A quick google search will net almost 8 million replies to “What is Management?” in just under .50 seconds. An impressive feat to generate so many ways to define, explain, and reflect on the word, “management.” Most agree management is about planning, developing, communicating, organizing, coordinating, implementing, directing, leading, or sometimes even controlling an organization (or team) to accomplish a goal or set of tasks. More specifically some experts think management represents the daily operational tasks of the work required to make an organization operate. I support this perspective and contend management is necessary to ensure “things” get done. Getting things done requires a great deal of management knowledge, skills, and competencies as these provide the necessary “how” to make tasks happen. The span of effective management requires deep understanding and appreciation for people, places, and things (i.e., assets/resources) within and around the organization.
The daily tasks of keeping the organization moving forward relies on management knowledge of the required tasks, the necessary steps to complete the tasks, and the ideal skills of the staff who are in the key roles within the organization who are achieving the outcomes. Procedures, processes, and systems need to be in place and those who have the daily responsibilities for the institution need to be engaged in these details. A strong collaborative spirit should be in place to clearly communicate who does what and when so everyone knows what is going to happen and when. Adhering to the values of equity, excellence, collaboration, innovation, accountability, and inclusion serve as an excellent foundation to carry out management tasks and these values are critical in all aspects of the organization.
For an institution of higher education, I respect, appreciate, and honor the Board as the driver of goal, strategies, and overall tasks to be accomplished with the staff carrying out their directives and policies. Concomitantly, there are additional stakeholders including students, staff, and faculty, and if public the Governor’s Office, the state legislature, and other key entities for consideration and input. My role as the leader requires, I have management knowledge at a sufficient level of how and what things need to happen though I should not and cannot be doing all tasks. Great staff need clear communication and must be empowered to accomplish what needs to be done, the time and space to do these tasks, to feel supported in their work, and the accountability to ensure the outcomes are achieved well, on time, and within budget. Management knowledge and skills are required of me as the CEO though the level of my input varies; however, at the end of the day as the phrase goes, I am ultimately responsible for the effectiveness of the organization. I must rely on the great staff to carry-out the functions and rely on good communication and evidence of intended outcomes to see things are moving on track in concert with staff and faculty. I must also encourage, mentor, coach, and champion staff to excel to reach their full potential and to keep everyone moving toward the same goals and outcomes.
I see my role as the CEO like a zoom lens on a camera where there are times, I will need to zoom in to see the specific details of certain things and then to zoom out to look at the larger organization to make sure they are in alignment. My executive leadership experiences in three different System Offices [at the Florida Board of Regents (with 9 universities), the Colorado Department of Higher Education (with 30+ universities, community colleges, and vocational/technical institutions), and with the Colorado State University System (with 3 institutions)] gives me a wealth of experiences in how large, complex systems work. The same is true with my prior roles as President of two different institutions, Adams State University and Rocky Vista University, where I fully understand how individual campuses need strong management and operational procedures in place so it is clear how work gets done. Above all, as the CEO, it is imperative to know when management skills and competencies are required of me (and others) and at what level.
Leadership, on the other hand, is a much deeper concept than management. For me, leadership connects to the “why” and “purpose” of an organization. A leader must be strategic to set a vision, must have skills to ensure the organization works together, has a strong desire for input and reflection, and must ultimately in collaboration with others, be the one to “set the charge,” the momentum and speed of work, to follow the directives of the Board. Effective leadership is focused on fulfilling our purpose, the reason or rationale for what we do, and gives the larger direction used at the management level which determines “what” and “how” things get done.
Both leadership and management are critical though leadership is highly important as leadership, simply put, requires one to be able to influence others to achieve the intended outcomes. Moreover, I believe good leaders have integrity, credibility, are savvy in a variety of settings, will build good trust and relationships, are inclusive and seek diversity of opinions, are nimble and can adapt as situations and events require, keep an eye on the total organization and the connected, though loosely coupled parts, have endless energy and resilience, an extra dose of humility, and most importantly have a good sense of humor. Each of these requires a solid understanding of leadership and my background and experiences provide an excellent foundation to be an effective leader of organizations.
For institutions of higher education, the direction is set by the Board which is generally informed through on-going relationships with key stakeholders who help shape the “why” for the organization and what it is going to accomplish. The leader’s role is to carry out these directives and in doing so must be a highly functioning leader who knows how to influence the outcomes through guiding others. The CEO needs to think strategically as well as have good influencing skills. Another key characteristic is to be a good listener and actively seek feedback. Additionally, as the leader, I must have the team at the center and work to develop their skills, if needed, and to praise them when goals are achieved. I look for the strengths in others and aim to maximize each staff member’s contributions. My leadership is more about the organization and less about me. I have been told I have no ego though I am not sure that is completely true, but I do believe the team (i.e., organization) comes before me and if there are criticisms or if we have shortfalls in accomplishing our goals, it is me who must take the ownership. I have been seen as a leader from my childhood through today as I have generally been the one who is sought out to make tough decisions about direction and who can strategically decide how best to deploy a limited number of people with dwindling resources to accomplish the organizational goals. I am a servant leader who, I believe, balances the tasks (getting things done) with a sharp focus on people who need empowering, developing, and perhaps inspiring (achieving the purpose/mission by influencing team members).
I have decades of successful leadership experiences. I have gained greatly by working with wonderful colleagues who share a passion for moving our organization forward. I am a leader who also reflects on my experiences and have developed a strong habit to learn more about leadership and how I can improve as a leader. For example, I have learned over the years and specifically through the Clifton Strengths Assessment key insights and understandings into my leadership using the four domains of CliftonStrengths. From my Strengths Assessment, I know I lead with strategic thinking talents, skills, and strengths which allow me to absorb and analyze information which informs better decisions. Secondly, I lead from the influencing domain where I have the natural talents to take charge, to speak up, to make sure others are heard and their input is sought in our work and direction, and to impact others and motivate them to excel. Thirdly, I lead from a relationship building set of talents and strengths which allows me to build strong relationships to hold a team together and make the total team greater than the sum of its parts. Finally, I lead from an executing domain which is where the action of directives, concepts, and ideas gets put into place.
Importantly, both management and leadership are needed. To be an effective leader there should be an ebb and flow of these important constructs. With my leadership, I always strive to make sure I know my purpose and to make sure it matches the organization’s. I will gear our work toward the direction, goals, and KPIs. I need to be aware of the pace and the time to reach our goals, I will create opportunities to celebrate milestones along the way, I am willing to change direction when/if needed and I have a way to determine when it is advisable to cancel or stop working on a goal not attainable, needs to be greatly modified, or no longer needed. I understand my role is to shepherd the human energy to make sure it is aligned to ensure we are all going in the same direction to the same outcomes. I have found it most effective to go slower at times so both people and tasks can be closely held in tandem and in high regard. Sometimes, as I have learned, going slower to go faster later is a wise approach which also encompasses my leadership style and manner.
Finally, as a higher education leader, you will find my passion and support to the Board to carry out their directives, encourage all involved in campus leadership roles to continue to guide our organization to meet the needs of the region, support our students to allow success especially for first generation and underserved populations, maintain a focus on accessible and affordable educational opportunities, keep an eye on management tasks which must be done collaboratively, and provide a leadership style to lift others in working toward a brighter future. You will also find me very engaged in K-12 educational discussions as we need to work in concert with one another to ensure we have educated citizens. Collaborations with business and industry will be top of the mind as these partnerships are vital to a successful economy and postsecondary education system. My leadership comes with passion, purpose, and a plan to lift the organization to be a beacon for a prosperous future for all through appropriately and wisely utilizing both management and leadership skills and competencies.
