The Soul of Teaching: Insights From 50 Years of Experience in Management Education

Abstract

This interview with Dr. Joan V. Gallos, 2023 recipient of the David L. Bradford Outstanding Educator Award from the Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society (MOBTS), explores the four components of what Gallos considers the “soul of teaching”—insights she wished she had understood when she began her teaching career more than 50 years ago. Her four insights advise educators to: (1) work with what they’ve got—and own it!, (2) fail in the right way (think progress, not perfection), (3) dive into the magic at the heart of teaching and learning, and (4) relax and take your time: becoming the best educator you can be is a journey of never arriving. The interview is presented to encourage others to both find the soul of their teaching and guide their individual and collective discovery of the connection, authenticity, and magic at the heart of all teaching and learning.