Â鶹ӰԺ

Dear Faculty RelationsÌý–ÌýIt’s two years into my leadership role, and I’m short on time and long on conflict. Do you have any top-shelf advice to share? – In Need of a BoostÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Dear In NeedÌý–ÌýLeadership can be taxing. And what’s harder, most of us aren’t trained to lead. There isn’t much about ordinary faculty life that prepares you for the time crunch and interpersonal conflict that you describe.ÌýÌýÌý

But the good news is that campus is full of people experienced in leadership and from whom we can take a few tips. Each year, for instance, the Faculty Leadership Institute holds a series of discussions with leaders across campus. One of the fun things about FLI is the chance to absorb these folks’ collective wisdom.ÌýÌý

Here is some of the most helpful advice from this year’s conversations:ÌýÌý

• Communicate, communicate, communicate. The best leaders are excellent communicators. They don’t just communicate their decisions; they always communicate context and rationale.ÌýÌý

• Wield influence, not power. Outside of a few roles at the very top, administrators don’t have a great deal of real power. What they do have is influence. Leading by example is far more important than any gesture of executive authority.ÌýÌý

• Email is for haiku. Save your research article or budding novella for Microsoft Word. Email just isn’t the genre for length. Aim to say what you need to say in three sentences or less.ÌýÌý

• Learn to delegate. It might be easier if you could, but you can’t do it all yourself. Trust your colleagues to share in the work of your unit.ÌýÌý

• It’s better to be accurate than fast. Call this the tortoise and the hare paradox of leadership. You’ll find yourself working under deadline and feeling stress, but it’s better to get things right than to be the first to finish.ÌýÌý

And finally, have fun. Leadership is about values, but your colleagues don’t only benefit from your ability to separate right from wrong. Try making fun a core value and have faith that you’ll keep learning on the job.ÌýÌý

Written by Anu Sharma, Professor, Speech Language and Sciences and Faculty Fellow, Faculty Leadership Institute based on discussions with senior leadership across campus including: Nathalie Moyen, Chair of the Finance Division in the Leeds School of Business; Oliver Gerland, Chair of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Marcia Yonemoto, Chair of History; Elizabeth Dutro, Associate Dean of Faculty, School of Education; Bud Coleman, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences; Leslie Reynolds, Senior Associate Dean of Libraries; Tammy Sumner, Director, Institute of Cognitive Sciences; Mark Gross, Director of ATLAS; Lori M. Hunter, DirectorÌýof the Institute of Behavioral Science;ÌýFernando Rosario-Ortiz, Interim Dean, School of Education; and Daryl Maeda, Dean and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education; as well as Michele Moses, Vice Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs and Katherine Eggert, Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Assessment.ÌýÌýÌý