Last week I returned to the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, where I did a presentation in 2011. This was for the terrific Getting it Done Expert Speakers Series, run by adjunct professor and entrepreneur in residence Brendan Calder. The venue was the school’s spectacular new building, connected by a dramatic staircase to the original (where I spoke last time), which is also a memorable structure. The work of Peter Drucker remains important to the school, especially in Brendan’s course GettingItDone®.
The audience was highly engaged, and asked penetrating questions. There were several people from the library/information world, including those from the iSchool across the street (which provided the backdrop to my talk, with the large floor-to-ceiling windows behind me). As I wrote about in 2011, the iSchool is the home of some new initiatives built around the work of the legendary former U of T professor Marshall McLuhan, a longtime friend of Drucker’s. The day before my event, I spent an enjoyable couple of hours talking with iSchool instructor Stephen Abram, who writes the popular Stephen’s Lighthouse blog.
It was wonderful to talk to so many interesting people after the presentation, during the book signing. Ulla deStricker and Jane Dysart have written blog posts about the event and my book. And the Rotman School has posted a brief video clip to their YouTube channel.
The Rotman School continues to raise its profile internationally, including through its excellent quarterly Rotman Management magazine. For 15 years, until 2013, the Dean was Roger Martin, who recently ranked as the No. 3 worldwide business guru by Thinkers50. He was also a speaker last November at the 5th Global Drucker Forum, in Vienna. His title is now Premier’s Chair in Productivity & Competitiveness and Academic Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management.
Even though I was only in Toronto for a little more than 48 hours, I packed in a week’s worth of positive experiences. I look forward to my return, ideally before two more years go by.
