PROFESSOR DAY’S ILA AWARD
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ILA Lifetime Achievement Award for Professor Day Professor David Day's impactful academic career has recently earned him the Lifetime Achievement Award in Leadership Studies, awarded by the International Leadership Association. I had the opportunity to talk with him about this achievement and reflect on his career. The International Leadership Association is devoted to leadership and research. Renowned for advancing scholarly dialogue and practice in leadership studies, Professor Day emphasizes how much of an honor it is to be recognized by his peers— peers with whom he has collaborated and who have also advanced the field of leadership studies. Professor Day started his career working at an auto plant for Ford, where he spent hours melting iron to form cast iron parts for cars. He often found himself wondering if this was all he could do in life. Fortunately, he found an opportunity within Ford Motors to return to school and study what he wanted. Through Ford’s tuition reimbursement program, Day attended Baldwin Wallace College, where he discovered the transformative power of a liberal arts education. As he says, “A liberal arts education saved my life.” In college, Professor Day studied organizational psychology and quickly became fascinated with the field. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he attended the University of Akron, where he encountered his future mentor, Bob Lord. Under Lord’s guidance, Day began to explore leadership from a cognitive perspective and pursued both his master’s and Ph.D. in executive leadership. Inspired by his advisor, Day adopted a new, scientific approach to leadership studies. When asked about his biggest contribution to leadership studies, Professor Day mentions a distinction he made years ago between leadership development and leader development. Professor Day focuses on leadership development and how collectives create shared leadership. He plans to continue researching the capacity of collective groups to lead. Another distinction Professor Day discusses is leadership effectiveness versus leadership emergence. While much of leadership research explores how people come to view someone as a leader—known as emergence—Day emphasizes that emergence has little to do with effectiveness. For example, extroverts and tall individuals may be more likely to emerge as leaders, but anyone can be an effective leader. His research primarily focuses on leadership effectiveness rather than emergence. Reflecting on his career, Professor Day has few regrets, though he wishes he had started his ideal career earlier. Nonetheless, he is thankful for his journey and the lives of students he has impacted. He’s also amazed by KLI’s growth since he joined. Looking ahead, he plans to individualize leadership education within KLI and across CMC. Professor Day’s career in leadership studies has been remarkably impactful. All of us at KLI are proud of his accomplishments and his well-deserved recognition as a pioneer in leadership development.
Article Written by Diego Nunez ‘28
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