James Fisher

Biography: Jim Fisher is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto and is a former Vice-Dean and holder of the Marcel Desautel Chair in Entrepreneurship at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management. He developed the first leadership course at the school and has taught it for over 25 years. Jim has an MBA, High Distinction, Baker Scholar at the Harvard Business School. After several decades in the business world as a management consultant and food industry executive, he returned to his alma mater, the University of Toronto. Jim teaches courses in leadership, strategy and organization design in MBA programs and in Executive Development Programs for managers in the private and public sectors. He has received many teaching awards including being voted “Teacher of the Year” by MBA and EMBA classes six different times. His book, “The Thoughtful Leader: An Integrative Model of Leadership” published by UofT Press, offers a fresh and forward thinking framework that allows active and emerging leaders to be better prepared to live as a leader day to day. In order to successfully meet the challenges of a fast changing world, leaders can no longer choose between managing, directing or engaging. The thoughtful leader is someone who simultaneously, consistently and coherently manages, directs and engages their followers. The framework provides a way for anyone who is motivated to lead, has the courage to act and is willing to think about their actions to become more effective.