Leadership
A forum for the study and discussion of issues such as professional standards and evaluation, personnel, budget, customer service, and other issues as deemed relevant by the members.
Chair: Lisa Stephens, University at Buffalo, stephens@buffalo.edu
About the Interest Group
The newly-formed Leadership Interest Group met for the first time on October 17th, 2009. It began by polling those assembled as to whether they were first-time conference participants, or may have attended last year’s presentation offered by Lisa Stephens and Jim Twetten called “Strategies for Adapting to Institutional Change.” That presentation, focused on professional growth in the face of adversity, served as the foundation for this year’s Interest Group topic on leadership. The conversation was guided by questions based on the following key words that are generally associated with positive leadership traits:
• Leadership, Vision, Management
• Integrity
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Influence
1. What differentiates Leadership from Vision or Management?
a). Leaders effectively blend elements of vision, management, tactical operations and strategic planning – and are able to operate within, and respond to, various organizational altitudes (situational leadership).
b. It’s frustrating when micromanagement masquerades as vision. For example, “let’s put videoconferencing in every classroom” is not necessarily visionary unless there’s a solid mission behind it, and it fits into a set of broader objectives.
c. It’s important to “lead the leaders” and get them to carry ideas forward. Communicate significant issues with your superiors so they are informed enough to carry the message to others. This may require “letting go” of your own ego and the need for rewards and attribution. Eventually, rewards and new opportunities will find you if you champion ideas effectively and thoughtfully.
d. Gather data to support your ideas. It’s far easier to “sell” ideas and change when you’ve done homework in advance to present facts that solve your boss’s problems with his/her leadership. This is true at all levels. When suggesting a new tool or process, get a rough idea in advance of what the cost and deployment options are, and which faculty will appreciate and be served by the effort.
e. Avoid being “the clown out front waving a flag only to look back and realize your organization is not behind you.” Vet ideas in advance to ensure that they are in alignment with strategic objectives for both service recipients and your home organization. Don’t fuel hidden agendas or make promises to faculty that your organization can’t deliver on.
f. Realize that often times, even with your very best effort, it may be necessary for “the wheels to fall off the cart” for change to occur. Don’t expect to “win every battle” as there may be people that you’re blissfully unaware of working against your “good ideas.” That’s often difficult to accept, if not downright maddening, but the issue is often outside your “sphere of influence.” Maintain personal integrity and don’t allow it to undermine future efforts - or you risk expressing bitterness (which is neither attractive nor productive).
2. Is there anything inherently unique about academic environments that require leadership skills that are different from “corporate” leadership skills?
a. Obviously shared governance is the first issue. People who come to work from outside academic arenas often don’t understand the nuance of how shared power works. There are also significant differences between academic environments in small institutions vs. large institutions.
b. There are things we can learn from corporate environments, there are lots of good books about leadership available, but relying upon or espousing any particular “leadership formula” or fad to get “instant results” is obnoxious regardless of the source.
3. What concrete suggestions can you share regarding building collaborations and creating effective communication up and down, as well as across, organizations?
a. Many people in the “middle” are not invested in outcomes. They do their job, but are not interested in being part of a bigger picture; and this presents a challenge. It requires good people skills to motivate a team. Motivation is based in part on good communication and getting people to collaborate for problem solving. It is often the expression of influence without formal reporting structures or title.
b. Sometimes it’s necessary to “go around” or “work around” roadblocks, bottlenecks and people who aren’t interested in helping a process move along. However, it’s dangerous to your career to side-step, or push your own agenda if you don’t have the support of your boss. Trust is the cornerstone to vetting ideas and making sure you’re all on the same page when working as a team.
c. But what if you’re not working in a trusting environment, or your leadership hasn’t been truthful? Then you have to rely on your personal integrity and do the best you can. Don’t get sucked into a negative cycle. Try to do your venting in arenas that are not in your own back yard. Use instead a phone call to a friend at another institution. This provides an opportunity to compare notes with others who can validate the difficulty of the issues faced without being directly invested in any of the outcomes or players).
d. It’s always useful to understand in advance the purpose of your communication, whether it’s better delivered in a formal or informal manner, and understanding whether the outcome is to spur others to action, or serve as an informational update.
e. Recognize early and often the people who contribute to an effort. Often a simple thank you, or acknowledgement in front of others is a great way to communicate that you value the efforts of a colleague, subordinate or superior.
f. Accept that sometimes you just have to “wait out” bad leadership. “One assistant provost that I had to work with wouldn’t listen to any of my ideas, but the guy who took his place had a background in facilities management and we could ‘do business’ just fine.”
4. How can CCUMC help?
a. Provide benchmarks that serve as institutional comparisons. Being armed with peer knowledge is incredibly helpful when trying to move an idea or initiative forward.
b. Don’t just “take data” from others – offer to share your own with CCUMC colleagues – for example, if you’ve just completed a large project, offer to share pictures, process, progress and budget information with others. Keep an eye open on the listserv for how you can be helpful to others – and respond!
c. Get a wiki going – provide better online resources for us to use. Upgrade from the listserv to a wiki and make it “sexier” – with more eye-grabbing communication that is searchable by topic.