Oral history interview with Stan Gryskiewicz, November 5, 1998

This is the first of two interviews with Stan Gryskiewicz, a psychologist who worked for the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina. Gryskiewicz begins this interview with a very brief discussion of his upbringing in New Jersey during the 1940s and 1960s. During the mid-1960s, Gryskiewicz attended Stetson University in Florida, where he studied psychology. Following his graduation in 1968, he pursued his master's degree at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. He began his career at the Center in 1970. Gryskiewicz offers a detailed description of his work there during the 1970s. After spending the first several years working closely with his supervisor, Doug Holmes, in developing behavioral assessment programs, Gryskiewicz survived a major reorganization of the Center's management. He describes this reorganization in detail and offers his thoughts on the immediate aftermath as management of research shifted into the hands of David Campbell. In addition to describing the leadership skills and capabilities of Campbell, Gryskiewicz offers vivid commentary of other leading figures at the Center, including Bob Dorn, John Red, and Donald MacKinnon. Gryskiewicz speaks at length about his own research in creative leadership development, particularly as it evolved when he completed his Ph.D. while studying in London.