Earlier this month, John Tsaras ’14, head of operations for Operating Unit Digital Services at The Coca-Cola Company, joined NIU’s Executive MBA community for an Executive in Residence event at NIU Naperville.
More than 70 Executive MBA students, alumni and faculty members gathered for dinner before Dean Joan Phillips-Hernandez and Associate Dean Sarah Marsh introduced Tsaras, along with EMBA Fellow and Management Professor Mahesh Subramony, who moderated the discussion.
Rather than focusing on career milestones, Tsaras encouraged students to think about leadership as an ongoing process of adaptation. He emphasized that in an era shaped by AI and rapid change, the most important skill for leaders is not having all the answers but making sound decisions amid uncertainty.
Reflecting on a nonlinear career shaped by reinvention and continuous learning across industries, Tsaras shared how returning to NIU helped him reset and retool after major life and professional transitions.
“I came to NIU after life had happened,” he said. “I knew I had to retool and reskill.”
Throughout the conversation, Tsaras spoke about how organizational culture shapes leadership experiences and how leaders must learn to adapt their style across environments.
“My time at Goldman Sachs was a major learning experience,” Tsaras said. “The pace was intense, and when I later moved to another organization, I had to relearn what productivity and expectations looked like in a different culture.”
A significant portion of the discussion focused on leading in the age of AI. Drawing from his work at Coca-Cola, Tsaras explored the human side of emerging technologies, emphasizing leadership judgment, governance and accountability.
“There is a lot of ambiguity in AI, and the question really is how good leaders deal with ambiguity,” he said. “AI can suggest, but we don’t want to delegate our decision-making to a machine.”
“It’s the leader’s role to enable a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up, where it’s OK to make mistakes, but don’t make the same mistake twice,” he said.
Tsaras mentioned that he has been advised in leadership development sessions for being too accessible to his team members in past roles and even in his role today, but he says he views accessibility as a good thing instead of a detriment.
Tsaras spoke candidly about leadership accessibility and talent development, noting that strong leaders intentionally build teams capable of operating independently.
“I’ve been intentional about delegating and about hiring people with strong skills,” he said. “If no one can do my job, then I’m not going to the next job, so it’s important that I am accessible for them.”
Throughout the evening, Tsaras emphasized that leadership is less about hierarchy and more about helping others grow. Building trust, communicating clearly and understanding individual ambitions, he noted, are essential for leaders navigating complex environments.
He also reflected on the role mentors played in his own growth, describing leaders who challenged him with stretch opportunities before he felt fully ready.
“It was a lot of grace and timing,” he said. “People bet on me and helped coach me along the way.”
When asked by an audience member about the most transformational moments in his career, he thought for a moment before answering.
“While some of those moments focused on technology, more often the lessons came from those who worked beside him,” he said. “For me, it’s always about people.”
Learn more about our Executive MBA.
