Don Schmincke is an explorer, scientist, and researcher. He is also just a lot of fun to talk with. In our conversation, I failed to ask a lot of questions, like how were you invited into the African Tsonga tribe? Or, tell us about the hard problems of missile guidance... The good news is that we did talk about a lot of his interesting observations about business and management. We started out talking about the failure rates of most management theories and why they fail? We talk about how most people are teaching leadership wrong and the difference correcting that makes. We talk about how Steve Jobs could be a great leader even though he was "a jerk" (people follow the STORY the leader represents), strategy vs. tactics, winners and losers, and what winning means. We also discuss tribal human grouping instincts, symbols, rituals, magic, and more! It's a rollicking conversation I think you'll enjoy!
The NY press accuses Don Schmincke of providing “the most provocative view of leadership than any other speaker.” What else would you expect from an MIT and Johns Hopkins researcher who was nearly arrested as a capitalist spy in the Soviet Bloc, got shot off an aircraft carrier, survived in the Kurdish capital as Iran took U.S. Embassy hostages, was the first white invited into an African Tsonga tribe, summitted 20,000 feet on the highest volcano before it blew up, and developed missile guidance systems while his frat brothers took Vegas (as seen in the movie “21”)?
Don Schmincke’s irreverent humor and unconventional methods provide audiences such a refreshing change to other status-quo topics that he’s been called the world’s “rogue MBA professor.” His patent-pending offerings transcend typical programs via refreshing alternatives to trendy theories, unproven methods, and phony "experts." The industry agrees:
• Renown books "The Code of the Executive" and “High Altitude Leadership” (with NBC Emmy-nominated climber Chris Warner)
• Published in over 10 languages, endorsed by leading authorities, and recommended by top business schools.
• Featured by CNN, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, MSNBC.com, and more than 60 industry publications annually.
• Acclaimed as a Top 10 speaker for the world’s largest CEO organization.
• Awarded Senior Member recognition by IEEE, the world's largest organization for the advancement of technology.
The high failure rates of pop-management theories drove Don’s research using anthropology, evolutionary genetics, and biology to dispel the "program-of-the-month" syndrome frustrating CEOs and HR managers for so long. By using Don’s science-driven leadership methods companies experience accelerated results in sales, employee engagement, and cultural alignment. He admits, “our work is politically incorrect but scientifically accurate.”
Today, Don flies 200,000 miles annually speaking at conferences, training CEOs in his workshops, and working with clients from the Department of Defense (where he helped the U.S. Navy evolve its Fleet Readiness strategy) to companies across every industry including healthcare, manufacturing, non-profits, distribution, technology, communications, finance, and insurance. . . . and occasionally he can be found at universities inflicting his unconventional techniques on innocent graduate students.
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