Cal State Fullerton Associate Professor of Management Ryan Gottfredson focuses on organizational leadership for MBA students at the College of Business and Economics. Gottfredson earned his B.A. from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources from Indiana University. He says a desire to provide a transformational and elevating student experience motivates him as a professor.
In Gottfredson’s class, students focus on developing the capacity for effective leadership in high-stakes and complex environments. Throughout his courses, Gottfredson emphasizes character and mindset development to equip students with transformational leadership skills that will help them grow and elevate the teams and organizations they lead. “To have this impact, my classes need to be a trajectory-altering experience for my students,” he says. This is emblematic of the holistic and experiential focus of graduate courses at Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics.
“Our MBA students have real-world work experience, having tested out their initial career steps after their undergrad degree. They have greater clarity about what they want from life and are willing to make a big investment for that. That means they are hungry,” he says. “And if my students are hungry, they see a greater level of personal transformation.”
Like all of our professors, Gottfredson’s greatest joy is to see his students develop themselves personally and professionally and learning of their impact and accomplishments in the workplace and postgraduate education. Many of his former students have gone on to high-level careers in C-Suite or leadership positions in a wide range of organizations.
Developing the Team Leadership Skills and Inner Potential for MBA Students
Gottfredson teaches MGMT 525 – Seminar in Team Leadership Skills, which helps cultivate the interpersonal skills needed for effective leadership. “To understand what this class is all about, you need to get a taste of my leadership philosophy: Leadership is not about position, it is about one’s ability to be a positive influence on those they lead and work with,” explains Gottfredson.
In the first half of Gottfredson’s course, there is an inward focus on transforming oneself to become a dynamic leader whom others would desire to follow. “We prioritize a focus on our “being” and identity so that we can elevate our influence and impact,” he says. During the second half of the semester-long course, the focus shifts to an outward orientation, examining how to operate with others to obtain a positive impact. In the past two years, the course has benefited from the expertise of former Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who has shared his leadership wisdom.
In addition to teaching, Gottfredson is a respected researcher and management consultant, and has authored bestselling books such as Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success, The Elevated Leader: Level Up Your Leadership Through Vertical Development, and Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation.
The latter book is his most recent and was developed in connection with Gottfredson’s coursework at the College of Business and Economics.
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