Never Alone: Building an Effective Management Team
Introduction
Educators who become university presidents are often optimistic, positive, forward thinking leaders who confidently anticipate the responsibilities of the position. Only a misguided, naïve, or arrogant university president would attempt to conduct the day-to-day business of a modern university alone. Even the most visionary, iconic, individual educational leader recognizes the need to build an effective management team. The AGB Task Force on the State of the Presidency in American Higher Education, The Leadership Imperative (Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, 2006), utilized the term “integral leadership” to describe the process of tying the “strands of presidential responsibility” together and being “capable of course corrections as new challenges emerge” (p. vii). Most presidents of institutions of higher education recognize that recruiting and nurturing a senior leadership team consisting of the chief administrators of each of the various major components of the educational enterprise is the way to “tie the separate strands” and lead the institution effectively.
Very effective management teams are composed of multitalented, ethically focused, and highly motivated leaders who are able to work well together. At times, a leader seeking to build a management team is able to observe talented, ethical, motivated managers within an organization who demonstrate administrative abilities evidenced by a record of wise decision making. At other times, positions become vacant under circumstances requiring an external search and identification process. In either case, assembling an effective leadership team presents significant opportunities and challenges.
Articulating clearly the well-defined mission of a college or university is the critically important initial step in determining an appropriate administrative structure and the attributes sought in the individuals who will comprise an effective management team. In 2002, when College of the Southwest (now University of the Southwest) inaugurated a new president, the institution faced significant challenges. While the previous president had led a heroic, Herculean effort for more than a decade to strengthen a fragile institution that had faced the real possibility of having to close its doors, the small college struggled. Located in the Permian Basin in southeast New Mexico, the institution served the local community primarily as a degree-completion opportunity for adult learners who returned to higher education in mid-life seeking to enhance employment opportunities by achieving a baccalaureate degree. With an improving economy, the small institution of higher education faced a dwindling local student base as employment opportunities improved across the economic spectrum.
The institution’s Board of Trustees employed a new president who could build on the strengths of the retiring president who had firmly established the institution’s appeal and benefit to the local constituency. The new vision anticipated an enhanced academic program that could add a significant number of traditional aged students to supplement the dwindling number of nontraditional local students. Accomplishing this would involve significant enhancement to the physical plant by adding residential facilities, student life recreational and physical educational resources, and expanding the number of well-prepared faculty members.
After inaugurating the new president, a comprehensive process that included trustees, faculty, staff, students, and alumni to consider carefully the way in which the institutional mission was framed and communicated. Although the process revealed wide spread support for the college’s stated purpose, the board approved a restatement of the institutional mission with explicitly stated guidelines that succinctly framed the mission.
University of the Southwest is a Christ-centered educational community dedicated to developing men and women for a lifetime of servant leadership by emphasizing individual faith, responsibility, and initiative.
• Teaching at University of the Southwest adheres to belief in God, in the Bible as the inspired Word of God, in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and in the separation of church and state.
• University of the Southwest strives for excellence in academic curriculum, campus life programming, and student activities in a supportive educational community where freedom of thought and expression is honored and the demonstration of faith in acts of service is encouraged;
• At University of the Southwest, students are instructed and mentored by a faculty and staff who demonstrate Christ-centered values and maintain an environment where students can live and work cooperatively, valuing the multiple cultures from which they come; and
• As a community of initiative, University of the Southwest challenges graduates to become enterprising members of our society contributing to the common good by advocating and participating in the productive commerce of free enterprise, the constitutional privilege of self-government, and the practical contributions of community service. (https://www.usw.edu/About-USW/Mission)
As a result of this mission clarifying process, although some members of the faculty and staff determined that they would be unable to support the newly clarified mission and left the college’s employment, more than 90% of the faculty and staff remained. All of these and each newly hired faculty and staff member embraced fully the mission statement as a condition of continuing employment.
The president then conferred with the senior leadership and constituted them as an administrative team that would guide the institution in accomplishing its freshly articulated mission. The administrative team includes the chief academic officer, the chief financial officer, the chief student services officer, the chief advancement officer, and the campus steward—each of whom reports directly to the president. While the titles and numbers of such positions vary among institutions, such a cabinet-like administrative entity composed of senior administrators usually serves an institution of higher education. Critically important for the University of the Southwest (USW) was identifying a team of administrators who could provide exemplary leadership with an unequivocal voice.
Individual Voices—One United Message
Whether framed as the Latin phrase Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (all for one, one for all), the traditional motto of Switzerland, inverted as Un pour tous, tous pour un (one for all, all for one),the motto traditionally associated with the three heroes of the classic novel, The Three Musketeers (Dumas, 1844), or as the United States motto e pluribus unum (from many, one), the challenge of forging a united message from strong individual contributors can be formidable. Each of the individual team members needs to have the appropriate levels of academic preparation and professional experience to meet established criteria for senior administrative leadership. Yet, finding the correct “fit” for each position involves an artful assurance of academic and professional qualification with personal disposition and proven ability to work as a cooperative team member.
For each position, highly qualified, experienced professionals are needed who have received appropriate graduate academic degrees; who have records of demonstrating successful, cooperative leadership; and who are confident people secure enough personally and professionally to participate vigorously in institutional decision making. At the same time, such highly qualified professionals need the ability to embrace fully a decision that had been carefully achieved, even when the conclusion to the decision making process does not fully represent the perspective of the individual administrator. Ideally, each member of the administrative team is thoroughly qualified to accomplish every aspect of her or his position description; is able to speak clearly and succinctly to the merits of an issue; and is at the same time able to participate cooperatively in achieving and communicating compromise.
Distinctive Institutional Characteristics
The faith-based nature of the USW mission constitutes a critical component of the lens through which each senior administrator is perceived. Aspiring to foster a “Christ-centered educational community dedicated to developing men and women for a lifetime of servant leadership by emphasizing individual faith, responsibility, and initiative” affords a special opportunity to emphasize to potential senior administrators the importance of aspiring to be models of responsible servant leaders, who reflect the importance of institutionally embraced values when acting in administrative roles.
Practically, the faith-based nature of the institution without any denominational or other religious body affiliation provides an additional opportunity to underscore the importance of fostering a cooperative environment that celebrates diversity of perspective. Being an integral and constructive part of the USW administrative team is best accomplished by people who value supportive, spirited, and civil discourse while recognizing that honest disagreeing about important matters. For example, the chief academic officer might argue passionately that a particular academic program ought to be initiated, contending that the program will enhance the quality of many existing programs while offering splendid opportunities for faculty members to integrate further mission-focused values in the curriculum. When the chief financial officer responds by requesting projections of potential revenue that would be required to make such an addition financially viable, a lively constructive conversation might ensue in which all of these factors and more are discussed vigorously with all senior administrators engaging in the dialogue. The most helpful administrative team is able to communicate clearly and passionately while discussing an issue and deciding a course of action. Then, when a decision is reached—whether a compromise endorsed by all or a conclusion enunciated by the president informed by the perspectives of respected colleagues who differ substantially on a desired outcome—the entire team is able to embrace the decision unanimously.
A Cabinet for Communication
Perhaps as important as having a cohesive mission-guided administrative team to lead an institution of higher education is fostering a culture of communication that keeps internal and external constituents adequately informed. As a supplement to the Administrative Team, the president of USW formed a larger “cabinet” that composed the student body president, the chair of the faculty, deans of each of the university’s three schools, and direct reports of the senior administrators who served as a forum, which met regularly (at least monthly) to encourage and enhance communication on the campus. The university president chairs the meetings and agenda items that can be proposed by any cabinet member. In addition to hearing regular reports on enrollment, recruiting, and student activities, the communication cabinet served as a way for senior administrators to communicate administrative decisions convey budgetary information and provide input and feedback about various issues related to institutional policy and governance.
Conclusion
In summary, assembling an effective management team requires a visionary leader who can identify very talented professionals of unwavering ethical principles who are united in a commitment to accomplish a clearly articulated mission. An administrative team consisting of the chief administrative officers of each of the major structural divisions provides an opportunity for a coordinated and cohesive institutional governance structure. Each senior administrator should have the academic qualifications and professional experiences expected in a well-regarded university. Each senior administrator should have sufficient self-confidence and awareness to participate vigorously in team discussions advocating for speaking against issues in a way that reflects informed professionalism. Each senior administrator should be committed unequivocally to the established institutional mission. Each member of the administrative team should be committed to supporting fully institutional decisions that ultimately emerge as the result of principled discussions. Adequate mechanisms are required to communicate clearly with all institutional constituents.
References
Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. (2006). The Leadership Imperative: The Report of the AGB Task Force on the State of the Presidency in American Higher Education. Washington, DC: Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.
Dumas, A. (1844). The Three Musketeers.p. 112. Available at: http://www.literaturepage.com/read/thethreemusketeers.html
USW. (2015). University of the Southwest, Hobbs, New Mexico. Available at: https://www.usw.edu/About-USW/Mission