Executive Interviews: Interview with Jay A Conger on The Making of a CEO
January 2009 - By Dr. Nagendra V Chowdary

Jay A Conger
Henry Kravis Chaired Professor of Leadership at Claremont McKenna College in California and Visiting Professor at the London Business School

States to see the nation’s important sights. He would later go on to become the Curator of the White House where he served four American Presidents. The Curator is the individual who is in charge of the historical aspects of the White House much like a museum curator. As a young person, I became deeply intrigued about leadership from the stories that my father would tell us about these world leaders. Through his eyes, we were able to appreciate their profound influence but also their humanness. As a result, I was inspired to become a leader. I became very active in leadership roles in school and later in my early career as amanager. Iwanted to be a leader, and I wanted to help others lead.My earliest research was on charismatic leaders because I could see how influential they were in the world of politics and in entrepreneurial ventures. Charisma was a potent quality for a leader. After several years of teaching graduate students andmanagers, I became intrigued by the critical question of whether we could actually teach leadership. So a great deal of my research has focused on this topic. I have become convinced that indeed we can teach and trainmanagers to be leaders. I also have a long history of research on executive level leadership and boardroom leadership. Throughout my career, I have seen the profound influence that senior leaders have on nations and on corporations and have always felt that individuals at the top of organizations and nation have an obligation to be effective leaders.

• BusinessWeek selected you as the best professor to teach leadership to executives. What does it take and mean to be a leadership teacher? Can leadership be taught? Why have leadership been on the engaging agenda of companies, academicians, consultants, and countries?
  I see my role primarily as helping managers and executives appreciate at a very personal level the demands of being an effective leader. I want them to understand the personal discipline and high standards that one has to set for oneself to lead. I alsowant themto understand that everyone has the potential to be a better leader. A surprising portion of my focus is on showing leaders how they can fail in their role. So I have them examine their strengths and weaknesses, and I have them assess what situations are more likely to derail them. Leadership will continue to be on the agenda because it is so vital to the wellbeing of organizations and nations. It will always be a compelling topic to study and to teach. Without effective leadership, societies and companies miss critical shifts in their environments which can bring about their downfall. In addition, leadership is a remarkablemotivational force, and so it is particularly critical during difficult times. It can energize and renew individuals. It is also a great source of entrepreneurship.

• What according to you is the difference between leaders and managers or leadership and management? Are these differences subtle or substantial in terms of making someone a highly valuable resource?
  There are significant differences between the activities of leading and managing. I prefer not to say differences between leaders and managers because I believe individuals can master both activities. I do believe, however, that most large organizations and nations reward primarily managing. Managing is the set of activities that ensures and improves upon the status quo. So these activities could include short-term planning and budgeting, using one’s formal authority to direct, deploying formal systems. These activities tend to be built around the status quo—in other words, improving upon existing approaches that have led to present day success. Leading in contrast is about change and about personal relationships (versus formal authority). As you might imagine, the status quo which has served us well to a point will eventually be challenged. Leadership is the activity of looking forward, understanding shifts in the environment, practicing the abandonment of certain activities of the past. It is about setting a futureoriented vision. It is also about building personal relationships with employees. It is about being a role model in your personal actions for what you hope your followers will do. Someone who is truly leading does not have to fall back upon their formal authority to get things done. They are a model and inspiration for their followers.

1. The CEO Compensation Controversy Case Study
2. ICMR Case Collection
3. Case Study Volumes