Next Generation of Higher Ed. Leaders
By gstaines | September 8, 2008
It won’t be long before higher education institutions will be lead by the next generation. What are the issues that colleges and universities will face in the coming years? What types of leaders should be hired? What skills and experiences should they have? Answers to these questions are explored in Letters to the Next President: Strengthening America’s Foundation in Higher Education (Los Angeles, CA: Korn/Ferry International, 2008). Edited by Stephen Joel Trachtenberg chairman of the Education Specialty Practice, Korn/Ferry International and Gerald B. Kauvar, senior consultant, also in Korn/Ferry International’s Education Specialty Practice, Letters to the Next President is a series of 21 essays written by college and university presidents. The essayists represent leaders of all types of higher education institutions — from community colleges to private colleges, from public universities to Jesuit institutions. Essay content touches on the challenges of finance, competition, serving adult students, educating in a glbbal environment, and much more.
One of the most interesting chapters concerns searching for a new president. In “Searching for Presidents,” Trachtenberg and Kauvar explain the need for a new type of leader. One that is a team-builder, collaborator, and collegial. New leaders will replace “men with ‘public swagger and boardroom-size egos’ — the Jack Welch/Sanford Weill/Michael Eisner types…” (p. 179). The authors argue that the next era of leaders of any type of college or university should possess such characteristics as being “a proven leader, a successful fund-raiser, an individual sensitive to diversity, involved in community activities, [and] an intellectual leader with a keen business sense…” among others. (p.183).
Those interested in higher education and leadership would gain valuable insight into issues facing future college and university presidents by reading Letters to the Next President.
Topics: Higher Education | No Comments »
Leading Employees in Changing Environments
By gstaines | July 14, 2008
Change is happening rapidly — change never stops. New technologies, downsizing, right-sizing (and for those left behind, jobs are being reconfigured requiring new job skills), emphasis on continuous learning, and multi-tasking (although it may not be good for us). Good leaders know that change affects employees in different ways. Some people adapt well to change and look forward to the challenge of learning something new! Some people deal with change incrementally by cherry-picking the tasks that they enjoy doing the most. (Of course, this is not a holistic change that is needed to be effective in ones job). Others that have been doing the same job tasks for so long may not want to change and/or may not see the need for change.
Adapting to change can be very stressful. We each react to stress in different ways. The result can be difficult group dynamics, individual poor performance, increased absences at work, and so on. Here we have a tension — like sandpaper on wood — between rapidly occurring changes and people’s comfort level with change. This tension inhibits the quality work environment that we need to have so that everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential! Fostering an environment for people to thrive requires us to make changes and requires employees to make a concerted effort to work differently. As one of my colleagues said, “Making change happen requires as much hard work as losing weight!”
Topics: Change | No Comments »
How Do You Create a Thriving Work Environment?
By gstaines | July 11, 2008
Start with yourself!! There are many facets and layers to “self” and it is challenging to decide where to start. One place to begin is to deliberately look at how you spend your time while at work. Marcus Buckingham, former senior researcher at the Gallup organization and author of several best-selling books including Go Put Your Strengths to Work and First Break All the Rules, recommends that you answer the question: What percentage of the day do you spend most of the day playing to your strengths? Surprisingly, in a 2007 survey of people in the U.S. that Buckingham conducted, only 12% of the respondents said that they spend a good portion of their day playing to their strengths.
As a leader, if you believe that you are in the other 88% that think are not using their strengths, then you need to determine a.) what your strengths are and b.) how to deliberately put your strengths to work. An effective leader knows his/her strengths and purposely takes the best of their job and turns it into most of their job. One quick way to identify your strengths is to take a strengths inventory survey. Once you have identified what activities make you feel strong and invigorated, you need to figure out how to use them frequently and consistently. For example, you may be strong at visualizing what a space should look like and how you want that physical area to be after construction. This could be anything from renovating a living room to constructing a cafe in a library. However, you know that your weekness is putting your vision on paper so that others can see what you want to create. Here you could draw on the strengths of a graphic artist you can work with to create a rendering. If you find that you have successful outcomes as a result of using your strengths in a particular situation (such as in the example described) — repeat it!!
As with identifying your individual strengths it is important to recognize the strengths of those who work with and for you. Say you are working on a project that requires graphic design, proofreading, project management, and idea creation. Each person possesses different strengths. You may have one employee who excels at graphic design, another who is quite detail oriented, someone else who can manage the logistics of the project, and still another individual who always offers great ideas. By pulling together individuals who possess these strengths should result in a successful project. Additionally, the individuals selected may be very flattered that they were selected for their strength — giving them the opportunity to do what they enjoy most. It is in this way that thriving work environments are established and flourish.
Topics: Strengths | No Comments »
Do Positive Emotions Make A Difference?
By gstaines | July 8, 2008
YES!! Research shows that being positive has both immediate and long-term effects. Barbara Frederickson, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Principal Investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina has discovered that, over time, positive emotions increase personal well-being. Think of this as your immune system. Exercising, eating right, and getting adequate sleep help to build-up your immune system so that should you have an illness your body can recover faster. Developing a positive emotion “bank” works in somewhat the same way. Frederickson’s research shows that being optimistic, interested in exploring and learning new things, and caring for others will serve to get you through difficult times. You will be better able to cope with challenging situations — whether at home or at work.
Her research is also applicable to organizations. Any time you have a group of people engaged in conversation — in business, volunteering, taking classes, etc. — what you say and how you say it can directly impact the success of the project you might be working on. Think about it. When was the last time you were in a meeting where all people did was complain, complain, complain? You walk out of the meeting feeling that nothing was accomplished and you may feel terrible! On the other hand, think of the same meeting where the discourse was positive, everyone was engaged — focusing on the topic at hand, and there was a sense of accomplishment. You walk out feeling energized, with a sense of pride, and that your work has meaning.
As a leader in this day and age, when we are facing so many challenging circumstances, being positive will help you through the day. As you model positive behavior, those you interact with, over time, may change the way they feel about their work and life. This is one leadership strategy to get people engaged and moving forward.
Topics: Positive Emotions | No Comments »
Why another blog about leadership?
By gstaines | July 8, 2008
An excellent question! Many of the blogs about leadership focus solely on leadership in corporations or leadership and career development. This blog takes a more holistic approach to leadership. For many of us our work lives and outside-of-work lives co-exist. We may spend more time at work than at home. Leadership comes from within. It is a part of who we are and what we do in our interactions with others be they family, friends, co-workers, or bosses. My interest in this topic is the nexus of Appreciative Inquiry, research on positive emotions and building strength-based organizations. It is these areas that are at the forefront of successful, sustainable leadership. There are times when we play a leadership role and there are times when we play a follower or solitary role. This blog is intended to provide you with research, insight, and practical methods to use when you are in your leadership mode.
Topics: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »