Prelims

SWIFT LEADERSHIP

EXPLORING EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICES THROUGH POPULAR CULTURE

Series editor: Michael J. Urick

The aim of this series is to examine modern and innovative business theories and methods via relatable popular cultural themes. The books will provide academically rigorous and credible applications and solutions to practitioners and upper-level business students, in a format designed to be highly engaging and effective.

Titles in Exploring Effective Leadership Practices Through Popular Culture

• A Manager’s Guide to Using the Force: Leadership Lessons from a Galaxy Far Far Away

  Michael J. Urick

• Leadership in Middle Earth: Theories and Applications for Organizations

  Michael J. Urick

• Leadership Insights for Wizards and Witches

  Aditya Simha

• Leaders Assemble! Leadership in the MCU

  Gordon B. Schmidt and Sy Islam

• Bend the Knee or Seize the Throne: Leadership Lessons from Westeros

  Nathan Tong and Michael J. Urick

• Courageous Companions: Followership in Doctor Who

  Kimberly Yost

• Against All Odds: Leadership and the Handmaid’s Tale

  Cristina de Mello-e-Souza Wildermuth

• Elements of Leadership: Lessons from Avatar the Last Airbender

  Sy Islam and Gordon B. Schmidt

• Leadership Lessons from the Kardashians: Bodies, Emotions, Success

  Brigitte Biehl

Forthcoming

• Leaders of the Caribbean

  Pelin Kohn and Michael J. Urick

• Slaying the Vampires, Werewolves and Demons of Ineffective Leadership

  Aditya Simha

SWIFT LEADERSHIP

A Taylor-made Approach to Influence and Decision Making

By

Mariah Yates

Western Kentucky University, USA

And

Michael J. Urick

Saint Vincent College, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL.

First edition 2025

Copyright © 2025 Mariah Yates and Michael J. Urick. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: www.copyright.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83549-623-7 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83549-620-6 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83549-622-0 (Epub)

Mariah Yates is the Director of the Advancing Workplace Culture Initiative at the Gordon Ford College of Business, Western Kentucky University (WKU), where she also serves as an Associate Professor of Management. She earned her PhD in Business Administration with a focus on Organizational Behavior from the University of Cincinnati. Her MBA, with an emphasis on Sustainability, is from Western Kentucky University.

She has developed and taught various undergraduate and graduate courses related to organizational behavior, business ethics, critical thinking in management, and business communication fundamentals. Her research, which primarily explores corporate social responsibility (CSR), organizational behavior, and sustainability, has been widely published in academic journals and has earned her several prestigious awards, including the Matthew Sonfield Research Award from the Small Business Institute and the Best Paper Award from the Academy of Business Research.

Since taking on the role of Director of the Advancing Workplace Culture Initiative, she has been dedicated to promoting an inclusive and equitable workplace culture within the business school. Her leadership has been pivotal in fostering a supportive environment for both faculty and students, aligning with her broader and more recent research interests in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

She is the recipient of numerous accolades for her innovations in teaching and service. These include the Vitale Award for Initiative, Innovation, and Leadership, a National Best Practices Award from the Small Business Institute, and multiple teaching honors from the Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning (CITL) at WKU. She has also helped secure significant grants, such as the Gates Foundation Grant for the AASCU Student Success Equity Intensive.

Her professional affiliations are extensive, including memberships in the Academy of Management, the International Leadership Association, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She serves on the editorial boards of the Global Journal of Management and Marketing and the Journal of Small Business Strategy and is a frequent reviewer for several other academic journals.

In addition to her academic roles, she actively contributes to her community. She is a Board Member of Phoenix Rising Inc., a nonprofit organization focused on combating human trafficking, and has organized various community awareness and fundraising events.

Her professional background also included co-owning and managing Quality Security & Surveillance LLC, providing her with practical business experience that complemented her academic expertise. This unique blend of practical and academic experience positions her as a distinguished figure in the fields of management and organizational behavior.

In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, embroidery work, and traveling with her family and friends.

Michael J. Urick is Dean of the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania (USA) as well as a Professor of Management and Operational Excellence.

He received his PhD in Management (Organizational Behavior focus) from the University of Cincinnati. His MBA (focused in Human Resources Management) and MS (in Leadership and Business Ethics) are both from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting with Management and English minors is from Saint Vincent College. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses related to organizational behavior, human resources, communication, conflict, organizational culture, operations, and research methods. His research has been widely cited in academic publications as well as in news media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and the BBC.

The Master of Science in Management: Operational Excellence program at Saint Vincent, which he directed for nearly 10 years prior to his role as Dean, focuses on providing aspiring leaders with cutting edge management techniques to effectively problem solve, minimize waste, and continuously improve their organizations. Under his directorship, the program was consistently ranked as a “Top 50 Best Value Master’s in Management” program by Value Colleges and as a “Top Online Non-MBA Business Graduate Degree” by US News and World Report.

He is Six Sigma Green Belt Certified, Diversity Management Certified, a Certified Conflict Manager, Project Management Essentials Certified, and MBTI Certified and is also certified through the Society for Human Resource Management as well as the True Lean program at the University of Kentucky. He is the Recipient of an “Excellence in Teaching” award from the Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati, the “Quentin Schaut Faculty Award” from Saint Vincent College, and a “Teaching Excellence” award from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs among other pedagogical honors. Internationally, he was also recognized by the Institute for Supply Management as a “Person of the Year” in the learning and education category.

He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Leadership and Management based in Poland, the North American Associate Editor of the Measuring Business Excellence journal, and on the editorial board of Management Teaching Review. He is also the Editor for the “Exploring Effective Leadership Practices through Popular Culture” book series from Emerald Publishing.

His research interests include leadership, conflict, and identity in the workplace. Much of his work focuses on issues related to intergenerational phenomena within organizations. He also often examines how popular culture can be used to advance organizational behavior theory. In addition to authoring or coauthoring over 50 publications including multiple books and peer-reviewed articles, he has regularly presented at academic and practitioner international meetings such as the Academy of Management, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and Institute for Supply Management conferences. He is a regular speaker on age-related issues in the workplace throughout the USA and internationally (having presented on four continents including presentations at the University of Oxford in the UK) and served as a consultant on issues related to workplace interactions, organizational culture, and ethics for various organizations. He has served as a Reviewer for a variety of academic publications including the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, Journal of Social Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and Journal of Family Issues as well as the Organizational Behavior and Human Resources divisions of the Academy of Management Annual Meeting in addition to other conferences.

Professionally, he has served on the boards of ISM-Pittsburgh (in various roles including President) and the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival (a top-rated community event). He has also served on the Westmoreland Human Resources Association (a regional SHRM chapter) board in various positions including Vice President. Prior to academia, he worked in a variety of roles related to auditing, utilities, environmental issues, and training and development. Through these experiences, he became fascinated with interactions in the workplace and how they might be improved which has influenced his academic career.

For fun, he enjoys music and, since 1998, has been a semiprofessional jazz musician and toured through over a dozen US states while releasing multiple recordings with various ensembles.

First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to my husband, Adam, and our son, Silas. Your all’s willingness to be flexible in allowing me to lock myself away in the office to write, coupled with your continuous support and encouragement, are what made this book possible.

I extend my profound thanks to my coauthor, Mike Urick, for inviting me to join this exciting project and giving me the opportunity to write my first book. Your guidance and partnership have been invaluable.

To the amazing team at Emerald – Fiona Allison, Lydia Cutmore, Joshi Monica Jerome, Yemaya Marsden, and Sangeetha Rajan – thank you for your assistance and for believing in me as a writer. Your support has been instrumental in bringing this book to life.

I am also deeply grateful to Taylor Swift for inspiring me and so many others to embrace our own authentic forms of leadership. Your journey has provided a rich source of insights and motivation.

To my fellow Swifties, thank you for your extensive research materials and for being one of the most welcoming and encouraging fandoms out there. Your passion and dedication have enriched this project in countless ways.

Lastly, I want to thank you, the reader, for picking up this book. Your interest and engagement are what make this work meaningful. I hope you find inspiration and valuable insights within these pages.

– Mariah Yates

There are many people that I would like to thank, without whom this book would not be possible.

First, I would like to thank Janet and Lucy. Thank you for putting up with my crazy schedule, multitasking, and taking on too many projects than I can actually handle. Thank you also for understanding my more frequent listening to Taylor Swift while coauthoring this book than I had in the past.

Thank you to my parents, Richard and Michele. Along with my grandfather, Michael “Ug” Cilli, you fostered in me a love of music and writing from a very young age.

Thank you to lead author Mariah Yates. I appreciate our working together and your dedication to seeing this project through.

We could not have completed this book without the assistance of Fiona Allison, Lydia Cutmore, Hemavathi Rajendran, Aimee Wright, Madison Klopfer, Joshi Monica Jerome, Sangeetha Rajan, and all the crew at Emerald. You are all amazing. Thank you for all that you did to get this book published and all that you do for the success of the book series.

Thank you to my students, to whom this book is dedicated, for keeping me young and for making my day job as dean worthwhile.

I’d like to thank my assistant, Lana Dillon, for helping me to find free time in my hectic schedule to devote to fun projects like this.

Thank you to Mark Kachmar for challenging my belief that Taylor Swift is a skilled leader. Because of our conversations, you have made my beliefs that Taylor Swift is a leader worthy of study stronger and, in turn, my arguments for studying leadership through her more pronounced.

Of course, this book would not be possible without Taylor Swift and the team that allows her to write and perform music. Thank you for providing the soundtrack of a generation and for giving us a book’s worth of thoughts to consider when exploring leadership.

I also thank God for blessing me with the joy of and ability to write this book and to enjoy both music and studying leadership.

Lastly, thank you, the reader, for picking up a copy of this book. I hope you find it both useful and interesting.

– Michael J. Urick