As announced earlier today, Sid Fuchs, President and CEO of MacAulay-Brown, Inc., has been appointed Louisiana State University (LSU)’s College of Engineering Executive in Residence. Fuchs began teaching at LSU to senior-level undergraduate and graduate students last year, focusing on leadership, business strategy, and strategic networking.
Fuchs graduated from LSU with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and in 2012 was inducted into the LSU College of Engineering Hall of Distinction. Fuchs also chairs the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Industrial Advisory Board.
WashingtonExec spoke with Fuchs about his current role at LSU, his best advice for college graduates, and what contributed to his decision to take on a larger leadership role within the University.
“As the LSU College of Engineering Executive in Residence, I am honored to provide thought leadership, course and seminar lectures, career development counseling, strategic planning and business operations guidance, and advisory services to the administration, students, and faculty of the University and College. My lectures mostly focus on leadership, business strategy, networking, and a practical/applied view of how the world really works. I find that the students and faculty are highly interested in the perspectives of someone like me who’s been in government and industry for over 25 years,” said Fuchs.
Fuchs is also a published author, penning his first book last year about networking and mentorship entitled, Get off the Bench: Unleashing the Power of Strategic Networking. In Get off the Bench, Fuchs reflects on his years in government and industry, and lessons learned throughout his career. These words of wisdom are also incorporated into his LSU lectures.
“I have developed the bulk of my perspectives, theories, and course content from my personal and professional experiences, but also draw inspiration from well known thought leaders such as Jack Welch, Peter Drucker, and Larry Bossidy. I have found that when students and faculty get exposed to these leadership and business concepts from an outsider like me with a practical point of view, you can see their interest skyrocket. I recently gave seminars to over 200 graduating seniors, graduate students, and the department chairs for the College of Engineering on these topics and the feedback has been tremendous,” said Fuchs.
“I like to equate my presentation style to a comedy routine. It’s about timing and delivery. You’ve got to be able to get the audience’s attention and hold it. If you’ve seen me brief, I tend to throw in a little humor. I also incorporate many stories throughout my presentation as I believe nothing gets a point across better than a good story. A balance of storytelling with humor combined with compelling content delivered in a high energy manner will always make for a successful presentation. If the audience is engaged and asking questions then I tend to do better because I get energy from audience participation. Humanizing the material is really important,” Fuchs added.
In Get off the Bench, Fuchs uses his own career to provide examples of ‘inflection points’ which he fundamentally believes contributed to his rapid success within the national security community. Fuchs regards his appointment as Executive in Residence at LSU as yet another achievement and pivot point in his career.
When asked what made him want to take on a larger teaching role at LSU, Fuchs said,
“I think it was writing the book. However, my interest was first tapped when I was a grad student at LSU and also an instructor in the engineering department for several years. I’ve always said that was one of the more rewarding jobs that I have had – teaching. As I thought about my 25 plus years in industry and reflected on next phase of my life, I knew that I wanted to go back to teaching and helping others. So I think the inflection point for now started back in graduate school and then grew as I started doing more public speaking and lectures in the last 10-15 years on leadership.
“The last inflection point was writing the book which sort of formalized everything and made me a published author. I think those are the inflection points in my career that drove me to where I’m going as far as teaching, publishing, and the next phase of my career.”
Despite moving to the DC area directly after college graduation in 1987 to pursue a position at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Fuchs often goes back to his hometown of New Orleans.
“When I am standing in front of the class and teaching at LSU, I can see myself in that chair 30 years ago. When I sit there and think about those students and how much business experience they don’t have, but will need, and how much I can help them, it really brings home what I’ve done with my career and how much I’ve learned. I’m humbled that I’ve been successful, and that I now have the opportunity to take all of that experience back to LSU to help the students as they prepare to move forward in their lives,” Fuchs told WashingtonExec.
“I think the overarching point is that it is your career and your life to manage, and no one else is going to do it for you,” Fuchs added.
Like a true professor, Fuchs is also working on a second book to supplement Get off the Bench. He is still in the conception and planning stages, but this four-time CEO will no doubt have much more to say about leadership development, harvesting top talent, and bringing the best out of organizations.
“I am definitely putting pen to paper and thinking about what I want to do next, but I’m not ready to talk about specifics. Receiving this LSU appointment, and being more involved with the university and its students, is definitely going to help me shape my thinking on what I want that next book to be.”
