Business Schools Find Own Way To Remember Lessons Of War

On the eleventh day of November, people around the world will again honour those who have served in the armed forces through ceremonies such as Veterans Day in the US and Remembrance Day in the UK. Those of us fortunate to have not experienced battle will doubtless give thanks because, as the Civil War general, William T. Sherman succinctly put it, “War is all hell.” But no matter how terrible war has been and continues to be, philosophers, social scientists and, of course, business school academics have been able to extract valuable lessons from it.

... In Canada, the Desautels Faculty of McGill University brings in the retired general, Romeo Dallaire, to give his thoughts on effective leadership. The commander of a small UN force in Rwanda when the horrific massacres began in 1994, Dallaire managed to save hundreds of thousands of lives through a masterful mixture of innovation, inspiration and sheer refusal to give up, showing what can be achieved in even the worst of circumstances and with the slightest of resources. Perhaps not surprisingly students often comment that when it comes to the business of leadership, Dallaire is about as credible as it gets.

Read full article: Forbes, November 4, 2014