A lifelong passion for leadership.
Paul B. Thornton has spent more than 40 years studying, teaching, practicing, and writing about leadership.
Biography
As a student of leadership, he has interviewed hundreds of leaders, conducted research, observed people across a wide range of leadership roles, and read extensively on leadership and organizational behavior. Paul has also learned through experience, serving in a variety of human resources roles, as a college professor, executive coach, varsity hockey coach, and as a parent and husband.
As a teacher, Paul has taught management, leadership, organizational behavior, and business communications at the college level. He served as a Professor of Business Administration at Springfield Technical Community College from 1998 to 2018 and as an adjunct faculty member at Springfield College. At STCC, he also organized and coordinated a one-day leadership conference for five years.
Earlier in his career, Paul worked at the Hamilton Standard division of United Technologies. Over his 20-year corporate career, he served on several senior leadership teams and gained hands-on experience in strategic planning, organizational change, succession planning, and performance management.
At Hamilton, he also held roles in human resources and leadership development. He oversaw all aspects of leadership training and development for an organization with 20,000 employees.
Paul later founded Be the Leader Associates, where he designed and delivered management, leadership, and team-building programs for organizations such as UMass Medical School, Mercy Health Systems, Kuwait Oil Corporation, Weyerhaeuser Corporation, and United Technologies.
Paul has written extensively on leadership. His articles have appeared in publications such as The Leader-to-Leader Journal, Management Review, Leadership Excellence, The Toastmaster, USA Today, and The CEO Refresher. He has published more than 100 articles and authored numerous books on management, leadership, and organizational effectiveness.
Paul holds an MBA from American International College, a master’s in Education from Suffolk University, and a bachelor’s from Ohio University.
Recognition
Work recognized in business and education.
Over the past 40 years, Paul’s work in management and leadership has earned recognition from business, academic, and professional organizations in the United States and abroad.
- Cover story: Paul B. Thornton, Influential Leaders to Follow in 2026, Conglomerate Magazine
- Editorial Board Member, Universal Journal of 21st Century Women’s Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Technology and Publishing
- Invited to join the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council
- Received the Joseph J. Deliso, Sr., Endowed Chair at Springfield Technical Community College
- United TechnologiesTwo Awards for Extraordinary Management Effectiveness
- PublishedIdeas featured in SmartBrief on Leadership, The New York Daily News, The Leader-to-Leader Journal, Management Review, Leadership Excellence, Toastmasters, USA Today, and The CEO Refresher
- InternationalSpeaker and trainer at programs in Brussels, Barcelona, Kuwait, and the USA
- VideoCreator of 28 management and leadership videos on YouTube
