Guest Column

Do the Right Thing

By Bob Evanson (M.B.A. '85)

I once heard management guru and university professor Peter Drucker explain the difference between leadership and management. He described leadership as "doing the right things," as opposed to management, which was "doing things right."

Over the decades, I'm happy to say that my close relationship with NYIT, starting when I attended the Master of Business Administration program from 1982 to 1985, has helped me solidify Drucker's viewpoint and use it in my own approach to doing business.

Before enrolling at NYIT, I already had about 25 years of work experience, first as an auditor, then as an information technology consultant at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), and then as a financial operations executive at Harper & Row Publishers. Based on those work experiences, as soon as I started at NYIT, I could tell it was doing the right things.

For me, that meant receiving a business education that did not duplicate my professional experiences but, instead, offered challenging coursework and a stimulating learning environment. At that time, personal computers were an emerging force in the business world, and understanding how this technology improved operations was part of many of my NYIT classes. The dialog between classmates and professors further helped me learn how to best incorporate technology into my field of publishing and how to enhance customer service.

As it turns out, earning a master's degree in the middle of my career turned out to be the best move I could have made. My experience gave me the correct context in which to understand course materials, ask the right questions, and use my professional skills as a resource for fellow classmates.

Since earning my M.B.A. at NYIT, I've served as president of Sea World theme parks, chief financial officer of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, and president of McGraw-Hill Education, a $2.5-billion global publisher with 8,000 employees worldwide. Since retirement, I've been an advisor to Apax Partners, a $35-billion private equity company; the Parthenon Group, a boutique consulting firm; and others, and I serve on six for-profit and not-for-profit boards (including NYIT). Through it all, I've sought to implement what I learned as a student--both doing the right things and doing things right.

And, as other NYIT alumni have demonstrated, understanding how to best use your education is what makes careers, especially in today's global, knowledge-based economy (GKE). Companies demand that graduates be prepared for this environment. One cannot, as in the past, obtain a few skills in college, and then slowly learn on the job and progress through the ranks. Today's leading firms don't need workers. They need contributors, innovators, and people who will do the right things now.

NYIT not only prepares its students for the GKE but is itself a global and virtual institution. It's doing the right thing by building a model, 21st-century global university. It has a high-tech approach to education and has programs in Bahrain, Jordan, Abu Dhabi, Canada, and China to facilitate cultural knowledge and experience.

And in this age, global awareness is a must. For three years, I lived in Sydney, Australia, as a manager. It was an experience that provided lifelong benefits and a global perspective. In fact, our second child, Kerri, was born down under. Over the decades, I continued to meet many of my former associates when I visited Sydney on business trips. My wife and I still vacation with our Aussie companions, and Kerri has become friends with them as well.

As a proud NYIT graduate and a member of its board of trustees, it's a privilege to help in some small way make all of its programs active. I would encourage you to stay focused, be a lifelong learner, and do the right thing by participating in the future of this fine institution.

Bob Evanson is the former president of McGraw-Hill Education and a member of the NYIT Board of Trustees.

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