New York Times Best-Selling Author Named Barton School’s Newest Executive-in-Residence
Aug. 22, 2023
By Barton School of Business
About the Barton School of Business
Located in Kansas’ business hub and with significant ties to the business community,
the W. Frank Barton School of Business provides extensive applied learning opportunities.
With in-person and online options, Barton School undergraduate and graduate programs
are tailored to transform the lives of its students. It also holds a double AACSB
accreditation for business and accounting, which puts it in the top 1% of business
schools worldwide. The Barton School was established as the university’s College of
Business Administration and Industry in 1926 and has thousands of graduates around
the world.
The W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University has announced Curt
Coffman as its Fall 2023 Executive-in-Residence. Coffman is the founder of The Coffman
Organization and co-author of New York Times bestsellers, “First Break All the Rules:
What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently” and “Culture Eats Strategy for
Lunch.” As Executive-in-Residence, Coffman will provide mentorship opportunities to
students, exchange ideas with Barton School faculty and staff, and host a conversation
with industry leaders. The theme of his residency and title of his keynote presentation
is “The Power of You: New Formula for Growth!” Following the keynote, Coffman will
distribute and sign two of his books to those in attendance.
“Curt is a global strengths-based thought leader and one of the most dynamic individuals
I have had the pleasure of meeting,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, Dean of the Barton School.
“He is going to make a transformational impression on Barton students, faculty, staff
and Wichita community this Fall. You don’t want to miss an opportunity to interact
with and be inspired by him.”
“My entire work has been studying success and business psychology,” said Coffman.
“Building culture around people is the new competitive advantage. During my semester
as Executive-in-Residence, I will be diving into amplifying strengths and how we can
make decisions based on those strengths. There are incredible outcomes when you combine
those two things and I hope to showcase their importance and ignite a passion in people
who will participate.”
As founder of The Coffman Organization, Coffman provides premier workplace consulting
to help organizations around the world engage and focus their talent to create enduring
competitive advantage. Through employee engagement, management development, talent
selection and retention solutions, Coffman combines a deep understanding of data with
a psychology expertise to elevate companies in more than 30 industries and for companies
such as 3M, Red Bull, Ritz Carlton, Charles Schwab and many others. Prior to starting
his own company, Coffman worked for The Gallup Organization for 22 years serving as
its Global Practice Leader for Customer and Employee Consulting and a senior vice
president.
“Having Curt serve as the Barton School’s executive-in-resident is a great opportunity
for our students and community,” said Dr Shirley Lefever, executive vice president
and provost at Wichita State University. “His insights on utilizing people’s strengths
and its impact on culture are learnings we can all take back with us to amplify ourselves
and our businesses or institutions.”
Location: Woolsey Hall Auditorium, Room 110A / 110B
Our Executive-in-Residence keynote presentation is September 13. Curt Coffman will
present the "Power of You: The New Formula for Growth" as part of the James Schwartz
Lecture Series.
Doors open at 9:15 a.m. Presentation is from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Afterward, join
us at 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 AM for book signing and networking in the Woolsey Hall Atrium.
