Looking Ahead with Hope and Resiliency

Every campus, every faculty and staff member and every student is touched by what is happening. Universities are tackling the practical issues first, as they should—closing residence halls, putting classes online, addressing student needs for food and shelter. University researchers are stepping up to develop vaccines and tests. University medical schools are in the middle of the crisis, and their faculty and students are getting a first-hand look at the pain and suffering in their university and local communities.

Qualified female administrators in higher education roles need more than programs and policies to support their rise into positions of leadership. They also need active support from mentors, sponsors and visible spokespersons. Women who aspire to lead should prepare themselves for their next role, and smart institutional leaders will help them do just that. In this article, Barbara Kaufman, Ph.D. and Dr. Gretchen M. Bataille lay out how senior leaders can strengthen their teams and achieve their institutional goals by advocating for women to step up and lead.

Tooting Your Own Horn: Why Women Leaders Resist Self-Promotion

Recently, Dr. Kaufman was interviewed by Leadership California's communications director, Carol Caley, regarding why women do not "toot their own horns."  

​The article provides insight regarding the challenges women face, as well as practical words of advice from Kaufman on how women can find their voice and become more adept at building on their successes.

International students come to the United States from all over the world seeking education and career training not available in their home countries. Most return to those countries after graduation to pursue a career in their field of study, which is when the true power of a high-quality education is realized.

Eleven chapter e-text produced at Auburn University.  Bataille provided commentary on topics including town and gown, diversity, athletics, academics, etc. 

Managing the Unthinkable: Crisis Preparation and Response for Campus Leaders

Edited by Dr. Gretchen Bataille and Northwestern University's academic director of the Kellogg Executive Leadership Institute, Dr. Diana I. Cordova., remains a “must read” for campus leaders who find themselves confronted with unexpected events and unthinkable crises.   The edited collection offers first-hand advice and best practices on preparing for and managing a crisis, as well as on handling the emotional, and often long term, toll that can result from dramatic events on campus.   

This series looks at the management issues unique to the presidency of a large, public university through the experience of Dr. Jay Gogue. This e-textbook gives students an introduction to the various facets of management and administration and sets the stage for the perspective of a leader whose years in academic administration includes the presidency of three major institutions.

For today's colleges and universities, actively recruiting leaders who are self-directed and creative in their learning is an essential strategy.  Equally important is fostering an environment that encourages the development of self-directed leaders.

Challenged by high expectations and a sense of urgency to hit the ground running, newly appointed leaders are prime candidates for performance derailment even on day one. Compounded by insufficient or less structured on-boarding, leaders with the potential to succeed simply don’t. Worse yet, they don’t know what hit them.

Today's presidents and chancellors are donning more hats than ever before to provide skilled, visionary leadership.  Yet in a challenging academic environment in which financial and technological pressures are mounting and resources are scarce, achieving institutional goals alone can be overwhelming.  Team support is essential to help communicate and reinforce the senior administrator's all-inclusive messages.

Institutions can avoid the performance derailing of newly appointed senior administrators by adopting a more systematic on-boarding process. The return on investment (ROI) is a smoother transition, while saving the institution time, money and frustration.

Successful change initiatives are driven by leaders and their teams, not solely by an individual president, chancellor or dean. This article reviews the key skills of effective change agents and their teams and how to apply them to the challenges of today's universities.

Talented leaders are highly motivated to achieve. However, there is a dark side to overachieving that takes a toll on organizational performance.

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The Journal of Business Strategy recently published a series of three articles by Dr. Kaufman. Topics are: overachievers, building your influence skills and how to avoid dysfunctional working relationships.Emerald Group Publishing has selected the first article of this series "Overachieving Leaders: When an "A" is not Good Enough" to be featured in Emerald Management First, a special service to reach a broader practitioner readership and to offer a service to researchers and students who want to digest the main points of an article quickly.  

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"Probably the single most thoughtful and useful piece of personal/professional development or 'self-help' for me that I've read in a year. I still see way too much of myself in this. But I am continuously working on awareness and improvement."  (Chief of Staff)

Leaders need to understand how relationships become dysfunctional, recognize the symptoms and be ready to intervene with corrective action.

One essential ingredient to success is undeniable-the role of influence. The skills to build a sphere of influence and exercise that influence are critical success factors.

Speaking truth to power is key to high performing teams.

Why smart, newly appointed leaders derail.

The role of executive coaching in performance management.

Don't let your top administrators fall from grace; have a solid game plan for their successful retention.

Don't set up your new leader for failure; here's how to ensure leadership success. 

Today's new leader draws from a repertoire of leadership styles to promote decision-making.

University leaders face fatigue fueled 24/7 work schedules. 

The Power of Purpose, Passion, and Perseverance.

Today's college or university president must be a champion fundraiser and a strong internal leader.

Effective storytelling can strengthen an organization's bonds with all of its stakeholders.

The Board's Role in Retaining the Chief Staff Leader.

A board peopled with renegades is a disaster waiting to happen. Here's how to bring the renegades back into the fold.

Before the sparkles dance before their eyes, help your board prepare for a successful succession.

Board members remain an untapped asset in many organizations. Learn what is behind this oversight and what can be done about it.