Recently I was talking to a friend of mine. He had been treated shabbily by the university for which he worked and was trying to decide what he would do next.

This person is a successful business school dean and a proven developer of talent and programs. Although he had been at this particular institution for only a few years, he had already brought a significant amount of credibility and visibility to the business school—two things that were sorely needed. Despite the fact that he often had to make hard decisions and say no to proposed initiatives, he was popular with the faculty and respected by other academic leaders. I’m fairly certain he has more publications and citations than any other academic I know. In spite of all that, the president of the university chose to force him from his leadership position.

As he and I discussed the actions and decisions that led up to the crisis, he told me that regardless of the short-term ramifications, he is at peace with what happened. When I asked with concern how he was really doing, he replied, “I’ll sleep just fine.”

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