ALIGNMENT OF THE STARS FOR NEW COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS
Dr. Kathleen Nelson
President Emeritus, Lake Superior College
Registry Member
Higher Education and Organizational Development Consultant
Oh, what fun and joy it has been for me to serve in two Registry presidencies over the past couple of years. After serving as a college president for 13 years in a state system including 32 colleges and universities, I never imagined my Registry interim assignments would be so very fulfilling. As I entered two interim presidential positions, I did find that what I had learned in my presidential career about entering a new learning community fit well for my Registry interim positions as well. For months I have been thinking about writing an article that would encourage new college or university presidents, including my Registry colleagues, to think carefully about how they enter a new higher education institution and learning community. I have learned much during my 15 years of serving in higher education presidencies, both permanent and Registry interim ones, and I wanted to share these heartfelt ideas through a written document, hoping that, in one small way, my life’s experiences will strengthen and brighten the new Registry interim president or chancellor reading this article. The stars for new higher education presidents and chancellors can seem out of alignment and become quite burdensome. Careful thought and consideration as to what might help align those stars is a blessing.
I remember, well, the pure glory of excitement that filled me as I learned about new presidencies during my 15 years of presidential leadership. As I worked my own way through the quagmire of presidential transitions and watched others successfully (or unsuccessfully) do the same, I found several key times when what and how I brought information into the light for my higher education colleagues brought those stars into alignment just a bit. It is my hope that others who have been blessed by presidential leadership positions might consider how that process can be strengthened and those stars aligned more fully.
While my first intention was to write a more academically related article, my own life experiences seemed to flow more freely and abundantly. I am, therefore, sharing the personal side of how I have learned to begin a new presidency, permanent or interim and enter a new learning community……..ways that brought me grace and demonstrated to my new colleagues, my values, my honor, and my belief in each of them.
The excitement of discovery that a new presidency or chancellorship brings quickly shakes an administrator’s world, throwing the stars off kilter just a bit. Thoughts immediately turn to a sense of discovery. What has been the history of the higher education institution? What are the current challenges faced by the learning community? Who are the institutional and community leaders, and what have their roles been in the design and/or redesign of the college or university? What can a new leader offer to bring to institutional interactions? I, too, felt my heart race and my mind doing unrelenting calculations each time a higher education presidency was at my door. Aligning the stars seemed to me to be either impossible or fraught with unknowns but aligning those stars has been critical to my success as a college and university president and is, I believe, critical for any president’s success, including the success of my Registry colleagues. I offer five suggestions on how new presidents or chancellors can enter a new learning community with grace and honor. I am providing examples of these five suggestions, examples from my own personal transitions to new higher learning educational communities. My personal notes are included at the end of the full article and, should anyone wish further discussion about my article, I would be happy to contact you.
A PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
I recently read an article regarding the importance of having a personal mission statement, one not tied up in the politics or policies of an organization but, rather, one which speaks about an individual’s soul, values, and dreams. Reading that article brought me back many years to the time just before I accepted my first college presidency when I wrote my own personal mission statement, revising it slightly 5 years later. I had, during those months of preparation for seeking a college presidency, reflected a great deal not only upon what I had accomplished, professionally, but, more importantly, who I was as a person and what values I would bring to higher education as a presidential leader. I had contemplated writing a personal mission statement earlier in my career, but hadn’t done so. Now, as I sought to become the major administrative leader of a new college, my heart told me I needed to take the time to be reflective and to write a personal mission statement. It was within this mission statement that the four primary values which guided and still guide my life were so clearly stated: trust, compassion, respect, and integrity. The value of taking reflective time to write a personal mission statement cannot, I believe, be understated.
My personal mission statement is attached as Attachment A at the end of this article.
SELF-INTRODUCTIONS
There is always a time when, as a “new” president to an institution of higher learning, first introductions, often to the entire learning community at one time, must be made. I have always believed that speaking about one’s professional history, alighting at times on an educational degree attainment, is absolutely the wrong way to introduce myself. My new colleagues and community members have Googled me, read my credentials, and sought out my history probably in hundreds of ways. Why would I even consider piling on more of the same? What I have found, though, is that my new colleagues yearn to know who I really am and what values surround me in my personal and professional lives, often wondering how I came to honor these values.
I remember well how I struggled with trying to create a self-introduction prior to my very first presidential assignment which spoke to others about a bit of my soul, a bit of my life, and the values I held so dearly. The administrative leaders and I were in retreat about a week before the college’s opening ceremonies and my self-introduction to about 350 new colleagues. My mind would not rest for weeks prior to the retreat. As I combed my hair before the mirror in anticipation of a proper presidential look for our retreat, I was overcome with the vision of my maternal Grandmother. Flashes of memory overwhelmed me, and, in a few minutes, I could see that although she had been a farm wife and I was becoming a college president, we both dealt similarly with administrative leadership……of a family, a farm, or a college. My life was reflected in my Grandmother’s life, and I had not, until that point in my life, considered how similar we really were. I immediately left the mirror, threw down the comb, picked up a pen and wrote “My Grandmother’s Reflection”. I have used this reflection on countless occasions when I am asked to introduce myself to others. It says nothing about my leadership history, my educational degrees, my community involvement nor my life goals. It speaks to who I am and how I learned, without even knowing it, to value those things which made my Grandmother a stellar farm wife. It speaks to who I am as a leader and to the values I bring to my life and profession. I am, as My Grandmother’s Reflection declares in its ending, “A Simple Country Woman.” I believe it is important for new presidents and chancellors to give their new learning community colleagues a real sense of what drives them, what they value, and what qualities make them who they are.
My Grandmother’s Reflection can be found in Attachment B at the end of this article.
COMMITTEE AND ORGANIZATIONAL INTERACTIONS – THE RULES FOR THE ROAD
One of the first organizational challenges new presidents have is to determine what the “rules of the interaction” game will be. In each of my new presidential roles I knew that I needed to provide a model for excellent individual and committee interactions. My new colleagues needed to know what I expected of them and what I expected of myself as we worked together in both nourishing and, at times, very draining interactions.
Prior to my first presidency I was almost obsessed with trying to outline what I thought were those golden rules. As a communications and theater arts major and an individual trained in counseling psychology, that task couldn’t be difficult. Oh, how wrong I was. Every concept that entered my head seemed to bring troubling issues with it. I began researching organizational communication structures and delightfully came upon a concept the author (unknown, unfortunately) called “Touchstones”. Indeed these were the diamonds I had been looking for. They were clear, distinct, and without complication, and they gave to me and to others, those rules of the road. While at times the underlying meaning of a touchstone needed some clarification, I found my new colleagues were delighted (well, not everyone, to be honest) with knowing how I expected our personal and group interactions to work and how an individual’s role in any group endeavor could be self-monitored. While each of the Touchstones is significant, the two I have found most helpful as both a new college president and as a seasoned one, are “Be Present” and “Do Not Fear Conflict.” Some of my colleagues have struggled with understanding that being present is a state of physical, emotional, and mental focus. It is, at times, the desire of new presidents and chancellors to not engage in conflict or in conflicting discussions. They imagine that such conflict will tear away good relationships or tear apart good ideas if people actually engage in conflict. During my doctoral work I discovered that the Chinese ideogram for “conflict”, if literally interpreted, means….”opportunities blowing on a dangerous wind.” I have kept that meaning close to my heart as I began new presidencies. I feared not conflict but, rather, looked for the opportunities which may arise from conflicting ideas and discussions.
I have, since that incredible day of discovery, used the Touchstones as my guide to both individual and group interactions. My Executive Assistant during my first presidency was so enamored with the Touchstones that she had each engraved on a stone so that I could always see them and touch them. They are with me now in my home office and have traveled with me to each of my new presidencies, including my Registry interim assignments.
These Touchstones may be found in Attachment C at the end of this article. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the original creator of the Touchstones. I honor her or him greatly.
APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY
I like most of my presidential colleagues, was eager to discover everything I could about my new higher education institutions, their policies and procedures, and how my new colleagues worked within confines and in limitless ways across the campus. Unfortunately, I have seen a few of my colleagues approach this discovery in what I consider to be the worst possible way. They wanted to know “what was wrong” and how to fix it. They would ask questions such as “What isn’t working for you?” “Why doesn’t “that” work? “Who is responsible for correcting that?” “How can we FIX things?” The negativity in these types of questions, though not apparent to some presidents, is formidable and suggests to many that they are caught in the middle of a negative windstorm.
Instead of approaching the discovery of “how the world of higher education works in my new institution” with more negatively-based questions and comments, I discovered early in my career, the concept of Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to organizational engagement that helps individuals and groups identify their strengths and to use those strengths and advantages to build stronger relationships, teams, and organizations. The concept grew out of the fields of organizational development and action research. I introduced my new colleagues to the concept of Appreciative Inquiry both in formal settings and in my own interactions with them. Appreciative Inquiry’s positive emphasis rather than a negative one gave my colleagues a sense of value, of strength, and of appreciation.
A more detailed introduction to Appreciative Inquiry can be found in Attachment D at the end of this article.
THE SACRED Cs
As a professional educated in speech communication and counseling psychology, I have always strengthened my life and my profession by demonstrating, daily, the strength of the Sacred Cs:
- Care
- Concern
- Connectedness
- Commitment
- Communication
My deep love and respect for the uniqueness individuals bring into the world of higher education are naturally enhanced when I demonstrate, not just talk about, my care and concern for my colleagues. At times new presidents and chancellors TALK about how much they care, but their actions and, at times, motivations, speak differently. Being connected with colleagues is not just about the daily walk-through and morning greetings many presidents will provide to colleagues. Being connected means knowing about individuals, their lives, their struggles, and their hopes for the future. Such connectedness takes time and energy, but it builds a strong foundation for the work all individuals in higher education pursue on behalf of students. Early in my career I began the practice of meeting individually with every new employee soon after she/he was hired. These meetings, though usually not lasting more than 45 – 60 minutes, were invaluable to creating a connection to one another and to helping new employees connect with other college/university personnel who shared similar life experiences, hobbies and future pursuits. I believe that my colleagues found these connections to be invaluable, and I often heard “thanks” from others in a number of different forms. I also experienced personal pleasure and employees have told me countless times that they have been pleased that I have taken time to really know them and to recognize important events in their lives. Who could believe that I remembered the type of coffee an employee drank or the fact that she was also a dancing instructor? Sending hand-written cards and small monetary gifts for weddings, births, family deaths, graduations, and a host of honors brightens employees’ lives. I have made a personal commitment to value the lives of my colleagues, not with repeated mantras but with committed actions.
The Sacred Cs are all bound together through communication patterns by everyone, but, most importantly, by higher education presidents and chancellors who must speak passionately, clearly, and in a manner reflective of their souls. While some presidents may cover their real hearts and souls with words, slogans, and inappropriate actions, it does not take long for higher education professionals to see beyond the fluff or fervor. I have discovered that my love of others and my deep passion for sharing others’ real lives, are noticed and appreciated by my colleagues. New university and college presidents, including my Registry colleagues, in my view, must shed their professional garbs, literally and figuratively, and learn to let their real lives shine.
Communicating well means listening deeply, making few or no judgements upon what others say or how their lives unfold. It also means that new presidents should encourage individuals to discover their own voices. In searching for a gift for a dear friend and colleague who recently assumed a new administrative leadership role, I found a small statue which read: BE THE VOICE, NOT THE ECHO! Indeed, when a president communicates from her/his own soul and truly values others’ voices, it is not the ECHO of others’ thoughts or the president’s thoughts which are intriguing and valued. It is the INDIVIDUAL’S VOICE which comes to life and is most significant.
CARE, CONCERN, CONNECTEDNESS, COMMITMENT, AND COMMUNICATION are at the heart of the president as she/he enters a new higher education learning community. The concepts are sacred and require that new presidents and chancellors examine their own lives to understand more fully how they keep these Cs sacred and if they have not, how they might do so as they enter a new learning community.
REACHING OUT AND REACHING WITHIN
As I think about my years as a college and university president, I think about how much I have learned from others and about how much I have grown in my presidencies because I reached out to those who have gone before and the institutional leaders who know the history and the culture of the institution. I love asking former institutional presidents about what they know, what they valued, what they learned and where their hearts were as they led their institutions, my new institutions. Members of a president’s cabinet, too, are strong men and women who can, when encouraged and valued, speak their truths and help new presidents flourish. Their experiences are rich and powerful. New learning community presidents and chancellors should immediately embrace such experiences. The experiences of those who have “gone before” are invaluable to a new president. To not reach out to others can hinder a new president’s future. There are some individuals assuming presidencies or chancellorships who fear reaching out to other leaders because they sense that doing so will make them look weak or give others a sense that they need help. To not reach out and to fear getting help is something which may undo a new president’s experience in her/his new learning community. Some learning community members find the lack of reaching out reflective of an individual’s expectation to be perfect or to appear as such, a trait most people find distasteful. To ask for help, for guidance, and for mentoring is to give one’s soul an opportunity to thrive.
The major suggestions I have for new college and university presidents may sound a bit academic:
- Create a personal mission statement
- Find a unique way to introduce yourself to your new learning community
- Define the touchstones of engagement you value and will honor
- Hold the Sacred C’s in your heart (care, concern, connectedness, commitment, communication)
- Use Appreciative Inquiry to build upon the institution’s strengths
- Reach out to others and seek advice and mentorship
However, as each of these suggestions manifested itself in my own professional life as a college and university president, I found that my professional life would not have shined so brightly nor been the actions which helped me align those stars if I had not listened with my heart and acted with a soul of great respect and joy.
It is my sincere hope that if there is even a small nugget of meaning in my professional life story that someone may use to strengthen her or his professional life, then the stars are, indeed, aligned!
ALIGNMENT OF THE STARS FOR NEW COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS
Dr. Kathleen Nelson
President Emeritus, Lake Superior College
Registry Member
Higher Education and Organizational Development Consultant
Oh, what fun and joy it has been for me to serve in two Registry presidencies over the past couple of years. After serving as a college president for 13 years in a state system including 32 colleges and universities, I never imagined my Registry interim assignments would be so very fulfilling. As I entered two interim presidential positions, I did find that what I had learned in my presidential career about entering a new learning community fit well for my Registry interim positions as well. For months I have been thinking about writing an article that would encourage new college or university presidents, including my Registry colleagues, to think carefully about how they enter a new higher education institution and learning community. I have learned much during my 15 years of serving in higher education presidencies, both permanent and Registry interim ones, and I wanted to share these heartfelt ideas through a written document, hoping that, in one small way, my life’s experiences will strengthen and brighten the new Registry interim president or chancellor reading this article. The stars for new higher education presidents and chancellors can seem out of alignment and become quite burdensome. Careful thought and consideration as to what might help align those stars is a blessing.
I remember, well, the pure glory of excitement that filled me as I learned about new presidencies during my 15 years of presidential leadership. As I worked my own way through the quagmire of presidential transitions and watched others successfully (or unsuccessfully) do the same, I found several key times when what and how I brought information into the light for my higher education colleagues brought those stars into alignment just a bit. It is my hope that others who have been blessed by presidential leadership positions might consider how that process can be strengthened and those stars aligned more fully.
While my first intention was to write a more academically related article, my own life experiences seemed to flow more freely and abundantly. I am, therefore, sharing the personal side of how I have learned to begin a new presidency, permanent or interim and enter a new learning community……..ways that brought me grace and demonstrated to my new colleagues, my values, my honor, and my belief in each of them.
The excitement of discovery that a new presidency or chancellorship brings quickly shakes an administrator’s world, throwing the stars off kilter just a bit. Thoughts immediately turn to a sense of discovery. What has been the history of the higher education institution? What are the current challenges faced by the learning community? Who are the institutional and community leaders, and what have their roles been in the design and/or redesign of the college or university? What can a new leader offer to bring to institutional interactions? I, too, felt my heart race and my mind doing unrelenting calculations each time a higher education presidency was at my door. Aligning the stars seemed to me to be either impossible or fraught with unknowns but aligning those stars has been critical to my success as a college and university president and is, I believe, critical for any president’s success, including the success of my Registry colleagues. I offer five suggestions on how new presidents or chancellors can enter a new learning community with grace and honor. I am providing examples of these five suggestions, examples from my own personal transitions to new higher learning educational communities. My personal notes are included at the end of the full article and, should anyone wish further discussion about my article, I would be happy to contact you.
A PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
I recently read an article regarding the importance of having a personal mission statement, one not tied up in the politics or policies of an organization but, rather, one which speaks about an individual’s soul, values, and dreams. Reading that article brought me back many years to the time just before I accepted my first college presidency when I wrote my own personal mission statement, revising it slightly 5 years later. I had, during those months of preparation for seeking a college presidency, reflected a great deal not only upon what I had accomplished, professionally, but, more importantly, who I was as a person and what values I would bring to higher education as a presidential leader. I had contemplated writing a personal mission statement earlier in my career, but hadn’t done so. Now, as I sought to become the major administrative leader of a new college, my heart told me I needed to take the time to be reflective and to write a personal mission statement. It was within this mission statement that the four primary values which guided and still guide my life were so clearly stated: trust, compassion, respect, and integrity. The value of taking reflective time to write a personal mission statement cannot, I believe, be understated.
My personal mission statement is attached as Attachment A at the end of this article.
SELF-INTRODUCTIONS
There is always a time when, as a “new” president to an institution of higher learning, first introductions, often to the entire learning community at one time, must be made. I have always believed that speaking about one’s professional history, alighting at times on an educational degree attainment, is absolutely the wrong way to introduce myself. My new colleagues and community members have Googled me, read my credentials, and sought out my history probably in hundreds of ways. Why would I even consider piling on more of the same? What I have found, though, is that my new colleagues yearn to know who I really am and what values surround me in my personal and professional lives, often wondering how I came to honor these values.
I remember well how I struggled with trying to create a self-introduction prior to my very first presidential assignment which spoke to others about a bit of my soul, a bit of my life, and the values I held so dearly. The administrative leaders and I were in retreat about a week before the college’s opening ceremonies and my self-introduction to about 350 new colleagues. My mind would not rest for weeks prior to the retreat. As I combed my hair before the mirror in anticipation of a proper presidential look for our retreat, I was overcome with the vision of my maternal Grandmother. Flashes of memory overwhelmed me, and, in a few minutes, I could see that although she had been a farm wife and I was becoming a college president, we both dealt similarly with administrative leadership……of a family, a farm, or a college. My life was reflected in my Grandmother’s life, and I had not, until that point in my life, considered how similar we really were. I immediately left the mirror, threw down the comb, picked up a pen and wrote “My Grandmother’s Reflection”. I have used this reflection on countless occasions when I am asked to introduce myself to others. It says nothing about my leadership history, my educational degrees, my community involvement nor my life goals. It speaks to who I am and how I learned, without even knowing it, to value those things which made my Grandmother a stellar farm wife. It speaks to who I am as a leader and to the values I bring to my life and profession. I am, as My Grandmother’s Reflection declares in its ending, “A Simple Country Woman.” I believe it is important for new presidents and chancellors to give their new learning community colleagues a real sense of what drives them, what they value, and what qualities make them who they are.
My Grandmother’s Reflection can be found in Attachment B at the end of this article.
COMMITTEE AND ORGANIZATIONAL INTERACTIONS – THE RULES FOR THE ROAD
One of the first organizational challenges new presidents have is to determine what the “rules of the interaction” game will be. In each of my new presidential roles I knew that I needed to provide a model for excellent individual and committee interactions. My new colleagues needed to know what I expected of them and what I expected of myself as we worked together in both nourishing and, at times, very draining interactions.
Prior to my first presidency I was almost obsessed with trying to outline what I thought were those golden rules. As a communications and theater arts major and an individual trained in counseling psychology, that task couldn’t be difficult. Oh, how wrong I was. Every concept that entered my head seemed to bring troubling issues with it. I began researching organizational communication structures and delightfully came upon a concept the author (unknown, unfortunately) called “Touchstones”. Indeed these were the diamonds I had been looking for. They were clear, distinct, and without complication, and they gave to me and to others, those rules of the road. While at times the underlying meaning of a touchstone needed some clarification, I found my new colleagues were delighted (well, not everyone, to be honest) with knowing how I expected our personal and group interactions to work and how an individual’s role in any group endeavor could be self-monitored. While each of the Touchstones is significant, the two I have found most helpful as both a new college president and as a seasoned one, are “Be Present” and “Do Not Fear Conflict.” Some of my colleagues have struggled with understanding that being present is a state of physical, emotional, and mental focus. It is, at times, the desire of new presidents and chancellors to not engage in conflict or in conflicting discussions. They imagine that such conflict will tear away good relationships or tear apart good ideas if people actually engage in conflict. During my doctoral work I discovered that the Chinese ideogram for “conflict”, if literally interpreted, means….”opportunities blowing on a dangerous wind.” I have kept that meaning close to my heart as I began new presidencies. I feared not conflict but, rather, looked for the opportunities which may arise from conflicting ideas and discussions.
I have, since that incredible day of discovery, used the Touchstones as my guide to both individual and group interactions. My Executive Assistant during my first presidency was so enamored with the Touchstones that she had each engraved on a stone so that I could always see them and touch them. They are with me now in my home office and have traveled with me to each of my new presidencies, including my Registry interim assignments.
These Touchstones may be found in Attachment C at the end of this article. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the original creator of the Touchstones. I honor her or him greatly.
APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY
I like most of my presidential colleagues, was eager to discover everything I could about my new higher education institutions, their policies and procedures, and how my new colleagues worked within confines and in limitless ways across the campus. Unfortunately, I have seen a few of my colleagues approach this discovery in what I consider to be the worst possible way. They wanted to know “what was wrong” and how to fix it. They would ask questions such as “What isn’t working for you?” “Why doesn’t “that” work? “Who is responsible for correcting that?” “How can we FIX things?” The negativity in these types of questions, though not apparent to some presidents, is formidable and suggests to many that they are caught in the middle of a negative windstorm.
Instead of approaching the discovery of “how the world of higher education works in my new institution” with more negatively-based questions and comments, I discovered early in my career, the concept of Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to organizational engagement that helps individuals and groups identify their strengths and to use those strengths and advantages to build stronger relationships, teams, and organizations. The concept grew out of the fields of organizational development and action research. I introduced my new colleagues to the concept of Appreciative Inquiry both in formal settings and in my own interactions with them. Appreciative Inquiry’s positive emphasis rather than a negative one gave my colleagues a sense of value, of strength, and of appreciation.
A more detailed introduction to Appreciative Inquiry can be found in Attachment D at the end of this article.
THE SACRED Cs
As a professional educated in speech communication and counseling psychology, I have always strengthened my life and my profession by demonstrating, daily, the strength of the Sacred Cs:
- Care
- Concern
- Connectedness
- Commitment
- Communication
My deep love and respect for the uniqueness individuals bring into the world of higher education are naturally enhanced when I demonstrate, not just talk about, my care and concern for my colleagues. At times new presidents and chancellors TALK about how much they care, but their actions and, at times, motivations, speak differently. Being connected with colleagues is not just about the daily walk-through and morning greetings many presidents will provide to colleagues. Being connected means knowing about individuals, their lives, their struggles, and their hopes for the future. Such connectedness takes time and energy, but it builds a strong foundation for the work all individuals in higher education pursue on behalf of students. Early in my career I began the practice of meeting individually with every new employee soon after she/he was hired. These meetings, though usually not lasting more than 45 – 60 minutes, were invaluable to creating a connection to one another and to helping new employees connect with other college/university personnel who shared similar life experiences, hobbies and future pursuits. I believe that my colleagues found these connections to be invaluable, and I often heard “thanks” from others in a number of different forms. I also experienced personal pleasure and employees have told me countless times that they have been pleased that I have taken time to really know them and to recognize important events in their lives. Who could believe that I remembered the type of coffee an employee drank or the fact that she was also a dancing instructor? Sending hand-written cards and small monetary gifts for weddings, births, family deaths, graduations, and a host of honors brightens employees’ lives. I have made a personal commitment to value the lives of my colleagues, not with repeated mantras but with committed actions.
The Sacred Cs are all bound together through communication patterns by everyone, but, most importantly, by higher education presidents and chancellors who must speak passionately, clearly, and in a manner reflective of their souls. While some presidents may cover their real hearts and souls with words, slogans, and inappropriate actions, it does not take long for higher education professionals to see beyond the fluff or fervor. I have discovered that my love of others and my deep passion for sharing others’ real lives, are noticed and appreciated by my colleagues. New university and college presidents, including my Registry colleagues, in my view, must shed their professional garbs, literally and figuratively, and learn to let their real lives shine.
Communicating well means listening deeply, making few or no judgements upon what others say or how their lives unfold. It also means that new presidents should encourage individuals to discover their own voices. In searching for a gift for a dear friend and colleague who recently assumed a new administrative leadership role, I found a small statue which read: BE THE VOICE, NOT THE ECHO! Indeed, when a president communicates from her/his own soul and truly values others’ voices, it is not the ECHO of others’ thoughts or the president’s thoughts which are intriguing and valued. It is the INDIVIDUAL’S VOICE which comes to life and is most significant.
CARE, CONCERN, CONNECTEDNESS, COMMITMENT, AND COMMUNICATION are at the heart of the president as she/he enters a new higher education learning community. The concepts are sacred and require that new presidents and chancellors examine their own lives to understand more fully how they keep these Cs sacred and if they have not, how they might do so as they enter a new learning community.
REACHING OUT AND REACHING WITHIN
As I think about my years as a college and university president, I think about how much I have learned from others and about how much I have grown in my presidencies because I reached out to those who have gone before and the institutional leaders who know the history and the culture of the institution. I love asking former institutional presidents about what they know, what they valued, what they learned and where their hearts were as they led their institutions, my new institutions. Members of a president’s cabinet, too, are strong men and women who can, when encouraged and valued, speak their truths and help new presidents flourish. Their experiences are rich and powerful. New learning community presidents and chancellors should immediately embrace such experiences. The experiences of those who have “gone before” are invaluable to a new president. To not reach out to others can hinder a new president’s future. There are some individuals assuming presidencies or chancellorships who fear reaching out to other leaders because they sense that doing so will make them look weak or give others a sense that they need help. To not reach out and to fear getting help is something which may undo a new president’s experience in her/his new learning community. Some learning community members find the lack of reaching out reflective of an individual’s expectation to be perfect or to appear as such, a trait most people find distasteful. To ask for help, for guidance, and for mentoring is to give one’s soul an opportunity to thrive.
The major suggestions I have for new college and university presidents may sound a bit academic:
- Create a personal mission statement
- Find a unique way to introduce yourself to your new learning community
- Define the touchstones of engagement you value and will honor
- Hold the Sacred C’s in your heart (care, concern, connectedness, commitment, communication)
- Use Appreciative Inquiry to build upon the institution’s strengths
- Reach out to others and seek advice and mentorship
However, as each of these suggestions manifested itself in my own professional life as a college and university president, I found that my professional life would not have shined so brightly nor been the actions which helped me align those stars if I had not listened with my heart and acted with a soul of great respect and joy.
It is my sincere hope that if there is even a small nugget of meaning in my professional life story that someone may use to strengthen her or his professional life, then the stars are, indeed, aligned!
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