Robert Dooley, the dean of the Gary W. Rollins College of Business at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga since 2011, heads a program of approximately 2,400 students. Forty years ago, he was in their shoes. A native of Athens, Tenn., Dooley graduated from UTC in 1983, then returned and completed his MBA in 1991, focusing on finance. He earned his doctorate at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and then spent 15 years at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
When the Rollins College of Business position at UTC became available in 2011 due to the retirement of Dean Richard Casavant, Dooley returned to his roots in the Scenic City, and to the campus where his career began.
Tell us about a book you’ve read that influences the way you think about your work and your leadership role.
Prior to my current career in academia I spent several years in the commodity business selling corrugated boxes. If there was ever an undifferentiated product, it is a corrugated box. Not only is the product itself undifferentiated, but the pricing structure is widely known through a publication called the “yellow sheet.” Success in that business was determined by building relationships and persuasion, and the two are closely linked.
I now believe those early lessons learned in selling boxes are critical skills for success in any career. Regardless of the industry we work in, we spend much of our time persuading people toward a particular course of action.