Leadership Exchange - Spring 2011

A new vice president may inherit some major issues. For instance, if an institution is in the middle of a capital campaign, strategic planning process, or construction project, the vice president might have to make tough, quick decisions. Find out when a response is needed, gather as much information as possible, and respond based on the best information available. This will not be the last time the vice president will be given short notice on important decisions. Get used to it.

Capitalize on Easy Victories

As a new member to the institution, a vice president can see old problems from new perspectives without the constraints of historical barriers. This is the time to identify obvious issues that should be corrected. Also, consider completing unfinished projects. Give credit where credit is due as you build a reputation for getting things done.

Create a Communication Plan

Decide how and when the office of the vice president will communicate with students, parents, faculty, staff, and members of the division. Devise a plan to make others aware

Overpromising

The new vice president may feel pressure to make a good impression early by taking on too many new projects. If a perceived problem is not an emergency that threatens students’ safety and well-being, then buy time and thoroughly review the issue. Obvious solutions might look different in the rearview mirror of a year. Delegate projects whenever possible.

Neglecting Relationship Building

Relationship building can be time consuming, inefficient, and initially unproductive. However, in the long run, relationship building is the most important investment of time a new vice president can make in the first year. Slow down, get to know people, and appreciate and understand the culture. Put relationship building before task completion.

Forcing Organizational Changes Too Soon There will be some organizational changes—organizational structure, compensation, facilities—that appear as if they need to be resolved immediately. Resist the urge to make large organizational changes for the entire first year. Observe, take notes, consult, and be strategic about organizational changes.

Slow down, get to know people, and appreciate
and understand the culture.

of divisional activities and where they can turn to get information from the vice president’s office. Consider the campus newspaper, quarterly newsletter, campus e-mail, social media, and websites as communication tools. Let respective audiences know where and how to access information.

Common First-year Mistakes

Advice about what to do would be incomplete without some advice about what not to do. Mistakes and second thoughts are common during the first year. What varies from institution to institution is the tolerance for mistakes. In any environment, repeating the same mistakes will almost definitely lead to termination. Avoid the following:

Overreliance on Past Management Success Marshall Goldsmith, author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There (Hyperion, 2007), notes that when individuals experience success on the job, their self-esteem and confidence increase. As a result, they adopt beliefs about themselves that may not necessarily be true. Strategies that were successful in previous positions—doing it yourself, task-oriented focus, dictatorial leadership style—may not produce success at the vice-presidential level. At this level, success is largely dependent on the ability to get things done through relationships rather than position power.

Understand why things are organized the way they are, gather others opinions about what is working and not working, then make the changes needed. Making organizational changes too soon often results in fixing the wrong problem and leads to unnecessary emotional turmoil. LE

Ainsley Carry is vice president for student affairs at Auburn University.

Johnetta Cross-Brazzell is vice president for student affairs at the University of Arkansas (retired).

are you a new ssaO? do you know a new ssaO? Check out NASPA’s annual Institute for New Senior Student Affairs Officers at www.naspa.org/programs/ssao. this program, held each October in the Washington, D.C., area, is sponsored by the James E. Scott Academy.