University at Buffalo School of Management

I n 1958, the average life- span of companies listed on the S&P 500 market index was more than 60 years. Today, that life- span has plummeted to less than 20 years. Is your company building what the future requires or is it just getting better at what the past rewarded? Or worse, are you doubling down on past success, not realizing it may be what's holding you back? Thomas Ulbrich, EMBA '06, president and CEO of Goodwill of Western New York, posed those questions to attendees at this year's Center for Leadership and Global Impact conference. There, leaders from the region and across the world gathered to explore how individuals, teams and organizations can thrive in adversity. "Most organizations don't recognize they're off course until it's too late because the numbers still look good right up until they don't," says Ulbrich. "Activity feels like prog- ress. Urgency feels like leadership. But without directional clarity, leaders are reacting, not leading." According to Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah, clinical professor of organization and human resources, and faculty director of the school's Center for Leadership and Global Impact, the relentless pace of disruption is what's keeping leaders up at night these days. "Economic shis, geopolitical instability, arti- ficial intelligence and where the technology fits — leaders have to be alert and make high-stakes decisions about all of these with incomplete infor- mation, and that can be exhausting," she says. "When you make decisions with so much uncertainty, you may need to change course tomorrow based on new information, and that can erode trust." Across industries, leaders need strategies for innovation and success amid today's disruptions in technology, the economy and sustainability. In the School of Management, researchers are identifying structural issues and developing best practices for building systems that can adapt. "Leadership development is economic develop- ment. It is social development. It is human devel- opment," says Siaw-Asamoah. "And when we invest in how people lead organizations, we invest in the health of our institutions, whether regionally, nationally or globally." Technology: Mindful assessment and implementation As chief information officer and senior vice pres- ident of customer operations at National Fuel, Martin Krebs, BS '93, works to balance techno- logical innovation with the company's core values of safety and excellence. When it comes to AI, that means tinkering with ever-evolving tools in isolated environments so he can rapidly evaluate the tech without the risk. "I try to lead by example by using these tools myself, as well as making sure we understand why we're doing this," says Krebs. "It's critical to know how we tie these initiatives back to the mission as well as the expected value proposition. And, instead of just sinking more and more resources into some- thing that's not working: fail fast. Build a safe space where your team can say, 'We thought this was going to be great, but it's not,' and move on." He also says to be mindful of how you're measur- ing the success of technology-related tools. For example, when his team at National Fuel implemented an AI-backed tool to help its call Ulbrich Siaw-Asamoah Krebs Most organizations don't recognize they're off course until it's too late. Thomas Ulbrich, EMBA '06 President and CEO Goodwill of Western New York Autumn 2026 Buffalo Business 11

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