Alumnus credits social work education for his success in business
By Lauren Dangel
As principal of his , Howard Guttman (LYS 鈥�76, SAS 鈥�77) provides his clients鈥攕uch as Mars Inc., GlaxoSmithKline and Walmart鈥攇uidance on team alignment, coaching, and development for leaders.
Guttman emphasizes a horizontal, high-performance organizational model which requires teams to work together鈥攁nd relies on lessons Guttman learned as a student at Case Western Reserve University.
Action magazine interviewed Guttman to learn how studying social work prepared him for the corporate consulting space. Read on to hear what he had to share.
What led you to CWRU?
I was in the nonprofit world. I [wanted] to get a master鈥檚 in library science because libraries serve as a base for community development. After a couple of library science courses, I [realized it wasn鈥檛 a great fit], but still wanted to work with communities. I proposed a dual degree with the School of [Information and] Library Science and the School of Applied Social Sciences. In the end, I never did anything with libraries, but being able to assess needs, understand data collection and contract with clients has served me my entire career.
How does a social work degree prepare someone for the business world?
A greater sense of process and [assessing] individuals. Most who come out of business schools [and] into consulting are one-dimensional. Process [and] facilitation skills, understanding of dynamics, and a systems approach [are] huge differentiators.
How do social work graduates bring emotional intelligence to a business?
Trying to create high-performance, horizontal organizations, it鈥檚 an [emotional quotient (EQ)] game. It presumes people have technical competence鈥攆inance people understand numbers, human resources people understand talent acquisition鈥攂ut that鈥檚 not the game. It鈥檚 having emotional intelligence to understand how you impact people. Most people who [don鈥檛] make it don鈥檛 [fail] because they鈥檙e not good technically, [but] because they鈥檙e not able to build and sustain organizational support for themselves. EQ is the dividing line. [For the most successful people] in any organization, technical skills get them in the door, but EQ enables them to go up the ladder.
What鈥檚 one challenge you overcame for which your social work background equipped you?
A CEO [felt] discomfort regarding [a particular] business situation. His concern started to reflect feelings of self-doubt he鈥檚 had for a long time versus [the] presenting issue. I thought back to when I worked at [Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center] or practicums with women in need. It鈥檚 the same skills, except he happens to be a CEO of a multibillion-dollar company versus a mother struggling to pay for her kids. You鈥檙e still trying to tap into core emotional issues. In the corporate world, many times there is a facade people have because they don鈥檛 want to demonstrate that vulnerability.
鈥淓Q is the dividing line. [For the most successful people] in any organization, technical skills get them in the door, but EQ enables them to go up the ladder.鈥�
鈥� Howard Guttman
Mandel School Impact Series: Keynote Presentation: "Expanding the Boundaries鈥擜pplying Social Work Skills in the Corporate Sector"
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 | 5:30鈥�7 p.m.
Prepare to be inspired by (LYS '76, SAS '77), a nationally recognized expert, author and thought leader in corporate leadership and organizational transformation. As founder and principal of , his clients include global giants like Walmart and Johnson & Johnson.
He鈥檚 joined by Marilynn Gardner, an innovative nonprofit executive who has led transformative work as CEO of in Chicago.
Together, they鈥檒l reveal how social work skills are redefining success in the corporate and nonprofit sectors.
Don鈥檛 miss this opportunity to see how these skills can expand boundaries and drive impactful change.
Read more stories like this in the Winter 2025 edition of Action.