C.D. Spangler's School of Thought

01 Sep 2013

C.D. Spangler's School of Thought

Topics: Leadership-Leadership Development Psychology-Perspective Decision Making-Judgments Education-Higher Education Entrepreneurship-General

At HBS, C.D. ("Dick") Spangler Jr. (MBA 1956) has long been known as "both gracious and wise." In May, a Harvard University citation made it official, describing Spangler in those words as he was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree at the University's 362nd Commencement. An accomplished leader in academia, business, and philanthropy—and the namesake of the School's Spangler Center—he has also been valued for his counsel by several HBS Deans. In light of that role, and in the spirit of Commencement as a traditional time for advice and sagacity, herewith some Spanglerian wisdom gathered over the years.

The earlier you start making decisions, the better. There's a learning curve involved: Making your bad decisions when you're young gives you time to outlive them.

When you're young, it's worth the effort to be an entrepreneur and take calculated risks. You've got time enough later for a more stable role. You don't want to look back and say, "I wish I had done something."

Some administrators want to hire people who look, act, and think just like they do. That's a recipe for disaster.

Having a single problem is overwhelming. Having 10 problems is easier to handle since you can move from one to the other as you make a little progress.

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C.D. Spangler's School of Thought

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