We are only a few weeks into the fall semester, and already the leadership coming and going lists are growing. With the turnover numbers ticking up, those who aspire to a presidency may be asking themselves what professional development opportunities and experiences can best prepare them for a solid fit and long tenure. Perhaps the better question is to ask what skillsets are needed to be successful today.
This week, Academic Search released a report outlining the seven leadership competencies current presidents identify to succeed in these high-stakes roles. For those planning and preparing for higher education’s senior-most roles, the report provides a pathway to meet the demands of the moment including: trust-building, demonstrating resilience, communication savvy, crafting a cabinet and team building, emotional intelligence, leading with courage, and data acumen and resource management.
Dr. Javier Cevallos
More importantly, the 700 survey participants and the 14 presidents who participated in four focus groups opened up about what it feels like to hold these roles, shared the humanity needed to live these positions, and were truthful about the resiliency necessary to survive them. The report’s findings included the reality of how isolating and lonely these positions can be and the need to create community beyond the boundaries of their campuses and titles.
This level of honesty about these coveted positions is critically important and has not often been discussed by those in the roles or shared with those who aspire to them. As a two-time president, I read the experiences the minoritized and female presidents voiced with particular interest. In the report, they were more likely than their white peers to respond that they needed mastery of knowledge areas to succeed and were often held to higher standards by their campus communities. Those are powerful insights for their boards, faculty, and communities.
There are immediate personal applications of the data for all, but especially for women and leaders of Color as they research and apply for leadership openings. I remind those selected as finalists for cabinet and president roles that site visits have multiple purposes. The candidate is being interviewed to determine how well they meet the leadership needs of the institution and the institution is being interviewed to determine how well they can support the candidate’s personal and professional growth. The candidate should assess the board and community’s expectations for holding skillsets versus demonstrating mastery of skills, and they should try to establish standards for evaluation upfront. The time for an honest conversation about a short versus long-term match is at this stage since a brief tenure tarnishes the reputations of the institution and the candidate. The president and board should repeat the conversation during the contract renewal process to discuss an ongoing match.
