Emmett C. Murphy, PhD '74

How leaders are made

If it's true that leaders are made and not born, then Emmett C. Murphy, PhD '74 knows just what leaders are made of. Senior Fellow for the Murphy Leadership Institute, the entrepreneur has spent more than three decades researching leadership. His first business was EC Murphy LLC, a management consulting firm that focused on corporate restructuring, cultural change and leadership development. That successful company was eventually purchased by VHA of America and the University Health Consortium, the world’s largest business and healthcare alliance.

Murphy and his son Mark, BA '94, then founded the Murphy Leadership Institute, an organization that provides leadership development and performance solutions.

Murphy's affiliated endeavors have also earned international acclaim; his books on leadership have included New York Times bestsellers and have been translated worldwide; his research has been reported in USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles and New York Times, and he has traveled the globe as a presenter, teacher and analyst with numerous media outlets, including CNN, NPR, CBS and ABC.

UB experience integral

Murphy holds undergraduate degrees in music, literature, and psychology, pursued doctoral work in music, taught college level music and served as an academic dean in Syracuse before attending UB. Murphy believes his doctoral work at UB was integral to his success. "My dissertation was the foundation for EC Murphy LLC, which I formed the year after graduation," he says. As a graduate student, Murphy received a faculty fellowship through SUNY's future presidents program. He found the creative nature of UB's organizational psychology program a perfect fit, and is especially grateful for the guidance and support of UB's faculty. Murphy says professors Joseph Alutto, then dean of the School of Management (now at Ohio State) and his mentor, with Richard Beckhard at MIT and Robert Berdahl, chair of higher education (now president of U.C. Berkeley), were "remarkable people" who allowed him the flexibility to pursue his unique course of study. "I am one of those people for whom the education at the university was absolutely essential," Murphy says. "It was a wonderful experience and the support I received was outstanding. My professors wanted to help me achieve my dream. I can't say enough about their selflessness and dedication."

Why leaders succeed or fail

Murphy says his latest venture, the Murphy Leadership Institute, "is an opportunity to apply our methodologies, research and management skills on a different level, focusing more intently on why leaders succeed or fail, and to do more publishing and teaching." The Institute maintains a database of more than 100,000 professionals that they have consulted with and studied over the past 25 years.

The Murphy Leadership Institute has conducted research in collaboration with several universities, including the State University of New York, Harvard School of Medicine and MIT, as well as the American Management Association. Murphy explains that their research has identified two overriding characteristics of benchmark leaders. "First, they see their own survival as an extension of those they serve," he says. "The second driving characteristic is an achievement ethic. Benchmark leaders believe that they get ahead based on what they know and can do, versus manipulation and under-the-table deal making."

Murphy's groundbreaking research in the field of health care includes studies on the consequences of corporate restructuring on patient mortality and morbidity, and the development of new methodologies for the redesign of health care systems. The latter work was recognized by the Healthcare Financial Management Association of America, which awarded Murphy and his son Mark the Helen Yeger Research Award, given every two years to the best research in the world on the design and finance of health care systems.

His books include Leadership IQ, The New Murphy's Law, The Genius of Sitting Bull: 13 Strategies for Today's Business Leaders, and Leading on the Edge of Chaos, which he co-authored with his son Mark. Murphy has two books coming out in 2006: Talent on the Bubble and The Search for Humility, as well as a third in the works examining the restructuring of American health care. It is a topic Murphy is clearly passionate about. "We have data on the structure of the health care system that demonstrates why it is undermining our social values," Murphy says. "I am very worried that we have created a monster that is out of our control, and it will take the wholesale galvanization of the public to leverage the system for change."

Leading to change

When not traveling to speak or consult, Murphy and his wife Carol divide their time between Buffalo and Florida, where he enjoys playing golf and tennis. Whether attending performances by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra or performing, music is a central part of the entire family's life. (Their daughter Marissa is a violinist with the Maryland Symphony.) Murphy's career has given him a great sense of accomplishment. His research on how corporate restructuring impacts patient mortality was reported in the U.S. Congressional Record. Murphy says, "One of my proudest achievements was validating that the methodology we employed, which emphasizes evidence-based leadership, could lead to improvement in both financial and clinical outcomes. It is very fulfilling to see your ideas lead to change that tangibly affects lives for the better."

Written by Jessica Dudek, BA '94

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