The 80s Called … They Want Their Top-Down Leadership Back!

Leadership Fort Worth recently invited me to moderate a panel of experts to kick off the capstone day of LeaderPrime - their program for recently named CEOs, Executive Directors and other top leaders. An alumnus of LeaderPrime myself, I jumped at the opportunity.

On May 6th, 2022 this panel of admitted “leadership geeks” tackled the much-ballyhooed disconnect between the command-and-control leadership structure that many of us grew up with - and which continues to dominate large organizations in every economic sector - and the employment (or not) expectations of the humans who make up today’s workforce, Dr. David Mack (University of Texas at Arlington), Professor Tracey Rockett (Texas Christian University) and Dr. Tommy Nichols (Texas Wesleyan University) offered a rich, updated perspective on Gen Z and some golden tips on how to apply timeless leadership methods to a very current management dilemma.

Attendance at the event was limited to the current LeaderPrime cohort on their final day in the program, but arrangements were made to record the panel, so … here ya go!

Here’s a quick rundown on the intellectual firepower we had on the panel:

Dr. David Mack - Senior Advisor to the Dean and Clinical Professor of Management, University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Dr. Mack Retired in 2019 after more than twenty years as Associate Dean of the College of Business, Clinical Professor of Management and Director of the Goolsby Leadership Academy for over a decade, then came out of retirement to serve as Senior Advisor to the Dean - a role focused on extending UTA’s visibility in the North Texas business community. He is a published author on a wide range of leadership, management and business topics.

Professor Tracey Rockett - Professor of Management Practice, Texas Christian University (TCU). Professor Rockett teaches Organizational Management at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as Negotiations, Interpersonal Leadership, and Team Dynamics. She’s also just been named Director for TCU’s new Online Professional MBA program, which launches this Fall, and was last year’s recipient of the Neeley School of Business Outstanding Service Award.

Dr. Tommy Nichols - Associate Professor of Management and Associate Dean of the School of Business, Texas Wesleyan University (TWU). Dr. Nichols’ primary research interests include Leadership, Organizational Behavior, and Generational Pedagogy.

This was a smart panel, talking with a bunch of smart leaders - well worth a listen if you’re interested in recruiting great talent, retaining it, and uniting your team for success!

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