Barbara Siegel of Lake Forest Graduate School of Management recently sat down with professor Michael Baskin for a discussion on the school’s MBA program. He currently teaches the Effective Leadership course for LFGSM MBA students. In Baskin’s opinion, the business world is competitive and an MBA program should reflect past practices, present trends and the future needs of an ever evolving workplace.
When asked about Lake Forest Graduate School of Management students, Baskin said, “They bring a lot. They want a lot and they give a lot. They bring ambition and drive; these are the people who have worked all day, who have spouses, children and parents that they must separate from in order to complete their course work. They want the faculty to know and respect this. To dishonor their time and their sacrifice by not giving a lot of yours [as a faculty leader] would be unthinkable.”
During the interview, Baskin added one of his favorite quotations on leadership from Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic:
“Unlike success and failure, contribution has no other side… Naming oneself as a contribution produces a shift away from the self-concern that comes with comparisons, and engages us in relationships to make a difference.”
Even though it originally came from a world-class musician, that quote still resonates within the MBA environment as well.
In addition to his role as a faculty member, Baskin is currently the President and COO of Inclusion Solutions, LLC., providing corporate training and business coaching for multi-national clients who wish to make their workplace inclusive and accessible for customers and employees with diverse mobility needs. Michael is also the founder of Evolve USA, a business to business networking and coaching platform.