[March 26, 2015] If one questions senior leaders about how they learned their most valuable lessons in leadership, their answers may surprise you. The most effective lessons are not from good coaching, mentorship, or teaching but comes about from the mistakes made by other senior executives; even a university leader.
Such is the case at Cornell University, Ithaca campus New York. Cornell’s assistant dean for students, Joseph Scaffido, said it would be acceptable for a Muslin terrorist ISIS “freedom fighter” to conduct a “training camp” right there in upstate New York.1 Also, that it would be acceptable for the terrorist to use campus facilities and get funding from the university to do it.
Anyone applying a little common sense knows this is wrong and should be able to resist the urge to say something that supports ISIS or any affiliated group who are slaughtering military prisoners and Christians in the Middle East. In this case, we have a senior leader who apparently cannot identify evil, actually encourages it, and advises students on how to fund and assist it.
A more important question is why an experienced and proven administrator at a prestigious university would agree to such an outlandish concept that effectively says that terrorists are welcome to attend the university and set up training for other students. The psychological reasons senior leaders have for making serious judgment errors are important but not relevant here. In this case it was a simple case of following a diversity ideology without applying thought; then getting caught on camera. Is this a case of stupidity? Absolutely not; this is a smart man.
There will be attempts by Cornell University to try to spin the problem and they will give excuses, including how they respect freedom of speech. What they should do is immediately admit it was wrong – no gray area here – and that Mr. Scaffido will be disciplined. They should also vigorously disavow his comments (which I understand they already have). Anything else is both wrong and can be expected to backfire.
Another important senior leader lesson learned from others.
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[1] http://nypost.com/2015/03/24/cornell-dean-says-isis-welcome-on-campus-in-undercover-video/