Leadership Kudos and Gaffes: Dean Nohria is making transformative changes while the MN politicians fail to act

Leadership Kudos this week go to Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria. After only one year in office, Nohria is making transformative changes at  HBS to make its mission of “educating leaders who make a difference in the world” a reality. He has launched major changes in the MBA program to give students more leadership opportunities, global immersion in companies, and entrepreneurship, all in a new year-long course called FIELD. He is focusing on the role of business in society and the regaining of trust in business leaders with emphasis on values and ethics. Already more students are going into manufacturing and services, and a higher proportion of women have been admitted than ever before. His visionary leadership is putting HBS on a very positive course for the future.

Leadership Gaffes are awarded to Minnesota politicians for their failure to reach agreement on a balanced budget, thus shutting down state government, just in time for the 4th of July weekend. All state parks and museums and the Minnesota Zoo are  closed for the holidays. Those concerns didn’t keep the politicians from declaring their own five-day holiday, presumably they can spend it in neighboring Wisconsin where budgets are balanced and parks are operating. This is not good news for former Governor Tim Pawlenty, who left his successor a $5 billion deficit so he can run for President as a fiscal conservative.