By Randy Weber, President Rogue College and Senior Consultant, AACRAO Consulting
I once had a respected colleague define the college president’s job description in four words—Get Resources, Remove Barriers. While I deeply respect this individual and have relied on her insight over and over again, I have personally chosen to expand the description in a way that I feel helps my team perform more effectively—Set Vision, Get Resources, Remove Barriers.
Setting a Vision
Too often, college and university leaders hold the position that our job is to be able to make tough decisions when nobody else can or will. While that is a critical aspect, I would argue setting a clearer vision for personnel will lead to fewer tough decisions needing to be made. By the time challenging issues escalate to senior leaders, they have usually been vetted by department and division leads, but an obvious answer still does not exist. This is typically because the direction of the institution, or the desire of the president, is not clearly articulated.
There are countless opportunities for CEOs to leverage their position for greater clarity around vision. Ideally, it is tucked nicely into the institution’s mission, vision, and value statements. Sometimes though, those are stale and circumstances necessitate alternative strategies. One should not have to look further than all-college addresses or senior leadership meetings if this is the case. What is important, is that the vision is clear and consistent. Our teams are watching, and most often want to deliver upon the expectations of the institution’s leader(s). But if expectations change sporadically, confidence will be lost and our strongest performers will most certainly suffer from initiative fatigue.
By taking the position that the president’s role is to set the vision, I am not suggesting one does it alone. However, it is the CEO’s responsibility to ensure a vision is set and priorities are clear. Helping our teams know a desired outcome will lead to job responsibilities performed with more certainty and less obscurity when making department-level decisions. Lo and behold, senior leaders will be called upon less frequently to make the tough decisions that ultimately fall upon our shoulders. Clear is kind, let’s make sure our teams know what we expect and that they have the resources necessary to perform their roles successfully. We will be amazed at the level of work produced and job satisfaction our teams exhibit on a daily basis.
While this is written through the lens of a president, the premise holds true for department and division heads across the board. As a leader, does your team know what is expected? If not, what can you do to help them gain a better understanding of goals and priorities? By focusing on this perspective, I am certain any leader will see productivity soar.
For new and emerging leaders, AACRAO Consulting offers mentorship support. Visit us at AACRAO Consulting and contact us at consulting@aacrao.org to learn more.