Leading from within

So I’m back from Denver and in the midst of a flurry of many interesting work and personal projects – if I had an administrative assistant and a housekeeper, life would be more manageable. One of the take-aways for me from the HERS Institute in Denver is a deep confirmation of my discernment about the question of shifting my work focus to academic leadership in an administrative position. (In fact, one of my HERS colleagues asked me if I might at some point consider a presidency! I laughed, but told her honestly that it had never occurred to me and I would keep it in mind as a possible future discernment.)

Everything I am reading and learning – about leadership, the issues facing higher education, and myself – seem to resonate at a deep level with me. For example, I have experienced my value and practice of collaborative leadership being used against me in an opportunity at work (could have been a little gender bias going on as well), so it is very affirming to have tons of research literature backing up my conviction that such a style really is effective.

I could go on and on, but the key point is this – for me, strong, effective leadership comes from an unwavering commitment to my core values. Because my deepest values include integrity, mutuality/collaboration, diversity/inclusion, lifelong learning, non-violence, etc., those values need to show up in the way I lead. I also learned to be more aware that I can “ramp” up my energy to negotiate effectively with others who have a more aggressive, competitive style without violating my core values. And even though it seems that working in an environment permeated by distrust and aggressiveness is something on which some people seem to thrive, I’ve seen the long-term effect on health, morale, and motivation. Part of my role as a leader is to set a tone of mutuality, trust, and respect, so that my team can be effective and work together to make decisions in which everyone is a winner.

So much more I could say, but I’ll end with a reading suggestion. I’m currently reading a book by Jim Collins, “Good to Great – Why some companies make the leap… and others don’t.” I may write more about it later… but it is good to know that it is not the famous, ego-centric, charismatic types that came out as the most effective leaders, but low-key, humble persons who are committed to getting the right people on board, reflecting on how to move forward in ways that are true to the organization’s core values, seeing opportunities for greatness, and being real with people in the organization about opportunities and threats facing the organization. It really is not about motivating people…if you have the right people on the bus, they will already be self-motivated…all you have to do is make sure you don’t get in the way and make decisions or rules that are de-motivating. (Of course, getting the wrong people off the bus is easier said than done…) It’s an easy read, and an eye-opener.