JAMES W. MYERS
Contributing Associate Professor
B.S., Western Oregon University
M.M., Willamette University

EML: jwmyers@willamette.edu

The challenge for us as leaders is not being right, it is being wise. As leaders we spent half of our time in the pursuit of Truth; after that most of our actions are footnotes to best practice and the application of practical knowledge. Therefore if we start with the right First Principles and apply them rigorously, success will develop in the context of ourselves, our organization and those that we lead. The value we add as leaders does not grow from ill-advised haste but in well tempered consideration and in the development of robust and long-term relationships built upon integrity.

The challenge for organizations is not the lack of resources; to the contrary, it is the on-going and unseen waste of available resources over a protracted period of time that leaves the organization's resources depleted. To overcome this challenge and get to the point of being the capable, flexible and continually evolving enterprise that best serves customers and markets requires the explicit recognition and leveraging of core competencies towards clearly defined goals – the alignment of strategy and tactics, means and ends. Success is then defined not by having the best plan, but in the skillful, determined and aligned execution of a good plan in the context of an ethic of continuous improvement towards organizational goals.

“The Four Realities:
Things that are, and seem to be
Things that are, and seem not to be,
Things that are not, and seem to be,
Things that are not, and seem not to be."

" The virtuous strive to know the truth about these realities.”
-Epictetus, writing in Discourses, about 100 AD

“Our knowledge can only be finite, while our ignorance must necessarily be infinite.”
-Karl Popper

“While it is difficult to change a company that is struggling, it is next to impossible to change a company that is showing all the outward signs of success. Without the spur of a crisis or a period of great stress, most organizations - like most people - are incapable of changing the habits and attitudes of a lifetime.”
- John F. McDonnell, McDonnell- Douglas Corporation

“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”
- George S. Patton, United States Army

"Sustained success is largely a matter of focusing regularly on the right things and making a lot of uncelebrated little improvements every day."
- Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business School

James W. Myers currently serves as Associate Dean and contributing associate professor, bringing with him two decades of operations leadership experience focusing on customer service, product delivery, project management and process improvement.

His background includes leadership roles in maintenance, materials, and manufacturing management, lean implementation, systems development and enterprise resource planning in capital equipment and aerospace/defense sectors.

His professional interests revolve around organizational understanding, alignment and improvement from Strategic, Operational and Tactical perspectives. As an advocate of Operational Art, Strategy Alignment and Continuous Improvement he thrives on bringing order from chaos and success from crisis regardless of the obstacles. He is also the founder of Praxis Analytics Incorporated, a business consultancy focusing on enterprise optimization and process improvement.

“We’re delighted to welcome James Myers to the administrative team at the Atkinson School,” said Debra Ringold. “As a graduate of the program and an innovator in operational and project management, James will work to streamline processes that support our faculty and staff in serving the needs of our students.”

Jim is a former Marine and an unrepentant student of economics, history and human progress. In his spare time, enjoys spending time with his family, reading, discussing ideas, camping, collecting practical artifacts from the past and perhaps most of all - working on things – like home additions, tree houses, old trucks, and new business processes.