Tony Kong
Associate Professor, Organizational Leadership and Information Analytics
From Shanghai to St. Louis to CU Boulder, Tony Kong, associate professor of Organizational Leadership and Information Analytics, has witnessed firsthand how vast the world is. As a result, he strives to unite people across differences.
“My passion is really bringing people together,” he said. “Then, hopefully, we can promote more positive behaviors for the greater good.”
Growing up in Shanghai, a city with a population of more than 26 million, Kong was surrounded by people. On top of that, his experience of singing in theaters in China and overseas in his teens exposed him to a diverse array of cultures.
“I just realized people are different and how people see things is different,” he said. “There was a lot of global awareness early on. The diverse experiences helped me appreciate human diversity more and more over time.”
A passion for people
Kong currently , but during his undergraduate years, he studied management science. An internship with Fortune Magazine in New York City changed his career trajectory, being the turning point of his life. Interviewing executives, managers, politicians and academics and working on the ranking of the "Most Powerful Women in the World" for the magazine made him realize that people are more complex and fascinating than he initially thought..
“In order to have an exceptional company, I think really it’s about people,” he said. “It’s about how to motivate and inspire people, how to support and empower people, and how to help people be more mindful of others’ presence and interests. So that gets me really excited about leadership and psychology.”
Kong went on to study Organizational Behavior during his PhD program at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. Later, he worked in Viriginia, Texas and Florida. He was attracted to CU and to Leeds because he loves the school’s values and caring atmosphere, which make him want to do more for the school. Although business schools are often stereotyped as cold and profit-driven, he found the opposite to be true at Leeds.
“I do like that human touch portion of our culture because it makes people feel they want to contribute more to the place,” he said. “They feel they're valued as a unique entity rather than just another person they can replace anytime. This is something I truly believe in myself. That's why I do a lot of research on positive psychology of people and organizations.”
“My passion is really bringing people together. Then, hopefully, we can promote more positive behaviors for the greater good.”
Tony Kong, Associate Professor, Organizational Leadership and Information Analytics
Bridging divides
Kong brings his passion for uniting people to his teaching. As a Daniels Fund Faculty Fellow, he hosts workshops in which international students share their experiences while enjoying Chinese food to promote cross-cultural understanding. In the classroom, he encourages students to share their perspective even when others disagree. To Kong, the classroom is a place to be exposed to new ideas and take risks without the repercussions that might come elsewhere.
“It’s a community issue,” he said. “We need to help each other to see the blind spots of our understanding and the invalid assumptions we make about people, about places, about events, and also just give a little bit of room for people's experimentation and making mistakes.”
In the classroom, Kong appreciates the ability to receive instant feedback from students. His background as a singer has helped him overcome his anxiety in the classroom.
“I feel like it really helped me with my teaching. I used to perform in front of thousands of people in a theater. Now I don't feel afraid in front of students; rather, I enjoy teaching, and knowing that my teaching has a lasting impression on students makes me smile,” he said.
Kong still finds ways to apply his former singing career to his current life. He likes to unwind by singing karaoke and is an avid fan of Broadway musicals.
“Thanks to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, which brings Broadway shows to me! I don’t need to go to New York for the shows,” he said.
Whether in research, the classroom or his personal life, Kong’s respect for differing backgrounds and opinions is evident.
“My view is that we are all humans,” he said. “We are all flawed and feel insecure and vulnerable at times, but that makes us human and feel alive. Sure, we all think differently and value different things, but we need each other to make a better society. It’s human diversity that makes us resilient and interesting. It’s important for us to respect each other, lift each other up, leverage our strengths to address challenges, and unite for a better future.”