November 23, 2021
Dr. Erik Taylor: this guy faced down Steph Curry and won!
Erik C. Taylor is an Assistant Professor of Management in the College of Business at East Carolina University. His research focuses primarily on team-based phenomena, strategic human resource management, and research methods, and has appeared in Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, Organizational Psychology Review, Human Resource Management Journal, Journal of Business & Psychology, Journal of Occupational & Health Psychology, Journal of Business Research, and other outlets.
Prior to earning his Ph.D. in management from Louisiana State University, Dr. Taylor earned an MBA from East Carolina, a Master’s Degree in English from Radford University, and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Mary Washington, and worked in various roles in finance and management with Morgan Stanley, American International Group, and Sylvan Learning, Inc.
Proudly borrowing from the Proust Questionnaire, we asked Dr. Taylor some questions so you could get to know him a little better.
What was your first concert?
Outkast! They came to my hometown when I was in sixth grade, and I somehow convinced my parents to let me go. I’ve seen Outkast perform twice, and they were bloody terrible both times, but remain one of my favorite groups. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik is high art.
What are the qualities you might like in a person?
Curiosity, sense of humor, originality. Anyone high in these qualities has a friend in me.
What is your idea of happiness?
My favorite chair by my favorite window with a cup of tea and a book.
If not a professor, what would you be?
Professional student or professional hermit. If pay in either of those fields ever catches up to this one, I’m out.
If you could go back in time and witness anything in history, where would you go?
Of all the moments throughout time and space, I’d most prefer to be right here, right now. But if Doc Brown offered me a ride, I’d kinda like to see Hannibal surprise the Romans when he descended the snow-capped Alps with his army and a pile of war elephants. I bet that was a memorable day.
Who is your favorite hero in fiction?
Sherlock Holmes. I love that dude.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Since we’re all imperfect beings, I like to focus on heroic qualities and actions rather than whole humans. People who overcome great adversity, who stand firm on their principles, and who are willing to do the right thing even when the right thing is the hardest thing to do—all such people are inspiring.
Who are your favorite writers?
Alexandre Dumas, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Matt Levine from Bloomberg.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
I beat Steph Curry in basketball. He was four years old at the time, and I was 11, but it still counts.
What’s your favorite ECU/College of Business memory?
I had a section one semester that was overloaded with extroverts from a notably diverse pool of backgrounds, and it was tons of fun every single class session. We learned more than just business strategy that term: one student explained to the class the how/why/costs behind hair straightening and hair extensions, a Norwegian student explained how that country’s sovereign wealth fund works, the son of a commercial pilot explained how HR practices in aviation have changed over the past 15 years…. We coulda videotaped that group and used it for recruiting.
What’s the one thing people would find most surprising to learn about you?
I’ve never had a margarita.
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