Gerald Suarez Talks Leadership with Smith Undergrads

Undergraduate students in the new Management and Organization Society at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business got a lesson in leadership from J. Gerald Suarez, Professor of the Practice in systems thinking and design and a leadership fellow at the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change (CLIC). Before joining Smith, Suarez was the Director of Presidential Quality in the George W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations and is an expert on topics regarding organizational redesign, teamwork and how to manage fear in the workplace.

Through the use of quotes from famous leaders and animated use of story-telling, Suarez was able to inspire the students to make sure they spend their time intentionally as they finish their studies and start their careers. He continually emphasized throughout the event that the only way for leaders to predict future is to have the power to influence and create it. Increasingly, Suarez admits that we live in an era of unprecedented interactions and interruptions leading to “whack-a-mole-management” where leaders have no time to think about tomorrow. Without a strong vision that a leader believes in it will be difficult to execute anything.

Suarez recently wrote a book Leader of One: Shaping Your Future through Imagination and Design for executives on steps for making sure that they are intentional in imagining their future. For the students attending the event, he outlines his transformation cycle for leaders which is detailed in the book and includes:

1)   Contemplation: This is the “what” around imagination and vision.

2)   Desire: This is the “why” to affirm a leader’s purpose, value, and meaning.

3)   Design: This is the “how” to design a blueprint for action.

4)   Creation: This is the “now” of taking purposeful action. The cycle continues from here.

Suarez hit home with the students the importance of not bypassing desire which is when leaders embark on something a leader is not passionate about; he used the story of a brilliant accounting student who did not want to go into the accounting field. Because her studies had been influenced by the desires of her parents and family, she had let others paint the picture for her vision. She needed to pick up the paint brush and reimagine her vision and understand what was in the way of getting what she wanted.

Through the use of stories and vivid metaphors, Suarez inspired the students to take control of their futures by spending exploring their personal visions.

For more information about the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change (CLIC), visit www.rhsmith.umd.edu/clic.

- Alison Scharman, Smith MBA Candidate 2017