Douglas Scherer, Ed.D., CISA/CDPSE/CSM, who lectures in the M.S. in Technology Management program and leads technology programs as vice president at a major financial institution, recently released his book F.O.R.G.E.D.: Six Practices of Great Leaders in Volatile Times.
“I wanted to better understand how great leaders work in completely new and high impact situations,” said Dr. Scherer. “Uncertain crossroads force people to see things differently, to push past their assumptions and habitual ways of thinking, to rewrite their playbook. They ask us as leaders to see things through new perspectives and come up with unique responses to unique times.”
The book offers many of the same leadership lessons that Dr. Scherer has continuously researched and shared with his students for decades. His goal is to bring these lessons to readers and help them find a flexible mindset when responding to critical situations.
Leaders were interviewed for the book from a wide range of experience including:
- a board member of a major passenger airline bringing great Wi-Fi to its passengers,
- volunteers stepping up to lead their local food pantry when its community’s needs rapidly expand,
- a new employee creating an original, innovative and competitive business model to save the company.
Together these stories led to what Scherer calls the “four Cs” of leadership in volatile times: curiosity, concentration, compassion, and community.