Meet the Scholars Behind the Science
The faculty you’ll meet here aren’t just studying leadership — they’re redefining it. Through rigorous academic inquiry into character, ethics, and organizational behavior, these Mays scholars are uncovering the evidence that informs how we develop leaders of integrity. Explore their groundbreaking research and see how academic discovery translates into leadership excellence.
Shilaan Alzahawi
Leaders chasing status and rank may rise quickly, but their effectiveness soon falters. “Just Because You Want to Lead Doesn’t Mean You Should,” Harvard Business Review
Brian Chung
Humble leaders who share credit for success build deeper trust and stay in their roles longer. “Be Careful What You Wish For: CEO and Analyst Firm Performance Attributions and CEO Dismissal,” Strategic Management Journal
Stephen Courtright
Leaders often feel threatened by employees who voice innovative ideas, leading them to control or isolate rather than empower those employees. “Why Do Bootlickers Get Empowered More Than Boat-rockers? The Effects of Voice and Helping on Empowering Leadership Through Threat and Goal Congruence Perceptions,” Journal of Applied Psychology
Yong Kim
When companies emphasize external social responsibility but neglect employees, job seekers see through the façade. “Help Yourself Before Helping Others: When Corporate Social Responsibility Does Not Make a Company More Attractive to Job Seekers,” Personnel Psychology
Joel Koopman
Fear discourages people from speaking up about harassment they witness at work, whereas anger fuels actions to make it stop. “Who Speaks Up When Harassment is in the Air? A Within-Person Investigation of Ambient Harassment and Voice Behavior at Work,” Journal of Applied Psychology
Huiwen Lian
Some leaders strategically manipulate employees by using verbal abuse followed by support in order to drive performance. “Leaders’ Impulsive Versus Strategic Abuse, Goal Realization, and Subsequent Supportive Behaviors: A Self-Regulation Perspective,” Journal of Management
Madeline Ong
After failure, leaders who practice self-forgiveness are less likely to commit unethical behavior in the future. “The Transforming Power of Self-Forgiveness in the Aftermath of Wrongdoing,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes