How Higher Ed Leaders Derail

In higher-ed, there is a widely-held myth that the smartest person in the room should lead. We take for granted that someone who is smart can lead, and when we don't take steps to prepare or develop our people for leadership positions, leaders are more likely to derail. This is a problem, because college and university leaders at all levels increasingly face complex challenges without easy solutions. They are navigating unknown territory. When we lead in the absence of a map, often we rely too heavily on what we already know or think we know well. We fall back on tradition, losing sight of the creativity and the risks we need to take now. We rely more heavily on "smartship" than leadership. We are especially prone to this tendency in higher education because of the unique weight we assign to hierarchy and tradition. This tendency leads to four destructive dynamics, and Pat Sanaghan's new book explores these four in depth and offers specific strategies for countering them. These four include: Derailment of the leader - wherein leaders are often promoted on the basis of academic prowess or past achievement but lack the management training, development, and support needed to succeed. Seduction of the leader - wherein leaders incorrectly believe they are receiving accurate intel about what is happening within their division. Arrogance - wherein we over-emphasize and reward individual achievement rather than encourage leaders to seek broad input and approach complex issues as a team endeavor. Micromanagement - wherein the risk averse culture of higher ed fosters leadership patterns that emphasize control and predictability rather than the risk taking, courage, and empowerment of one's people that leadership in today's higher education requires. EARLY REVIEWS FOR THE BOOK: "Pat Sanaghan has done an excellent job of identifying the unique characteristics of executive positions in higher education and offering a learning agenda that will assure success for university and college leaders. This book should be required reading for any president, and deserves a place on every leader's desk in higher education." - Bob Kustra, President Emeritus, Boise State University "Noting that the academy usually fails to select and prepare leaders with the right traits and experiences, Sanaghan's book is masterful at not only helping leaders prevent derailment and failure, but also at helping new and experienced leaders succeed. This is a wonderful keep-by-your-side manual for higher-ed leaders." - Rebecca Chopp, Chancellor, University of Denver

Grady Bogue, organize, classify, and explain patterns of leadership failures, drawing on firsthand testimonies from "deraileduniversity presidents, sixteen case studies in four sectors of higher education, and reviews of the scholarly literature on leadership failures in the public and private sectors.

Combining expert knowledge, experience and reflections from senior leaders to distil collective leadership experiences, this book explores the realities of leadership at universities rather than the imagined and often-unrealistic expectations and perceptions of how leaders should act. This key text is an informed insider’s guide to leadership transitions that will assist talented individuals in considering whether to apply for, how to prepare for and how to take on the task of leading a university. The collection of leadership experiences provided will help universities to be more successful, students to have great educational experiences and staff at all levels to have more-fulfilling working environments. It will also consider how to avoid the emotional pain and suffering that can arise when leaders find themselves poorly equipped, unprepared, unable or unwilling to provide the sound and competent leadership that universities deserve. Centred on the practice and experience of leadership, this book will be a must-read for all new and existing heads of universities. It will also provide useful insights to those actively involved in the recruitment and development of senior leaders, members of senior leadership teams and those who hold governance roles in universities. Further updates and details about the application of the ideas in the book in practice can be found at www.leadershiptransitionsatthetop.com/.

Leadership is viewed as a phenomenon allowing advantages for organizations and their success. Although much research has been done on the concept of leadership, many studies do not include the different styles, perspectives, and contexts of leadership. As such, this book aims to fill this gap by combining several studies on leadership from different perspectives. The various chapters address such topics as millennial leaders, Theory X style leadership, leadership in the turbulent environment, emotional intelligence, and much more. This volume shows how new insights about leadership can stimulate organizational development in various countries and regions worldwide.

Learn leadership skills from experienced deans! The first resource written specifically for novice and aspiring deans and directors of nursing education, this engaging guide shares practical advice, wisdom, and insight from experienced academic leaders. These insights will help nurses who are new to academic leadership positions. Within its pages, experienced deans share their wisdom on how a new dean or director can succeed in a leadership position. With an emphasis on acquiring critical knowledge and essential skills, this book describes the parameters of the nursing dean or director role, practical strategies for resolving day-to-day issues, everything from student success to budget and fiscal health, and how to practice self-care while constantly tackling the challenges of these roles. Seventeen academic nursing leaders from across the United States deliver fundamental guidance to help readers determine how to navigate the multifaceted opportunities and challenges of deaning and directing. Key Features: Written in an accessible, engaging style for novice and aspiring academic nursing leaders Everyday strategies for dealing with routine issues Addresses the need for self-care and how to manage the stress and complexities of the leadership role Abundant real-world case studies and best practices Online resources for further study

Winner of the 2012 ASHE/CAHEP Barbara Townsend Lecture AwardTo prosper and thrive in an increasingly unpredictable national and global environment, U.S. higher education will need to adapt, innovate, and evolve once again, as it has during every major societal change over the past four centuries.The purpose of this new edition, published a turbulent decade after the first, is to provide institutional leaders -- from department chairs to trustees -- with a broad understanding of the academic enterprise, strategic guidance, and key principles, to assist them in navigating the future and drive the success of their institutions as they confront the unimagined.Recognizing that the hallmark of higher education in the U.S. is the diversity of institution types, each of which is affected differently by external and internal influences, the authors provide examples and ideas drawn from the spectrum of colleges and universities in the not-for-profit sector.This book covers the major functions and constituent departments and units within institutions; the stakeholders from students and faculty through the echelons of administration; the external environment of elected officials, foundations, philanthropists, and the new changing media; and innovations in teaching, technology, data analytics, legal frameworks, as well as economic, demographic, and political pressures.The book is informed by the proposition that adhering to four principles--which the authors identify as having enabled institutions of higher education to successfully navigate ever-changing and volatile pasts--will enable them to flourish in the coming decades:The four principles are:1. Be mission centric by making all key decisions based on a core mission and set of values.2. Be able to adapt to environmental change in alignment with the mission and core values.3. Be committed to democratic ideals by seeking to promote them and modeling democratic practices on and off campus.4. Be models for inclusion, equity, and positive social change.

Offering a unique insider view of higher education, Ferris and Waldron skillfully showcase expert leadership, providing a rich and meaningful understanding of higher education leadership from across the nexus of existential, philosophical and practical concerns.

This essential guide addresses the expanding, multifaceted role of college and university academic leaders. The new edition of the Resource Handbook for Academic Deans, one of the most important offerings to the academic community by the American Conference of Academic Deans, is written by and for academic leaders to address the expanding, multifaceted role of college and university administrators. Each chapter explores a topic related to how higher education leaders are influenced by national events, local partnerships, or on-campus collaborations. Among the topics covered are: • understanding educational policy at the national level • working with leaders from department heads to provosts • engaging with external partners • leading collaborative change at small colleges and universities • shifting toward student-centered campuses • making data-informed decisions • embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion • managing and balancing salaries • building effective leadership teams and mentoring future leaders • holding difficult conversations • returning to the faculty after leadership Providing helpful advice that can be studied in short chapters and inspiring content based on personal experience, the forty-three authors in this volume hold positions from department chairs to presidents at four-year and community colleges across the country. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid calls for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, each chapter offers perceptive insights from experienced leaders who serve a broad range of institutional types.