Cristiano Guarana is an assistant professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, teaching Leading Organizations in the Integrated Core 1—Understanding Markets and Institutions.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
My personal life mission is to “help people improve their lives via education.” I set this personal mission years before pursuing my Ph.D. In fact, my personal mission informed my decision of leaving Brazil, my home country, moving to the US, and becoming a professor. As a professor, I am paid to create and share knowledge, which is a humbling experience. Every day I learn new things, I meet new people, I talk about ideas, and I truly hope that students can apply what I teach in their jobs, in their lives. It is extremely rewarding when students email me months and even years later saying that they still apply the leadership lessons in their new positions. It is humbling to see that some students attribute their promotions and new positions to the knowledge they got in my class. Perhaps even more gratifying is also seeing that the knowledge I shared with the students is now cascading down the organizations and we are creating a better and healthier work environment for all. Needless to say, I am super proud of my students.
What can students expect from your Kelley Direct courses?
Students will learn that leadership can be developed. We all can become leaders if we put in the effort. Leading Organizations focuses on leadership behaviors that students can learn, practice, and see the outcomes of. We talk about behaviors related to becoming a leader (leadership emergence) and behaviors related to performing as a leader (leadership effectiveness). Specifically, we have a holistic view of leadership and discuss behaviors related to personal leadership, relational leadership, contextual leadership, inspirational leadership, supportive leadership, and ethical leadership. We also focus on developing critical thinkers and do a deep dive into cognitive biases and team-level biases. To achieve these goals, we engage in a variety of activities such as case analyses, video case analyses, and simulations. I hope the students leave my class thinking differently about leadership and how they can make a positive impact in their organizations. (more…)