New President Interview --
Part 38
New Senior Management and Team
Building
August 20, 2020
Preliminary remarks
It has been four years since we last heard
from our new president. He is now a veteran in the academic administration
world, but for us he is still “new” because part of his philosophy is “learning
never ends.” He recently wrote an
article on team building in academia and he is consulting for a university in
another city concerning hiring a provost.
Q> Why does
another university need to hire an outside consultant?
A> Hiring a senior administrator such as president,
vice-president or provost is difficult
because there are so many stakeholders
to satisfy including the senior staff that he works with every day, the
faculty, the administrative staff, the students and the board of directors. Each have their own agenda. While the public thinks the university is in
the business of educating students, not all the stakeholders buy into that idea. A board of directors (or trustees) may think
they look out for the prestige of the institution and/or community. Faculty may want a leader who will help them balance
teaching and research. A dean or department
head may want a good strategist who can balance needs and wants justly. Staff
may just want someone who is a nice person, who recognizes their contribution
to the organization and lets them to their jobs. The business and money people
want someone who can be financially efficient and enable compliance with a
budget. Students want to learn and get the diploma or credential that gets them
a job.
Q> Isn’t
this too simplistic for the pressures of the job?
A> Yes, I gave some examples of what people
want from the new administrators. I was
chosen to help the search process because I have many years or experience helping
people figure out the right questions. Hiring
in a business or non-profit is not the same as an academic hire. The owner(s) may hire whomever they like without
paying attention to any stakeholders. I was called to make sure the university
does not have too many independent voices that make a good choice impossible. My
job is to facilitate communication and help them listen to the voices outside
their domain. Once I get them on the same path and recognize the same goal, their
work is more efficient.
Q> Does part
of your job involve reading resumes and evaluating credentials?
A> No.
I help them learn home to uncover a candidate’s story. I want them to
find ways to say, “yes” and distinguish who has the skills to grow into the
job. The skills that help improve scientific research differ from what is needs
to analyze a candidate’s potential. Learning the strengths of the candidate pool
should help the hiring committee differential between needs and wants.
Q> How does
the university’s recent memory affect the hiring process?
A> A committee
may want someone who is like the previous
occupant because the previous occupant retired and left on good term. Or very they may a person with a different
skill set because they were disappointed with the performance. I help them decide the best ways to figure
out what is best. Sometimes old conflicts surface during a search. At that time an outsider can help smooth the
road. We don’t want a pessimist to worry about the old problems won’t be solved
or an optimist who thinks the new leader will magically push aside the mishugas
(craziness) and create an end to conflict.
Internal conflicts should be resolved, litigated or mediated before
meeting any candidate.
Q>How does
one balance the great interviewer, the person who looks great on paper, with
the finding the right person for the position?
A. There are always people who have the gift of gab. They know the
buttons to push to get people to think they are great candidates. I just read a biography of a 19th
century German rabbi who was a great orator, brilliant writer, yet couldn’t make
friendly small talk (i.e. the opposite of the “gift of gab.”). Jobs applied to
him because of his reputation and who he knew. A consultant has to warn the committee when
someone who is “too good to the true” yet hops from job to job every three
years this candidate is not the right person when the university needs long
term loyalty. The University should not
be so infatuated with the candidate, that the limitations are ignored. People
are full packages and the committee needs to work hard to pick the right
person, not the one they “love.”
Q> How does
the search process fit into building a team?
What is a team approach for an organization?
A> Team building
means building a culture that has a common goal or mission, but diverse
intellectual backgrounds and abilities.
The president does not need a bunch of “yes-men” who always agree even
when the path is not prudent. If the current team has some members who are
analytical, then perhaps you need more creative and “think-out-of-the-box” thinkers. If you have data driven people, perhaps you
needs emotional or “seat-of-the pants” thinking. If you have people who know one culture, then
you need people who know other cultures.
The team needs to be aware that no one has a monopoly on the truth. A path that is right today may be wrong tomorrow.
The team needs a fair balance between listening and speaking up and continuing on
the same path versus exploring the new, untested ideas. .
An organization
needs good communications. That means
getting people the information and knowledge to do their jobs. For example, there is an organization I’ll call
ABC Tov. Everyone from the part-time
janitors to senior researchers has to have a professional development plan. ABC
Tov gives everyone at least one day a month for professional development and gives
everyone a budget. Professional development
may be internal or external classes, on-line classes, reading materials, etc. Everyone
week each department has a lunch and share.
The time is used to share experiences, build friendships, teach each
other, and learn about the best practices that other use or have
discovered. Food helps lubricate the
conversation.
Communication
happens on many levels. The “sage on the stage” was once the standard for
education. The professor professed and
the students took notes. In some
organizations the presidents and upper management were the “sages.” This is not the way to create a dynamic
classroom or organization. People in the
university do not work in silos. The new
hire does not know everything. For example,
in the company ABC Tov, a new computer professional was hired. He had skills that the president wanted to
learn. The president became the learner
and a great relationship started. When it was time to promote, the president
know whom to select. In an organization
that have good communications, people know where to turn to get answers on how
to do their jobs. When a client, a student
or a customer calls, the first contact knows where to look for the answers.
Q> What
makes a consultant strong?
A> Consultants
are unbiased outside voices. They do not
have to live with their advice, but you do.
You want the university to have a successful search so that your reputation
is enhanced, but that is not the only goal.
If the consultant gives good strong, experience, evidence based advice
then the search committee ignores it, the consultant can go home at the end and
know the job is done and not be bothered.
Q> What is
good communications?
A> A great
communicator knows when to listen and when to talk. Teams building happens when
you train yourselves to know what the other members are doing. That is know
what you know and learn how to find the answers for what you do not yet know. Comedy is funny because of the use or misuse
of language. Jokes are funny cause of a
double meaning of words or phrases. A
team needs to be able to “read” other members and act accordingly. Examples of teamwork are police or crime
fighting procedurals where the characters train, learn the facts, and solve the
crime. In an organization, communications are on multiple platforms. There are rules and laws from the government,
there are business procedure documents, and in-person training on a macro level. That is, a level above the day-to-day
actions. On a daily basis one needs to
know what has changed since yesterday.
Email, phone calls, message posts, meetings are all examples of communication
tools. One must be careful to balance too much information with the need to
know essentials for getting one’s job done.
Q> Thank you,
I see that we are out of time for today.
Any final thoughts?
A> Teamwork requires
members to know what to expect, when to listen, when to talk and how to ask the
right questions. They need the freedom
to think, create, and build.
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