B-School Leaders Are Getting Hit From All Sides. Here Is How They Stay In The Fight

In boxing, champions do not enter the ring unprepared. They do not delegate the fight yet behind every champion is a coach who studies the match, a corner team that manages recovery, and sparring partners who help refine technique long before the opening bell. The ring may hold only two fighters, but success depends on what happens before the match, between rounds, and in the corner.

Champions own the strategy, read the opponent, and decide how to respond under pressure.

Business education is no different.

Deans, program directors, and senior academic leaders operate in environments that resemble long, demanding matches rather than short contests. They must manage sustained intensity, shifting conditions, and constant scrutiny. They face demographic shifts, digital transformation, intensifying global competition, changing employer expectations, and complex governance all at once. Their task is not only to absorb pressure, but to turn it into purposeful motion.

What matters most is not force, but focus, balance, and the ability to adjust without losing sight of the mission.

Too many leaders still attempt to manage this alone.

THE MODERN DEAN: MANAGING A MULTI-ROUND MATCH

Leading a business school today means accepting that there will be many rounds, each with its own tempo and stakes. The dean’s role is to hold the strategy, protect the institution’s long-term value, and requires discipline rounds after rounds.

1. Expectations From Above

University leadership, boards, and ownership groups set ambitious expectations around rankings, enrollment, financial sustainability, and visibility. These demands define the tempo of the match. The dean must decide when to accelerate, when to conserve energy, and how to remain aligned with institutional priorities without losing strategic clarity. This is an active act of leadership, not passive compliance.

2. Strategy and Vision From Within

At the same time, the dean must protect and interpret the long-term mission of the institution. Curriculum relevance, research culture, innovation, faculty engagement, and reputation require consistency and patience. This is less about reacting quickly and more about staying centered and maintaining direction as conditions evolve.

3. An Evolving Environment

Student expectations shift quickly. New technologies reshape pedagogy and assessment. Competition intensifies globally. Regulatory frameworks shift. Ownership expectations evolve. The environment requires constant repositioning and awareness. The dean must read this environment in real time, reposition the school when needed, and anticipate change rather than respond too late. Moving fast is not enough; the moves must be coherent with strategy.

A dean who moves without guidance risks drifting off strategy. A leader supported by a strong corner can recalibrate deliberately and stay aligned with purpose.

WHAT BUSINESS DEANS CAN LEARN FROM THE BOXING CORNER

The Coach: Stewardship, Strategy, and Balance

A boxing coach is not simply there to motivate. The coach protects the game plan, observes what the fighter cannot see, offers clear feedback between rounds  and ensures the fighter does not lose sight of the overall objective.

For business school leaders, the coach plays a similar role. The coach helps a dean reconnect with purpose, refine the narrative of the school, and navigate the tension between short-term pressures and long-term academic value. Rankings, targets, and financial results matter, but so do reputation, innovation, and educational impact. Coaching is most powerful when it strengthens the dean’s capacity to choose rather than nudging them toward what is easiest.

The coach also provides a confidential and psychologically safe space where leaders can think aloud, express uncertainty, and regain clarity before stepping back into public leadership.

THE LAYERS OF SUPPORT AROUND THE DEAN

The Types of Coaches in the Leader’s Corner

Effective leaders rarely rely on a single form of support. Like a boxing corner, leadership support is layered.

An external executive coach can help refine leadership posture, emotional regulation, communication style, and team dynamics. .

A senior internal mentor, often a former dean or president, helps deans understand institutional dynamics, academic culture, and governance expectations.

A board or governance coach can help the dean prepare for critical conversations with trustees, owners, or investors, framing discussions in ways that anticipate financial and political constraints. .

Together, these roles create a corner that broadens perspective and reduces blind spots.

The Sparring Partner: Safe Preparation Before the Match

Before stepping into the ring, fighters test strategies in training. Sparring partners help sharpen technique and reveal weaknesses in a controlled environment.

For business school leaders, sparring partners may include peer networks, advisory boards, consultants, or structured scenario planning. These spaces allow leaders to rehearse difficult conversations, explore strategic alternatives, and test assumptions without immediate consequences. The objective is to return to the institution with decisions that are clearer, more robust, and easier to explain. 

This preparation builds confidence and improves decision-making when it matters most.

The Cutman: Managing Recovery and Sustainability

In boxing, recovery between rounds is as important as action in the ring. The corner manages fatigue, focus, and readiness to continue.

In leadership, this role is played by trusted advisors, communications specialists, HR partners, and well-being resources. They help leaders manage pressure, address tensions early, and maintain the emotional stamina required to lead over time. Sustainability is not a luxury. It is a prerequisite for effective leadership.

COACHING ACROSS TIME: BEFORE, DURING & BETWEEN ROUNDS

Coaching is not a single intervention. It unfolds over time.

Before key moments, coaching helps leaders prepare scenarios, clarify objectives, and rehearse difficult discussions.

During periods of intensity or crisis, coaching helps leaders stay centered, prioritize effectively, and avoid reactive decisions.

Between rounds, coaching creates space for reflection, learning, and adjustment so that each phase strengthens the next.

This rhythm transforms leadership from a sequence of isolated challenges into a continuous process of growth.

A CORNER THAT SHARPENS JUDGMENT

A coach does not replace the dean’s judgment. The coach sharpens it.

Coaching does not simplify complexity. It helps leaders navigate it with greater awareness and confidence.

The most effective leaders increasingly view coaching as a competitive advantage rather than an admission of weakness. They invest in support that enhances autonomy, strengthens decision-making, and builds long-term capacity to lead in complex environments.

THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION WILL BELONG TO THE WELL-PREPARED

As business schools confront profound shifts involving artificial intelligence, hybrid learning, global competition, and changing learner expectations, leadership will require more than technical expertise. It will require endurance, clarity, and the ability to adjust intelligently over time.

The leaders who succeed will be those who understand what every experienced fighter knows. Winning is rarely about force. It is about preparation, positioning, and listening carefully to the corner between rounds.

In a world where the bell keeps ringing, the smartest leaders will make sure their corner is as strong, thoughtful, and prepared as they are.

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Benjamin Stevenin is the former Director of Business School Solutions and Partnerships at Times Higher Education. Isabelle Fagnot is Dean and Professor of Management of Information Systems at France’s KEDGE Business School. Anne-Céline Muller is a business transformation consultant and HEC executive coach based in Paris.

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