Paul Thornton presenting a talk on organizational structure
Paul Thornton participating in a conference discussion
Paul Thornton speaking with a microphone during a discussion

Biography

As a student of leadership, he has interviewed hundreds of leaders, conducted research, observed people across a wide range of leadership roles, and read extensively on leadership and organizational behavior. Paul has also learned through experience, serving in a variety of human resources roles, as a college professor, executive coach, varsity hockey coach, and as a parent and husband.

As a teacher, Paul has taught management, leadership, organizational behavior, and business communications at the college level. He served as a Professor of Business Administration at Springfield Technical Community College from 1998 to 2018 and as an adjunct faculty member at Springfield College. At STCC, he also organized and coordinated a one-day leadership conference for five years.

Earlier in his career, Paul worked at the Hamilton Standard division of United Technologies. Over his 20-year corporate career, he served on several senior leadership teams and gained hands-on experience in strategic planning, organizational change, succession planning, and performance management.

At Hamilton, he also held roles in human resources and leadership development. He oversaw all aspects of leadership training and development for an organization with 20,000 employees.

Paul later founded Be the Leader Associates, where he designed and delivered management, leadership, and team-building programs for organizations such as UMass Medical School, Mercy Health Systems, Kuwait Oil Corporation, Weyerhaeuser Corporation, and United Technologies.

Paul has written extensively on leadership. His articles have appeared in publications such as The Leader-to-Leader Journal, Management Review, Leadership Excellence, The Toastmaster, USA Today, and The CEO Refresher. He has published more than 100 articles and authored numerous books on management, leadership, and organizational effectiveness.

Paul holds an MBA from American International College, a master’s in Education from Suffolk University, and a bachelor’s from Ohio University.