Noel Tichy is a Professor of Management & Organizations at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Dr. Noel Tichy is the author of many books and articles on business management, focusing on the role of leadership. Tichy's most recent book is "Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls," co-authored with Warren Bennis, another management guru.

Tichy management theories concern change in an organization, the leader as teacher in an organization, and the ability to create strategies for making judgment calls on personnel, crises and operations. His biggest claim to fame was the role he played in GE's transformation under Jack Welch. Tichy taught at the GE's Crotonville leadership center.

1. The management theory of Noel Tichy states that with leaders and subordinates everyone is a teacher and everyone is a learner, and people get smarter every day.

2. Tichy believes in a teachable point of view (TPOV) which is the ability to express the goals and ambitions set by the leader in an understandable way. Tichy explains this in another way by saying what is implicit should be made explicit.

3. Tichy says that leaders are created by the ups and downs of their lives, not from courses taken or books read.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Read interviews with Noel Tichy

Reading Noel Tichy as he is interviewed about the Tichy business leadership theory can give you a better understanding of the man and his ideas.

I recommend: National Staff Development Council has a terrific interview with Tichy from 2005 entitled, "Explain, Inspire, Lead," where Tichy discusses leaders and subordinates as teachers. Strategy + Business provides a history of Dr. Tichy's career and then goes on to interview him. This interview also discusses the nature of change agents and the Tichy change model.

Read Noel Tichy articles

Although Dr. Tichy is the author and co-author many books, he frequently writes articles that explain and/or develop his ideas in a short format.

I recommend: Published in Fast Company, Noel Tichy with co-author Eli Cohen wrote "Operation-Leadership" about the changes made in military changing that went against conventional wisdom--and worked. The subtext here is that this contains Tichy theory on change management. For more articles, you can download a number of them directly from Tichy's website.

Take a course with Noel Tichy

Although a business leader and consultant for profit and nonprofit organizations Dr. Tichy does a lot of teaching.

I recommend: Consider applying to the Executive Skills Program at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, where Professor Tichy is on the faculty. If you're not ready for an MBA program, consider the three-day workshop called the Leadership Judgment Program, developed by Dr. Tichy.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The management theory of Noel Tichy was implicit in Jack Welch's leadership at GE.