Tom Gilmour

Obituary by James Krantz

I am deeply grateful for having known Tom. He enriched the thinking and practice of countless colleagues, students, and clients. An extraordinary mind, constantly searching, combining ideas, and finding the perfect metaphor. The number of ideas he could fit into a square inch was breathtaking.

Tom listened deeply and patiently, sometimes skeptically, always seriously. He embodied the ethical imagination and was particularly skillful in helping clients see beyond their immediate problems to what was possible by linking their challenges to the larger systemic forces. He was tuned into how problems contain opportunities for growth.

Professionally, Tom started out as an architect (bowtie and all), a design sensibility that echoes throughout his work. He was particularly sensitive to how various elements —history, culture, strategy, emotional reality, and structures — fit together, sometimes uneasily, sometimes brilliantly. Tom had the gift of seeing links between the whole and its components. He knew how to step back to see the whole and then step in to understand its implications.

Tom helped many organizations confront the need for significant change, often in conjunction with leadership transitions. He drew great strength from his core team of collaborators, truly a professional family, across all three iterations of CFAR. First was Wharton’s Management & Behavioral Science Center in 1971, where we met, which became the Wharton Center for Applied Research, and then CFAR in 1987, where he remained for the rest of his career. Tom’s institution building skills also extended to ISPSO. He was a founder and careful steward of ISPSO for 35 years.

Tom’s most well-known contributions centered on leadership, though he wrote on a wide variety of subjects, including large group dynamics, the intersection of organizational design and human experience, the challenges of downsizing, and team development. One particular feature of Tom's writing was that it was always grounded in specific client situations and consulting experiences.

Making a Leadership Change has become an anchor for many who are grappling with the complexities and ambiguities of leadership transition. It has Tom’s incisive and powerful version of practical wisdom. I think the reason it is such an important touchstone for so many is that it takes people’s experience seriously.

Unsurprisingly, Tom was also a gifted teacher, holding several academic appointments over the years, including the Wharton School, Oxford, and HEC. Although he was a sought-after lecturer, I believe his most important teaching was in the countless conversations through which he helped others think more clearly and become more attentive to the impact of their work. Tom’s humility encouraged others to be more honest. He has left behind many who think more clearly, lead more effectively, and listen more carefully.

Yet, Tom is also present. I hear him in conversations, in questions asked, and in ideas being discussed. He will have life after death in our hearts and minds. Our community of practice will carry his imprint. As Tom’s colleague put it: “He had a substantial intellect and even larger heart. Best of all, the two were seamlessly connected.” His was a fully inhabited life of curiosity, rigor, and warmth. I believe he is best honored by doing what he always asked of us: pay attention, tell the truth, and take the long view.

Goodbye, Tom.