Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • December 2004 (Revised April 2006)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Managing a Public Image: Rob Thomas

By: Robin J. Ely and Ingrid Vargas
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:4
ShareBar

Abstract

Rob Thomas describes some of the challenges he has faced as a white, middle-aged man who is managing director of a mid-size consulting firm where he is committed to increasing staff gender and racial diversity. Unwilling to risk the disapproval of any constituency, Thomas was initially paralyzed by his desire to appear as a fair and infallible leader. When a capable but undistinguished female consultant comes up for partner, Thomas decides to take a stand, but his efforts to get her promoted fail. In the end, Thomas questions whether he has been an effective leader in support of a cause about which he cares deeply. Thomas reflects on his image concerns, questioning whether they have undermined his ability to exercise leadership effectively.

Keywords

Leadership; Age; Race; Identity; Failure; Gender; Consulting Industry

Citation

Ely, Robin J., and Ingrid Vargas. "Managing a Public Image: Rob Thomas." Harvard Business School Case 405-054, December 2004. (Revised April 2006.)
  • Educators
  • Purchase

About The Author

Robin J. Ely

Organizational Behavior
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • September 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Marsha Simms: Trailblazer in Corporate Law

    By: Robin Ely, Boris Groysberg and Colleen Ammerman
    • April 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Marsha Simms: Trailblazer in Corporate Law

    By: Robin Ely, Boris Groysberg, Colleen Ammerman and Olivia Hull
    • 2021
    • Faculty Research

    A Systems Psychodynamic Perspective on the Persistence of Racial Inequality at Work

    By: Sanaz Mobasseri, Wiliam Kahn and Robin Ely
More from the Authors
  • Marsha Simms: Trailblazer in Corporate Law By: Robin Ely, Boris Groysberg and Colleen Ammerman
  • Marsha Simms: Trailblazer in Corporate Law By: Robin Ely, Boris Groysberg, Colleen Ammerman and Olivia Hull
  • A Systems Psychodynamic Perspective on the Persistence of Racial Inequality at Work By: Sanaz Mobasseri, Wiliam Kahn and Robin Ely
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College