About the Authors

Richard L. Hughes is Director of Sustainable Leadership Capacity at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), an international, nonprofit educational institution devoted to behavioral science research and leadership education. In this role, Rich leads CCL's effort to explore how cultural and systemic factors in organizations impact leadership and leadership development. He joined the Center in 1995 after having served for the previous decade as Head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is a clinical psychologist, and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has an M.A. from the University of Texas and a Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming.

Robert C. Ginnett is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Creative Leadership. Besides his ongoing research concerning the leadership of high-performance teams and organizations, Robert is a lead instructor in the Leadership at the Peak course for CEOs & Presidents, ranked #1 in executive education by Bricker's as reported in the Wall Street Journal. He has worked with hundreds of organizations including General Motors, Novartis, FMC, Prudential, Masterfoods, laxoSmithKlein, Daimler Benz, NASA, the Central Intelligence Agency, and United and Delta Airlines. Prior to joining the Center for Creative Leadership, Robert was a tenured professor at the United States Air Force Academy and served as the Director of Leadership and Counseling. He also served in numerous line and staff positions in the Air Force including leadership of an 875 man combat force in the Vietnam War. Robert is an organizational psychologist whose education includes a Master of Business Administration degree, a Master of Arts, a Master of Philosophy, and a Ph.D. from Yale University.

Gordon J. Curphy is Vice President of Institutional Leadership for the Blandin Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of rural communities in Minnesota. In this role Gordy will be responsible for the design and delivery of leadership and change programs for school administrators, local and state government officials, hospital administrators, business leaders, and community citizens. Prior to his position at The Blandin Foundation, Gordy was a Vice President and General Manager for the Minneapolis and Denver offices of Personnel Decisions International. In these roles he developed and managed leadership selection, succession planning, and development interventions for clients such as Carlson Companies, Medtronic, Anheuser-Busch, Boeing, The Home Depot, Saudi Aramco, Qwest, NCR, Deluxe, Hewlett-Packard, Oppenheimer Funds, Xcel Energy, SmithKline-Beecham, and Charter Communications. He has his undergraduate degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy, an MA from St. Mary’s University, and a PhD from the University of Minnesota.