About

Thirty years in the room, ten more passing it on.

Dr. Ron Glickman spent three decades as a Fortune 500 CIO. He now spends his time helping the next generation of leaders realize what he had to learn the hard way.

Dr. Ron Glickman, arms crossed, smiling, in a checked blazer against a navy backdrop.
Countries led at once
69
Students improving EQ
91%
Kesem camps, on his watch
3 → 54
Kesem annual revenue
$100K → $3M+

Ron most recently led technology at a Fortune 500 grocery retailer since 2013, where he was promoted to EVP / CIO and earned a doctorate in leadership (EdD) while in the role. Before that: UTi Worldwide — 600 people across 69 countries during a supply-chain transformation that survived 50 acquisitions. Before that: Wellcome Hong Kong — 700 grocery stores, Jardine Matheson’s flagship retail business. Before that: Duty-Free Shops — 400 stores across 15 countries, a transformation program that earned the Computerworld Smithsonian Award and got written up in the Journal of Information Technology.

The through-line is geography as much as industry: leading culturally diverse teams from Hong Kong to India to South Africa, learning that the same leadership challenge looks different in every room.

Ron Glickman addressing a seated room of executives, mid-point.
In the room. Thirty years of them.

For the past decade, Ron has taught managerial leadership at Cal State LA. Ninety-one percent of his students improve their EQ score each semester. His seventh lecture — the one that crystallizes everything — is titled Lead for a Change. It became a Greenleaf-published book in 2023. The book, the course, and the work he does now are the same spine.

Ron Glickman leading a small cohort seated in a circle, a copy of Lead for a Change in hand.
A cohort, mid-session.

He also chaired Camp Kesem’s board for ten years, helping grow it from 3 camps to 54, from $100K to $3M+ in annual revenue, with 17 paid staff. What ties all of this together — the operating, the teaching, the nonprofit work — is a single idea. Leadership is a human endeavor: relationship, not device centric.

Ron’s second act is about helping individuals at any stage in their career journey realize their human and leadership potential. The career journey isn’t a ladder — it’s a spiral. People come back around to the same questions at a new altitude, and the work is meeting them there.

Ron Glickman speaking at a Camp Kesem podium, the camp's caterpillar logomark visible on the lectern sign.
At the Camp Kesem gala. Chaired the board for ten years.

Selected writing & appearances

In print, and on the record.

Publications

2023

Lead for a Change. River Grove Books.

Greenleaf Book Group imprint.

2021

Curriculum and Pedagogy Considerations for Connecting Personal Growth and Leadership Development.

With M. H. Glickman. In Case Studies in Leadership and Adult Development Applying Theoretical Perspectives, pp. 148–157. Routledge. doi.org/10.4324/9780429331503

2020

Preparing Latinx College Students for Leadership in California.

Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 17(4). doi.org/10.33423/jlae.v17i4.3094

2007

Crafting and Executing An Offshore IT Sourcing Strategy: GlobShop’s experience.

With C. Ranganathan and P. Krishnan. Journal of Information Technology, 22(4), 440–450. doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jit.2000113

Podcasts

—

Lead for a Change: Strategies, Growth and Breakthroughs with Dr. Ron Glickman.

Robust discussion on clarifying expectations, fostering growth, and achieving breakthroughs. Watch

—

The Breakthrough Podcast, Episode 31 — Dr. Ron Glickman.

The book’s three-pillar spine, discussed at length. Listen

—

Actions vs Thoughtful Reactions.

BrainTrust Growth. Why change matters, and how to use it professionally and personally. Listen

—

How to Create Opportunity in Our Changing Digital World.

bos.com Inspired. On the digital world as opportunity, B2C and B2B. Listen

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