The Real Game-Changer for Academic Leadership

By far the most significant game changer for independent and international school leadership is the degree to which outward-looking activities are coming to dominate the leader's work.  A March 6, 2011, piece by Kathryn Masterson in the Chronicle of Higher Education makes the case that the same is true for university deans, who now are expected to be "ambassador[s], chief visionar[ies], and major fund raiser[s]," on an increasing scale.  Not so long ago, these activities were reserved for the university president, and deans were expected to manage the day-to-day affairs of their colleges.  These days, Masterson says, deans are more like CEO's of their own companies.

The same is true for heads of independent and international schools, even though few have much training or experience in external relations when they assume their first headship.  And, if higher education is any example, we can expect that ambassadorial duties will become more commonplace for division heads and others in school administration in years to come.  The trend has cascaded in higher ed from larger universities to smaller colleges, and from presidents and vice presidents to deans and department chairs.

To be sure, a large part of the external focus is on resource cultivation, of which money is but one example.  Just as crucial is the cultivation of political and social capital, the lubricants for getting things done and building support for complex initiatives.  The skills needed for these activities are often overlooked in conventional leadership development programs in education.  Perhaps our training programs need to better match the new complexity of the leadership role.