class of students, it is easy to feel like a number, but I very quickly learned the importance of personally connecting with each student.  Whether I did that in class, after class, before class, via email, through video messaging or through personalized feedback on assignments, the students were much more engaged and invested when I had more of a personal relationship with them.

Upon reflection, I realized the lessons in adaptability, resilience, inclusion, and relationship building transcend the classroom—they're fundamental to leadership in any business setting. Embracing these qualities transform us into leaders who inspire, solve problems effectively, and foster an inclusive and engaged environment.

What leadership qualities have you found emerge in unexpected places?