John Saleeby

International Mergers & Acquisitions (IBUS 735), occasional guest speaker on M&A topics for Strategic Management (MGMT 478)

Students are exposed to a broad toolbox of inorganic and organic approaches to corporate growth and get the benefit of practical experience in considering these options. In recent classes, some student teams worked on projects such as helping companies in Columbia think about business strategy. Others developed recommendations for ABB on international projects such as how to approach the food and beverage industry in Africa or how to identify and participate in opportunities for microgrid development in Southeast Asia. Practical exposure helps students identify potential employment opportunities, prepare for interviews and make more immediate contributions to employers.

In nearly three decades of experience, I have had the opportunity to communicate with and across all organizational levels and functions, from the factory floor to the chairman, as well as across diverse energy and industrial business units. I have learned that I work best as a listener and strategic process facilitator who can help shape conversations to reach meaningful conclusions — sometimes decisions, sometimes just key take-away points. That is how I like to teach; I try to provide a strategic framework and awareness of options and then try to nurture open discussions with the class or project team.

The one thing is that it is not just one thing. In making strategic choices, including acquisitions, employees and leaders have to be resourceful in gathering and considering information, involve team members from many functions, choose the best approach from a variety of options, be persuasive and persistent in making recommendations, and execute with precision and accountability.

I like to use short lectures followed by open discussion of topics that involves the preparation, insights and experiences of students. I often use guest speakers to add great perspective from real-world experience. I try to recommend (or require) projects that are as realistic as possible. I insist on polished, professional communications. In my most recent capstone class, project teams presented research and recommendations to a panel of ABB executives, who participated in grading.

Classroom participation is critical to facilitate discussions. If you’re not enthusiastic about a particular topic, participation and contributions are required anyway. It’s the way business works. Team projects are cross-functional, team members are picked by the leader (me) and everyone needs to carry a fair share of the workload — all reflecting the real world. Students might sometimes be challenged to get a basic grasp of some elementary technical concepts, just as they would be if working for a consulting firm, for example.

Helping businesses reach their full potential. Helping people advance in work they enjoy and find rewarding.

I enjoy my grandkids and mission trips.