In a Leaders in Action session during their Strategic Management class, students worked through a case study with Dave Porter P’11 P’19 and discussed how leaders shape workplace culture, what sets candidates apart in a job interview and what it looks like to put people first.
Strategic Management students in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business welcomed business leader Dave Porter P’11 P’19 to class on Oct. 26 for a Leaders in Action session on leadership, organizational culture and career development.
Azucena Grady, assistant professor of international business, and David Moura, assistant teaching professor of management, guided students through a case study. Students worked in teams focused on finance, talent, operations and supervision, marketing and client experience, or strategy and corporate development.
Each team had about 15 minutes to develop 8 questions for each functional area, then select two to present to Porter.
Porter served as the former chair of 鶹Ƶ’s Board of Trustees and is the owner and former managing partner of Baystate Financial, one of New England’s largest financial planning firms. During the discussion, he encouraged students to think critically about the values and habits that drive long-term success.
One of the central themes of Porter’s visit was organizational culture and the role leaders play in shaping it.
“Culture is what happens when I’m not there,” said Porter “If your professor doesn’t show up to class and you know you need to work through an activity for an hour and a half, what happens? Do a few students step up and lead the group through the questions, or does everyone just leave?”
Porter explained that the true test of an organization’s culture is what occurs when leaders are absent. Reflecting on his own experience, he recalled feeling confident in the culture he had built after returning from a two-week vacation and finding that the company continued to operate successfully without him.
Porter also challenged students to pursue growth by embracing discomfort and new experiences.
“Life starts at the end of your comfort zone,” he said. “Are you thriving or are you existing?”
Throughout the conversation, Porter emphasized the importance of understanding one’s competitive advantage. Whether interviewing for a job, pursuing a leadership role or entering a new industry, he encouraged students to take time to identify the qualities that set them apart.
“What’s your competitive advantage?” Porter asked. “You need to know that when you walk into an interview.”
Closing the discussion, Porter emphasized humility and servant leadership, encouraging students to put their egos aside and adopt a people-first mindset.
“If you have a people-first strategy, you are going to win every single time,” Porter said.