January 10th, 2024
Forbes recently published an article featuring Dean Susan Fournier, discussing the most influential business leaders in 2023.
Whether it was sports or the blockbuster movie Barbie or Taylor Swift being named among the world’s five most powerful women, the year was filled with strong fan bases. In addition to her success in the entertainment industry, Swift has become an example of business leadership. Leadership does not have to come from the Fortune 500 or the world stage – it can come from the person next door.
As Dean Fournier reflected on Boston University’s President Robert A. Brown, she acknowledged Brown’s unwavering commitment to a free speech culture that was always mindful of the mission of each university. “He decried the slippery-slope practice of leaders issuing political statements, recognizing them as detractions from the university’s educational and research mission. His leadership provided much needed but rarely delivered balance in our polarized world,” Fournier added.
In analyzing the lessons in leadership from 2023, school deans and professors remind us that great leadership involves vision, taking risks, but also stepping back, and being selfless.
