As an academic leader, I am guided by theory, beliefs, and behavior. Over the years, there have been many leaders who I have admired and I have built my own philosophy based on their mentorship. I have also experienced leaders who have been more interested in power than in people. From them, I learned what not to do. Below are some ideas that guide my leadership style:
Theory:
I believe that leaders must be flexible and be aware of contingencies that drive different actions. In order to thrive in a flexible environment and to be successful, a leader must have certain traits. For instance, I believe that a quality leader should be confident, humble, person-centered, flexible, courageous, composed, straight-forward, and honest. While there are many other traits that can contribute to success, I believe that the ones listed are essential. Personally, I have always gravitated toward transformational leadership and have worked to develop relationships with all of my colleagues in an effort to create a shared vision and strategic plan. I believe that I have been successful in transforming the cultures of my institutions and look forward to opportunities to do so in future positions.
Attitude:
I believe that everyone stakeholder plays an important role in the success of an academic institution. I once heard a Dean tell an administrative assistant that the quality of a program was not her concern. I think that this comment was a huge error in leadership. I strongly believe that quality, reputation, success, and positive culture are the responsibilities of every person involved in an institution (custodial staff, maintenance, IT, dining hall staff, residence hall staff, administrative assistants, faculty, administrators, other employees and outside stakeholders). When we display pride in ownership of our operations, then the students develop that same sense of pride. Attitude is a key factor in success as a leader. My direct reports often see me as the positive cheerleader for our operations. I encourage them in their efforts and mentor them toward success. As a result, In four years as an administrator at Lamar University and three years as an administrator at Walden University, I retained 100% of employees with positive work records.
Principles:
As a leader, I am guided by certain principles. In order to be effective in my work with others:
I always strive for excellence in whatever I do.
I lead with empathy. I respect people's personal lives and believe that family comes first.
I make every effort to understand various perspectives and to create a safe atmosphere for communication.
I am fully committed to a culture of respect and positive collaboration.
I seek to maximize the talents of those around me and to help them to achieve their potentials.
I believe in personal accountability and pride in ownership.
I always seek to learn from experiences.
Behavior:
Attitudes and principles are important but mean little if behavior is not tied to them. As a leader, I expect to employ my theories, attitudes and principles in everyday actions. I believe that I have demonstrated the ability to act with integrity throughout my experience as an administrator in higher education and that my mentors, peers, and direct reports would attest to the display of my theories, principles, and attitudes throughout their experiences with me. As a leader in any situation, I expect to:
respond rather than react in challenging situations
focus on the process in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of dynamics and variables in challenging situtations
facilitate open communication
recognize individual contributions to success
reinforce team efforts
demonstrate humility
work tirelessly for the team
Checks and Balances:
If we work together, I invite you to provide me with feedback so that I can ensure that I remain committed to my leadership philosophy. Specifically, ask me
About me beliefs related to leadership
What my attitudes look like in action
How I actively lead
About what I have learned from my successes and challenges as a leader