Scott Allen
Name: Scott Allen, Ph.D.
Current Job: Standard Products—Dr. James S. Reid Chair in Management at John Carroll University
Favorite restaurant in town? I'm really into Zhug. It’s an explosion of flavors. I have so much respect for Doug Katz as a chef and leader.
Favorite thing about Cleveland? I love Progressive Field - a ball game on a sunny day with food, drink, and family/friends is my favorite place to be.
Q: Scott, you teach at John Carroll, what courses do you teach and what is your research focused on? My primarily line of research is leadership development and I teach courses in leadership and management skills. I also teach courses in executive communication and a special topics course on the future of work. In recent years, I have developed a passion for the intersection of leadership and technologies enabling disruption. By no means am I a technologist, but I feel strongly that our business leaders need to have some level of tech literacy if they are developing strategy. I also believe that we need to be graduating students who have a sense of the seismic shifts they will experience over their careers. My bias is that business schools do a great job of discussing the past, spend some time on the present, but give very little attention to the future. This reality needs to shift - there are dozens of technologies enabling disruption that will alter business, and I want our students to have their eyes wide open as they look to the future and build their career. My most recent article is called On the Cutting Edge or the Chopping Block?
Q: I know you also spend time consulting, can you talk about your clients and the type of work you do with them? I love the opportunity to connect with people in organizations of all shapes and sizes. From small non-profits to Fortune 500s; it's another chance to build relationships, learn, and help them achieve their mission. Most often, the work I do is presentations, keynotes, and workshops. I’ve worked with healthcare, construction, financial services, insurance, education, government, and law. If what I am sharing resonates and connects with the people doing the work, then I am confident that what I am discussing in the classroom is relevant, realistic, and timely.
Q: Why did you go into teaching? I was completing my dissertation and had some time to explore. I explored consulting, teaching, and also considered going “in house” at a large organization. When I got into the classroom, I knew I was home. I have the coolest job in the world. I get to meet incredible young people and hopefully be a small part in their path to accomplishing whatever they hope to do in the world. It’s a lot of fun, and John Carroll University is a wonderful place to be. Teaching also allows me to explore and learn. For instance, I have spent the summer co-authoring a book about presenting online. It’s been fun, and I’ve learned so much about the topic.
Q: Obviously, the spring semester was affected by COVID (and potentially the Fall), how did you adjust to the new norm? Curiously, I looked at the transition as an opportunity to grow. It was my first experience teaching online. One question guided my design - “How can I make this the most powerful course the students have ever taken?” I knew I would not get there with everyone, but that was my goal. So the transition challenged me to get clear on my objectives and design a learning experience that was challenging, innovative, fascinating, and fun. I am designing my courses for Fall, and it’s the same goal - I have the same “what," just a different “how.”
Q: You live in Chagrin with your wife and three children, when you aren’t teaching and consulting, what do you for fun with them? We love the National Parks. I had never been to a National Park until we had children, and now we’ve visited almost 20. Here are my top five: Arches is unlike anything I have seen - Balanced Rock, blew my mind. Crater Lake was a color of blue I had never seen. It's the deepest lake in the U.S. and one of the clearest in the world. It’s not a crater; it’s a caldera (collapsed volcano). Joshua Tree was surreal - like being on another planet in places - the kids could scramble, and we enjoyed Skull Rock. Devil’s Tower should not be there - It's in the middle of flat plains. It’s incredible, and like Joshua Tree, there is a wonderful opportunity to climb and explore. Yosemite features El Cap - If you have not watched the film Free Solo, please do!