It’s a tough time to be leading schools and colleges. The recent turmoil on campuses and fallout from the congressional hearing on antisemitism last month has brought greater scrutiny from internal and external constituencies alike, and more and more presidents and deans are thinking about how to navigate these turbulent times and best serve their students and institutions. While there are no silver bullets and all indications more difficult days lie ahead in 2024, there are things institutional leaders can do to prepare for and respond to challenging times on campus. Here are seven suggestions for leaders negotiating demanding times.
Ask for help. The biggest mistake leaders make is isolating themselves during a crisis. New leaders in particular, are inclined to think asking for help is a sign of weakness and conveys that they are not up to the job. Nonsense. The job isn’t to know all the answers to every problem you will ever encounter. The job is to lead the organization. Yes, you need to have a solid understanding of the scope of issues you may confront, and it definitely helps when you can draw on personal knowledge or experience to work through a challenge you’re facing. But it is more important to know what questions need to be answered and who to ask. Seek input from colleagues and key members of the staff. If possible, get input from external thought partners and guidance from a coach. Consulting widely and considering a range of options broadens your understanding of the issue at hand, builds mutual trust and unity with your team, and leads to better outcomes.
Prioritize communications. Like it or not, communications are an essential component of almost everything you do. To that end, there are three crucial steps to take:
Make sure that you have unfettered access to someone on the communications staff who understands the work you do and can both support your strategic initiatives and respond quickly to crises as they arise. We live in a time when information moves at light speed, so communicating quickly is as important as communicating accurately. You cannot afford to let the social media fueled rumor mill drive the narrative about critical issues for hours or days before you weigh in. And, given the way that people – especially students – consume information in the 21st century, a comprehensive communications strategy is a crucial part of any new initiatives you are launching.
Establish communications liaisons for every department and program you oversee. Responsibility for effective communication requires buy-in from your whole team and a commitment from each area to communicate crucial information and promote events and initiatives to the community.
Make communications training and practice an ongoing part of your staff development program.
Insist on media training for yourself and your team. If you saw even a small excerpt from the congressional hearing on antisemitism last month, you know that the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and Penn would have been far better served if they had been prepped by professional media trainers instead of lawyers. While most presidents, deans, and vice presidents are never hauled into a congressional hearing, virtually all of us have been or will be in situations where we are facing difficult questions from hostile audiences. And in those moments, media training – how to be responsive to tough questioning in a way that conveys the information you want to get out to the larger public – is invaluable. So, you should insist that you and all members of your senior team who engage with reporters (including student reporters), respond to activism on campus, and/or are involved in leading “townhall” meetings on campus should undergo media training and have regular opportunities for ongoing practice as part of professional development.
The best defense is a good offense. Because a big part of any leadership role in a school or college is responding to unforeseen situations and the crisis of the moment, it is easy to find yourself perpetually in a reactive mode. You can’t stop things that are beyond your control from happening, but that doesn’t mean you can’t drive the narrative. The key is to clearly articulate institutional values and initiate programs that promote learning and enrich all community members before crises occur. A purpose driven approach not only emphasizes the primacy of the institutional mission, but also invites students, faculty, and staff to participate in defining the arc of their teaching and learning experience. Be intentional, be clear, and be proactive about advancing your institution. And let that inform how you engage with the challenging moments when they inevitably arise.
Remember that you are the adult in the room. It’s amazing how frequently campus conversations take on the tone and tenor of a junior high school cafeteria. Whether you’re discussing alcohol policy with the student government, overseeing committee elections in a faculty meeting, or meeting with student activists about their latest list of demands, odds are good that some subset of participants will try to drag you into a haughty version of “I know you are but what am I” – replete with name calling, unmasked derision, and overt threats. Don’t take the bait. Okay, most of us have fantasized about delivering a pithy, Aaron Sorkin-esque monologue to put the rabble in their place. But invariably, those who actually try to channel their inner Jed Bartlett in an academic affairs committee meeting come to regret it. It turns out life isn’t really like an episode of The West Wing, and if you sling a handful of soggy French fries into a junior high food fight you almost always end up with yogurt on your face. When the discussion becomes heated and the attacks turn personal, remember that you are the adult in the room. Channel your inner Michelle Obama – when they go low, you go high. Being a good administrator is a lot like being a good parent. You want your children (or as the case may be - faculty, staff, or students) to be happy and to succeed. So, your job is to support them, set limits, and hold them accountable.
Don’t let trying to keep your job prevent you from doing it. Everyone who aspires to positions of leadership has thought about what they hope to accomplish when they attain one. Usually, those ambitions involve curricular innovation or instituting a more integrated approach to student life or building a new library or student center. But once you settle into your office the onslaught of daily brushfires and occasional conflagrations begins. With each new challenge comes another person or group looking for funding or demanding changes or just making sure that you are aware of your many inadequacies. As your inbox fills and you scramble to keep pace with an ever-expanding “To Do” list, it gets easier and easier to put strategic initiatives on the backburner or, worse, to be backed into a corner by some individual or group pushing an agenda you don’t support.
Eventually, you have to make choices about when to concede, when to compromise, and when to draw a hard line in the sand. Those moments of choosing are when you most need to remind yourself of why you wanted the job in the first place and what you are working to achieve. If conceding or compromising isn’t too costly and allows you to advance your plan more effectively, then give in, save the political capital, and move on. But if what you are being asked to do undercuts your agenda, significantly undermines your leadership, or is so at odds with your values that you cannot go along and remain true to yourself, then you must hold your ground and take a stand.
Trust your judgment. Every good leader has experienced at least a taste of imposter syndrome the first time something big lands on their desk. Remember, humility is a sign you have a grasp on reality. You didn’t get to where you are by accident. You got there through hard work, experience, and by demonstrating that you have the knowledge and capability to succeed in the job. Odds are good that you will encounter critics who will question your ability, your intellect, and your motives. But they don’t know you, and they don’t know what you know. Have faith in yourself and trust your judgment, and you will be right most of the time. Even when decisions you make don’t work out – and sometimes they won’t – you will be able to sleep at night and look at yourself in the mirror.
All of this, it is worth saying, falls squarely under the heading of easier said than done. But that is true of anything that is worth doing.