MBA Courses
Building Cultures of Innovation through Effective Leadership
Biography
Robert Smelick was an investment banker for 30 years; managing principal of his own firm, Sterling Payot Company; managing director of First Boston and head of its West Coast Investment Banking Group; and Partner at Kidder Peabody, Inc. He is currently the managing partner of Headland Ventures, a family venture capital firm. During his banking career, he served on the boards of a number of private and public companies.
For five years, he has been on a journey to document the characteristics of leadership that result in successful and innovative growth companies. Having worked during his career with many leaders and having served on a number of their boards, Smelick’s personal relationships have allowed him to conduct candid, unscripted video interviews with over 100 executives of important growth companies. Over 300 hours of interviews have been edited into 10 video packages that are used as background for class discussions of leadership issues. The 10 companies featured during Smelick’s course include Genentech, Nordstrom, Pacific Telesis/AirTouch, Willamette Industries, Wired Ventures and Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream.
Smelick has also been a visiting lecturer at the business schools of the University of Washington, Harvard University and the University of San Francisco.