Faculty
Judith Neal
Academic Director – The Graduate Institute. Director, John H. Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace at Sam M. Walton College of Business
As Academic Director for MAOL, Judith Neal works to assure the program’s rigor and high academic standards. A seasoned educator with a PhD from Yale and years of experience at the University of New Haven, Neal teaches two topics in the MAOL program. The first is a course on the role of faith and spirituality in the workplace, showing individuals how to accept and embrace spirituality as a complement to, rather than an entity separate from, leadership within an organization.
The second topic that Neal shares with MAOL candidates deals with women and men living on the periphery of the accepted, those to whom Neal refers as “edgewalkers.” The theme of this course, inspired by Neal’s book entitled Edgewalkers: People and Organizations that Take Risks, Build Bridges, and Break New Ground, reflects just the type of people—both faculty and candidates—involved with the MAOL. Over the course of their studies, Neal explains, candidates with a latent talent for conquering the impossible and exploring new opportunities grow into leaders very capable of wielding their own unique power to create astonishing results.
“I have seen complete transformation in leadership presence in candidates. They mature, gain wisdom, and gain confidence beyond what a traditional program could ever provide,” Neal says. “They also have a much greater sense of the bigger picture in their organizations, and they feel empowered to make a significant and unpredictable difference.”
Having worked in the corporate world since 1981, Neal is familiar with other leadership management and training programs and has found that MAOL is unique in its course material. Readings are current, relevant, and draw from a far broader perspective than can be found in other leadership programs, which means that candidates explore everything from philosophy and art, to science and behavior. Neal also says that the program’s focus on the power of one’s own thinking and language also makes for a very singular experience. The breakthrough project undertaken by each candidate is also a differentiator, says Neal, in that it is designed to produce such powerful results that the organization will get a return much greater than their investment in tuition and candidate time away from work.
From Neal’s perspective, it is the relevance to the individual in his or her unique role and situation that truly differentiates MAOL. Rather than focusing on memorizing leadership theories in order to pass a test, Neal explains that the program is truly about becoming a more effective leader and making a measurable difference in an organization.
“I tell people that this is a degree program that will change their lives and their organizations. While it focuses on leadership, it is a very holistic and systemic course and that they will learn and grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually from being a part of this program,” says Neal.