Leadership Unfiltered: A Professor, Mentor Advocate, and Communications Legend Shares Insightful and Unforgettable Advice
- Emilia Feltner
- Mar 26
- 5 min read
Before I begin, I couldn’t be more grateful to Tom Martin for bringing together 11 of my new best friends: inspiring, caring, intelligent, and supportive people I’m so lucky to have in my life. My fellow Martin Scholars: Holly Collman, Jacqueline Javtich, Liv Lott, Grace Tener, Griffin Hogan, Evan Malcom, Blaksley Rhett, Talya Mungin, Morgan Harder, Charlie Nealon, and Casey Riley. This one’s for you guys. Thank you for pushing me to be the best.
Now, meet Tom.
Founder of The Martin Center for Mentorship, which sponsors the Martin Scholars and Mentor-Protégé Programs at the College of Charleston. He is the host of the podcast Mindful Mentoring and has three decades of experience in corporate communications. Tom is now a professor and someone I’m endlessly grateful for.
Tom came to the College of Charleston in 2007. He spoke with Brian McGee (the former communications department chair), who gave him executive in-residence status so he could teach. Despite only having a bachelor’s degree, Tom had 30+ years of real-world experience. “I can’t pay you much,” Brian warned. “Not a problem,” Tom replied.
After some time teaching, he saw the business school’s Schottland Scholars Program and had an idea. He pitched a similar program for communication students, originally called the Future Mentors Program. Brian said, “Tom, don’t kid yourself. Call it the Martin Scholars Program. It’ll mean more to the students.”
Then came a trip to Chicago. Tom received an award at the Betsy Plank Center, and the experience left him inspired. He returned to Charleston and created The Martin Center for Mentorship.
Tom says, “This chapter of my life is dedicated to mentorship because I’ve seen how it profoundly changes lives.” (He’s interviewed many of those whose lives have been changed on his podcast; go check it out. It’s genuinely great.) He says mentors are everywhere, parents, cousins, co-workers, bosses. I assume not dogs or cats? But still, point taken. Mentorship matters.
He’s also helped build up the College of Charleston’s Communications National Advisory Council. Before he began to teach and work here, he and his wife Wanda (like many folks wanting to move to warmer weather) decided to buy a house here. One day, while doing his usual networking, Tom brought up Charleston to Michael Fanning, one of the college’s first national advisory council members, who insisted he join. At the time, Tom didn’t even know the college existed. Fast forward 18 years, and he is now establishing programs and centers after himself. Who would’ve thought?
Wanda, his fantastic partner, once told him she saw him as a teacher. He didn’t believe her. But since 2008, he’s been recognized as one of the best professors on campus. So, she may have been onto something.
Thanks to his massive network (and serious communications skills), Tom has helped expand the National Advisory Council. He says he’s basically a telephone operator, always making the next connection.
He’s held senior roles at FedEx and ITT. When I asked what he learned in those Fortune 500 boardrooms, he answered, “Know when to stay silent and know when to speak.”
Tom may be a networking king, but he’s also an introvert. Early in his career, one of his favorite gigs was being a notetaker in meetings. Observing how people acted, how decisions got made, who was prepared, who fumbled, who said way too much. Honestly? I now want to be a notetaker. (Though maybe not for the current administration… just putting that out there.) Tom’s learned to perform extroversion but admits it can be exhausting. You heard it here, folks: even leaders need their rot time.
As for humor in the workplace, Tom’s got a dry sense of humor, and he says it’s one of his best tools for disarming tense rooms. We’ve all been there: everyone stressed, people sweating (some more than others), and then someone cracks a simple joke. Like, “I better grab a swimsuit, with all this sweating, I could go swimming…” Instant relief. People relax. And maybe reapply deodorant.
Speaking of sweating… (Oh no, she’s still talking about sweating.)
Okay, one last sweaty story.
Tom, again, clearly not your average Joe, once had a high-stakes breakfast with top communications recruiter Bill Heyman at the Sky Club in NYC. He overslept. Not a little, a lot. The only way to make it was to sprint through Manhattan’s summer heat to the top of the Pan Am building. Forty years old. New York humidity. Running late. You can guess the result: a very sweaty Tom. He shows up. Bill stares at him like he’s been hit by a bus and says: “Tom, do you need to go take care of yourself?”Tom, panting and dripping, replies, “Hmmm, yep. I’ll be right back.” Lesson here, folks: alarms matter.
So, what does Tom think makes a great leader (besides having a podcast)? Top Leadership Quality: Humility. He says real leaders are there to serve and help others rather than add more money to their bank account.
For the rest of us- not quite in the C-Suite yet- but who are gifted storytellers, communicators, and all-around forces of nature (looking at you, fellow Martin Scholars), this is what we must keep doing. We’ll be on the National Advisory Council someday, mentoring young bucks like us. And, let’s be honest… we’re totally the best class. (But maybe I’m biased.) Still working on that humility thing.
Tom also emphasized the value of feedback. So here’s mine, Martin Scholars: I have none. Keep killing it. I’ll see you in the boardroom soon enough. ;)
Speaking of boardrooms, another Tom story. While working at ITT, they were going through a rebrand. An outside agency proposed a campaign using da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man… but green.The CEO listened, looked Tom dead in the eye, and said, “Are you trying to represent this company as a little green man?” Needless to say, they went in a different direction.
In a world full of ethical and political chaos, ethics are at the core of modern communication. There are plenty of examples of brands facing ethical dilemmas: Boeing, Facebook, Volkswagen, Tesla (obviously), and so on. Tom believes most companies aren’t evil; they’re just made of people. And most people are good. His advice for brands? Be honest and transparent before, during, and after a crisis. That’s how you earn and keep trust.
And finally, Tom couldn’t wrap things up without talking about his family. His beloved wife Wanda, his two sons, and his amazing grandchildren. He credits them as the reason he’s gotten to where he is today.
Final words of wisdom
Stay patient. From Tom. From me
Everything happens for a reason; it’ll all work out. (Or at least, that’s what I keep telling myself.)
Quick Fire Round Tom:
Coffee order: Decaf Latte
Most hated corporate word: Standpoint
Superpower in meetings: Empathy
Favorite authors: Faulkner or Hemingway
If he could have dinner with anyone (Dead or Alive): Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Leonardo Da Vinci
Goal for the future: Sail in the BVI with his grandchildren
If you’ve made it this far, whether you skimmed, read with your heart, or landed here by accident, thank you. Let me know your thoughts and/or feedback. I’m currently partaking in rejection therapy, so this counts.
SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK HERE.
If you would like to listen to his podcast, Mindful Mentoring, you can do so by clicking here.
To follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommartincofc/
To email him: martintr@cofc.edu
Until next time,
Leadership Unfiltered Author
Emilia Marie Feltner
Great post! Can’t wait for the next one!