The Last Word
Changing the Weather

When I spent a summer in northern California one year, I wondered why the weather forecasters bothered to show up for work every day. Every day the forecast was the same — sunny and hot, at least in my speck of Northern California. It is easy to become so accustomed to your immediate environment that you slowly lose perspective on the broader world. With just a short trip, you could be hiking in the icy mountains nearby or looking out at the ocean, with very different outlooks on the world. But if you stay in the same place, your view, and weather, never seems to change.

Wharton's programs offer you not only a change of physical location but also a chance to move into an intellectual weather center that will help you generate new ideas and understand successful leadership in a turbulent age. We are addressing key challenges such as board governance, leading change, serving effectively on boards of directors, building businesses, and executing successful mergers & acquisitions. We offer you knowledge from Wharton faculty who have traveled around the globe conducting original research and working with pacesetting companies.

To do this, we have stretched our own vistas. We established Wharton West in San Francisco, forged an alliance with INSEAD in France. We have hiked the mountains of New York State and utilized simulations, active learning, and other approaches to enhance your education.

Mark Twain once said (in a quote that probably originated with newspaper editor Charles Dudley Warner), "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." If your local weather is oppressive or monotonous, you can do something about it by coming to one of our programs for a clear outlook on your management challenges.

Robert E. Mittelstaedt, Jr.
Vice Dean and Director
Wharton Executive Education

• Wharton Executive Education
  
  
• The Wharton School

This month's articles:

• In the Classroom: Going to the Mountaintop
  Leadership executives stared into the heart of a crevasse in the mountains of New York State and gained new perspectives.
  
  
• Wharton Executive Series: The Directors’ Consortium
  Wharton Vice Dean Bob Mittelstaedt helps directors understand processes and strategy in the new Directors’ Consortium.
  
  
• Thought Leaders I: A Gallery of Leaders
  What can we learn from the stories of leaders? Professor Michael Useem explores several leadership profiles in his book Leading Up.
  
  
• Thought Leaders II: What Makes Supply Chains More Profitable?
  Let’s get real about real-time. While supply chain management software has become a multi-billion dollar industry, companies are still suffering from stock outs and excess inventory. Why?
  
  
• Senior Management Profile: How Sam Galeotos Charted a Course to Leadership in Global Travel
  Wharton AMP alumnus Sam Galeotos has navigated technology and industry turbulence to arrive at his current job as CEO of Galileo.
  
  
• Certificate of Professional Development: Wrestling Alligators and Other Slippery Management Challenges
  Australian telco executive John Prentice took Wharton courses on the West Coast and East Coast — and wrestled an alligator along the way.
  
  
• The Last Word: Changing the Weather
  If your local weather seems the same day after day, it may be time to do something about it.