Harvard Bookstore Presentation

Last fall, on October 19, 2022, I had the good fortune to be invited to speak to a group of students and administrators at The Coop Harvard, the fabulous bookstore at Harvard University, for one of their Meet the Author events. Established in 1882, The Coop serves as the campus store for Harvard and MIT and is the official bookstore for these incredible academic communities. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers is currently under contract to operate the stores. The Coop has enjoyed the distinction of being the oldest and largest college bookstore in the United States for many years.

I had a great experience working with Barnes & Noble during my tenure as a vice president at three different universities. This extended to working with wonderful people in that organization, including Jerry MacDonald and Billy Maloney in the early days, and later with Brian Stark and Jennifer Russell. In a way, it felt like an extension of those good times when I arrived and received a warm welcome by The Coop’s general manager, Daniel Mandeau, and the bookstore team. I sincerely thank them for their hospitality and for giving me an opportunity to introduce my leadership book to an attentive and intimate audience.

What did we talk about? One topic concerned one of the most difficult actions a leader sometimes faces: letting an employee go. We talked about various situations that can lead up to such an event and the importance of preparing answers ahead of time for likely questions an employee will be asking when facing job loss. I also provided a candid take on how a leader may feel about themselves under these circumstances. It’s not always easy to deal with your own emotions, which can vary based upon the particulars, when it comes time to bring news of a termination.

On a more positive track, we talked about the importance of situational awareness for career enhancement. First, it’s important to recognize evolving organizational needs. Then, find a way to provide value by meeting those needs for your company. Along with helping someone succeed in their current position, for those seeking to move to another organization, recognizing the prospective employer’s current needs and offering solutions in the interview process is a winning strategy.

An interesting question was asked by the leader from the bookstore at MIT. They wanted to know how to appropriately react to an employee who goes over a leader’s head to upper management to share an opinion they know their leader disagrees with. When discovering this breach in the chain of command, what should a leader do? This led to an intriguing exchange about possible scenarios and various ways it might be dealt with after the fact.

All in, I found the experience to be a valuable one. It’s an honor to be asked to make a presentation and then be challenged with questions I can’t anticipate. I particularly enjoy the moments when conversations take on a life of their own and everyone gets a chance to consider a new point of view.

Afterward, my wife, Ksenia, and I spent a little time across the street on the Harvard campus. We sat in chairs on the lawn, soaking in the environment and enjoying a chat about what we had just experienced at The Coop.

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Bill’s book, So, You Want to Be a Leader, is available at Barnes & Noble. Read excerpts from his book and articles on leadership here.