In the course of my work I am frequently asked about my observations regarding trends, directions, and practices in education as someone who is deeply connected to the field, but not tied exclusively to one particular institution or role. It’s a question I love to get because it’s one I think about a lot—and because my answer to it is constantly evolving and expanding in ways that reaffirm my sense of purpose and belief in the value of the service I provide.
So, with the disclaimer that what follows is a very much a work in progress, I thought I would use this space to share a few of my thoughts on educational leadership as a recovering administrator, and nascent mercenary to the cause.
Perspective matters.
There is a unique clarity to the way you engage with and understand the inner workings of schools and colleges as an external partner that provides insight into aspects of the way they work that are harder to recognize for those who are living within, and charged with overseeing them on a daily basis. I am not suggesting that outsiders have the depth or breadth of knowledge about institutional issues that campus leaders do. We don’t. But, the combination of experience, topical expertise, and being unburdened by internal politics, bias, and organizational inertia enable external partners to see dimensions of institutional functioning in ways those on the inside can’t.
Colleges and schools could learn a lot from one another.
Though the entirety of my career as an administrator was in higher education, in my consulting practice I work closely with both independent schools and colleges. Largely as a byproduct of the governmental scrutiny that comes with receiving state and federal funding, colleges and universities are regulated in ways that independent schools are not, and the result is that many administrative structures and procedures in higher education have developed and evolved in ways that schools would benefit from adopting. On the other hand, independent schools deliver on the notion of integrated living and learning in ways that colleges – especially residential, liberal arts colleges – would do well to emulate. To be sure, issues of size and scale factor greatly in the highly personalized experience independent schools deliver. But much of what they are doing could be retrofitted for the residential college setting – and the outcome would be a truly distinct and transformative education to prepare students for life and leadership in the 21st Century.
Quality work takes time.
Coming from the hair-on-fire pace of senior leadership in higher education, when I started doing this work I tended to underestimate the amount of time that was required to really delve into and consider and explore a question. That’s because really delving and considering and exploring was almost never a part of my life as a vice president and dean. Most days for deans and presidents and heads of school are an exercise in triaging the crisis of the moment while racing between meetings, frantically responding to emails, and returning phone calls. Even when time can be carved out to work on a given project, you’re so hard-wired to the check-it-off-the-list-what’s-next way of functioning that the notion of sitting with and germinating on a given idea for more than a few minutes – let alone a few hours or days – is almost unthinkable. I’m not criticizing. Or complaining. But time to delve and consider and explore – time to think – leads to a better end product.
Schools and colleges are really good at identifying leadership talent, but spectacularly bad at developing it.
Effective management is not innate. No one springs forth into the world knowing how to develop and execute a strategic plan, zero-base a budget, or implement a 360° personnel evaluation program. Management and organizational leadership are learned skills. And while almost all school/college leaders rise up from within their ranks, most schools and colleges do next to nothing to teach management skills or develop leadership talent. Rather, potential leaders tend to be identified using pretty much the same formula high school athletic teams use to select captains. They look for the best players who seem to be respected by their peers, and put them in charge. Never mind that being an outstanding history teacher or student government advisor does no more to prepare someone to be an effective department head or program director than being the fastest runner with the best hair does to prepare someone to be a good captain of the track team. That said, the qualities that make people stand out as teachers or in entry-level positions often do portend leadership success. But schools and colleges need to be more intentional about developing managers and preparing the next generation of leaders. The work of running schools and colleges is increasingly complex and specialized, and the stakes are too high to leave to chance.
Why and How matter more than What.
Anyone who has ever been even passingly involved with responding to a controversy, conflict, or crisis in an academic setting understands the incontrovertible truth that process matters. A lot. Educational communities are to a great extent built around notions of collaboration and shared governance. So, when it comes to shaping policy or addressing campus crises there is an expectation by virtually all constituencies that they will have a say in developing the solution. If you follow education in the media you see again and again that campus turmoil and disruptions almost always revolve around assertions of institutional failure in policy (either its construct, its application, or both) or alleged administrative malfeasance (incompetence, abuse of power, or both). And the more isolated the community is from the decision-making process, the more vehement the criticism. Input trumps efficiency. Transparency about how the problem was addressed and why the outcome was selected almost always matter more than what the outcome is. To be sure, the very notion of such a construct makes many who live outside of academe rant and rave about anarchy and chaos. But those who exist – and thrive – in this unique world come to understand there is actually a strange logic and order to this way of functioning. Teaching and learning, after all, is what we do.
Most bad decisions are made too quickly and with too little input.
The breakneck pace and ever-present sense of public scrutiny that have become cornerstones of academic leadership have the effect of making almost all situations feel urgent and critical. Likewise, the specter of falling behind the arc of a particular story or incident on social media adds to the sense that acting fast is essential to successfully managing virtually every situation that arises. So, leaders often rush to respond before they have sufficient understanding of what’s in play, or taken time to fully consider the range of options available to them. With very few exceptions, the challenges campus leaders face are not matters of life and death, and as such there is almost always more time to determine a response than it may seem in the heat of the moment. Wherever possible, try to tap the breaks and pause to solicit additional input so as to identify and consider all your options before committing to a particular course of action. In the long run getting it right matters much more than doing it fast.
Every school and college is truly special and unique.
One of the best parts about serving as an external partner with schools and colleges is the opportunity to see and come to know each of the institutions with which I work from the inside. Those behind the curtains glimpses, and the unguarded candor that community members share when they regard you as someone who is working to benefit the institution offer real insight into the qualities and traditions that define and distinguish their school. And it turns out that all schools and colleges are special in ways that add real meaning to those who attend them. Tapping into those dimensions both enhances the value of the work, and enriches the experience of partnering in this way.
I’ll leave it there for now. As always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback. Stay warm and be careful out there.