"In today's competitive market, remember: your employees are your greatest asset."
Dr. David D. Schein is an author, professor, consultant and public speaker. He is a tenured Professor and the Cameron Endowed Chair of Management and Marketing at the University of St. Thomas’ Cameron School of Business.
He is also the President and General Counsel of Claremont Management Group, a Human Resources consulting firm in Houston, TX.
He often speaks on employment and consumer matters. While Conservative radio loves to bash Ivy League academics, Dr. Schein is an Ivy League graduate and a full-time academic, plus a solid conservative.
He has radio experience and hosts the webcasts: “Saving America,” “Business Law 101,” and “Starstruck.” His two current books are “Decline of America: 100 Years of Leadership Failures” and “Bad Deal for America.”
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
David Schein: As an author, professor, consultant, and public speaker, I hold the position of tenured Professor and the Cameron Endowed Chair of Management and Marketing at the University of St. Thomas’ Cameron School of Business.
Additionally, I serve as the President and General Counsel of Claremont Management Group, a Human Resources consulting firm based in Houston, TX.
My expertise often leads me to speak on employment and consumer matters. Despite criticisms from Conservative radio towards Ivy League academics, I proudly hold an Ivy League graduate status while maintaining a full-time academic position, alongside my solid conservative beliefs.
I bring my experience to radio hosting, presenting webcasts such as “Saving America,” “Business Law 101,” and “Starstruck.” Currently, I’ve authored two books: “Decline of America: 100 Years of Leadership Failures” and “Bad Deal for America.”
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
David Schein: I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with a wide range of businesses. I provide high level human resource assistance on an as-needed basis.
I also provide training and basic structure materials like employee handbooks. Over the last year, I have had a number of successes with my clients.
In addition, I also serve as an expert witness in employment cases and have had the recent opportunity to serve as an expert in two million dollar cases. While busy with this, I never neglect my students.
I teach a full course load at the Cameron School of Business at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. I am pleased to say that I receive outstanding evaluations from my students. I try to make sure that the students can use in the real world what we cover in the classroom.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
David Schein: While it sounds like a cliche, employees are the most valuable part of a company’s business. And yet, many companies forget that. We are in a tight labor market. There are many workplace opportunities.
Employers need to be sure that their managers are up to the tasks they take on, which include the intelligent supervision and development of the employees who report to them. An employee leaving should never be a surprise.
If it is a surprise, that means the manager is not on top of the employees who report to that manager. “Appreciation” is a key factor in keeping employees. Many would volunteer that it is money or benefits, but it is appreciation that builds loyalty and a long-term workforce.
At the same time, employees are much more fluid than they have been in any previous generation of workers. So, a higher level of turnover than in times past should be anticipated.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
David Schein: All of us are experiencing the switch to a digital economy. I find it fascinating to be able to order an item and have it in my hands the next day.
We have also moved toward more and more meetings and classes online, in both synchronous and a synchronous mode. However, we must maintain contact with people.
That still has the most impact on any relationship. I continue to have most contact with my individual consulting clients by email and phone. There has been a sharp increase in Zoom and Team meetings.
However. I am booked for two client trainings during the next month. They will both be in-person. I think that will continue to have the most impact for the foreseeable future.
Christopher Hitchens, an American journalist, is quoted as saying that “everyone has a book in them” Have you written a book? If so, please share with us details about it. If you haven’t, what book would you like to write and how would you like it to benefit the readers?
David Schein: My Ph.D. Dissertation was published, but most of us do not consider that a book in the true sense.
My concern about the direction of the United States has driven me to write “Decline of America: 100 Years of Leadership Failures.” This book, published by Post Hill Press, was released in 2018 and covers Wilson through Obama.
It received strong critical reviews. I followed that with “Bad Deal for America,” which I published through Amazon in 2022. I released the professionally produced audio book in 2023. It was a best seller on Amazon when it was released.
This book reviews the failures of members of Congress, based on a deck of cards. There are 27 Democrat cards and 26 Republican cards. Moving away from what I call “Political Management,” my current book in progress is “A Cheap Education.”
Set in the time of “Sex,Drugs and Rock & Roll,” it is a fiction-based-on-fact story of a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who ends up in the entertainment industry in Philadelphia while a college student. His education on the streets was more valuable than his Ivy League education.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
David Schein: In my career, I have worked with about 200 start-up businesses. Often, it is said that lack of capital is the number one reason that businesses fail.
Based on my observations, the number one reason businesses fail is that somebody needs to get out there and sell something.
In many cases, it is not the pioneer who is successful. They help to establish the validity of the market concept. But, behind that, a good marketer comes in and has the success.
Apple’s success is a good example. They did not invent the personal computer. What they did do, is make it more user-friendly, and in their later products, they have come up with “cool” stuff.
What does “success” in 2024 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
David Schein: So far, 2024 has been a blockbuster for me. I have been in a sold-out situation since the start. On top of a triple overload in my teaching schedule, I am the expert witness in two employment discrimination cases and have provided timely HR counsel to about a dozen other businesses.
For the remainder of the year, I want to get two more articles out to professional journals, get a new paper started on the subject of attorney-client privilege, and I plan to make progress on my current book, “A Cheap Education.”
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank David Schein for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with David Schein or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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