Reflecting on history can be much more than a routine classroom exercise. In the most forward-looking classes, today’s learners and leaders look to history for keys to success in our rapidly evolving world. At The University of Texas at Austin one of the most enthusiastic guides to historical perspective is professor Jeremi Suri, who teaches history and public policy to more than 350 students every year.
“There is no one way to be a great leader, and every era, every moment, every context requires a different kind of leader,” says Suri, the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs. He is a professor in the University’s Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Twice a year Suri offers a select number of executive learners his course Organizational Leadership and Strategy in Uncertain Times through Human Dimensions of Organizations (HDO). Helping professionals tackle people-centered problems in organizations is a key purpose for the innovative HDO program.
There is no single recipe for leadership, Suri tells his students. “You can’t just bake a cake; you need to understand how your organization and the world are evolving. Act with strategic purpose. This is what Machiavelli, who I like to teach, talks about.”
“The evolution of leadership, how leadership changes, how leaders adjust to the spaces and times. That fascinates me. I love teaching about how ideas and perceptions, especially those inherited from the past, influence the way we think.”
Using the Past as a Laboratory
Effective leaders will learn to leverage what Suri calls “Leadership Thinking” to manage rapid change. To explain, he draws a firm line between historical thinking and antiquarian thinking.
“Antiquarianism is that desire to hold on to Grandma even though Grandma is long gone. A dress, a photo. There is nothing wrong with that. It helps provide identity and ballast in the world, but it is not leadership. Telling kids (employees) how we used to do something is just telling them about the past.”
On the other hand, historical thinking is about understanding change over time. For example: How has our democracy evolved from an agrarian nation to an industrial society to a global superpower and now to a knowledge economy and digital world?
“To help us adjust to those changes and to give us ideas about what we can do now, we use the past as a laboratory for the future. We can see things that worked before that we want to try again and things that were not tried, but that might be worth trying now.”
Lifelong Learning Is the Future
As a professor teaching degree and non-degree seeking students, Suri appreciates having diverse learners from different backgrounds and levels of real-life knowledge in the classroom. “My undergrads are super smart, but my executive students bring experience into the classroom.”
Suri is enthusiastic about the ways that UT embraces lifelong learning and prepares graduates for multiple careers, employers and opportunities.
“I love that we are moving into a moment where we don’t only think of students as being between 18 and 24. One of the great things that a university can offer is continual intellectual growth and skill development for people who are living longer lives and doing more things.”
“Come back for a master’s. Come back for a Ph.D. Keep coming back. You may have mastered your area for now, but in two years, you’re going to be behind.”
Navigating Today’s Political Landscape
Political topics are inevitable, and Suri encourages thoughtful and vigorous discussions in his classroom. The key is to bypass ideology and deal with facts.
“I tell them they can’t hide. The most important thing to do is to learn to show that you care about all kinds of arguments, not to pigeonhole yourself. Be open minded and crave new and thoughtful information or fact-based alternative views.”
“It shouldn’t matter whether you are a Democrat or Republican. It’s more about what to prioritize.”
He explains more:
“We’ll have some students, especially in the executive classes, who are small government people, and we’ll have others who believe government should do more. That’s an interesting divide, right?”
“Once you start talking about an issue, like, let’s say economic growth or inflation or climate change, the truth is that both sides think government should do some things, and both sides think there are things government shouldn’t do.”
Speaking of Democracy
Democracy and leadership are entwined in Suri’s teachings. His weekly podcast, “This is Democracy,” explores making democracy applicable to people from different generations and backgrounds.
For example, Episode 261 with co-host and poet Zachary Suri (yes, his son) welcomed professor Art Markman to discuss the growing epidemic of political disillusionment and despair in modern society.
(Markman is Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at UT Austin and teaches HDO courses for undergraduates, graduates and professionals. Many know him as the co-host of “Two Guys on Your Head,” a popular radio show and podcast on KUT public radio.)
What can be done about the spreading despair? History points to leadership the trio agreed.
The wide-ranging discussion touched on today’s reasons for cynicism and hopelessness with thoughtful comparisons to the leadership of Franklin Delano Roosevelt who instituted regular “fireside chats.”
Those chats established rapport and trust. “When people are in despair, they feel like they are not being heard. Leaders must speak a language that shows understanding,” Markman said.
“It becomes more a matter of priorities. So, it’s not that small government people don’t think that it would be good for the government to do more to help people who have fewer means, they just think it’s more important to grow the economy.”
And vice versa. “We seldom end up with arguments like: You’re right. You’re wrong. That rarely happens. The facts are the facts.”
“That’s where a lot of the real tough choices for leaders come in.”
The Value of a Research University
Students and faculty are at UT to stretch and push themselves, Suri believes. “One of our great strengths is that we’re a world class leading research institution that takes its teaching seriously. We’re not a think tank that’s just doing research or a liberal arts college that’s just doing teaching.”
Research holds value for everyone, especially leaders. “We all need better knowledge to inform us in the difficult work we have before us.”
“I’m very proud to say I think research and teaching go hand in hand at UT. We are a world class leading research institution that takes its teaching seriously. I always learn and get research ideas from my teaching and then the research informs the teaching. That’s what makes the research university great.”
Sign up for Professor Suri’s next HDO course:
Organizational Leadership & Strategy in Uncertain Times
Learn an immersive, experiential process to redefine your role as a leader and your approach to decision-making. Explore the key strategic questions and objectives necessary to help your organization embrace strategic thinking and planned change.
START: NOV 7, 2024
LOCATION: UT AUSTIN