The successful dean : thoughtful strategies and savvy tips for today's evolving leadership / Mari Koerner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Koerner, Mari, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Deans (Education)--United States.

Deans (Education).

United States.

Universities and colleges--United States--Administration.

Universities and colleges.

Administration.

Educational leadership--United States.

Educational leadership.

Universities and colleges--Administration.

Physical Description:

xvi, 142 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Teachers College Press, [2020]

Summary:

"This book is full of both wisdom and practical advice not found in other books on deanship, but coming from the experience of a mega-school dean with input from fellow deans, about making your vision clear, operating from an ethical stance, navigating rumors, politics and power, building a team, self-care under stress, working for a better good, and having the courage to act in spite of mistakes and missteps. This is an engaging and uplifting book, written by an experienced dean who pulls back the curtain on this crucial and complicated role. A compelling account, it brings together real world stories that often go unspoken, along with relevant scholarship, to uncover the potential of how to both be effective and to thrive. The portrait of the dean is presented as a vision of a thoughtful activist whose leadership is defined by careful consideration of the responsibilities of this position and ethical responses to it all. Several of the themes woven throughout the book are staying authentic, having courage, and remaining fair. It is written with a sense of humor-a quality most desirable as a dean. The chapters are brief and accessible because it is a "go to" resource combining knowledge, common sense advice and reminders of what brings people to that role in the first place. This is an essential resource for all individuals who are thinking about being in or who currently are in a leadership position. Learning from the past but presenting a contemporary view of how to be an effective leader, it takes the accompanying stress in stride, while acknowledging the rapidly changing context of higher education"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I Seeing Clearly

1 Remember Your Raison D'être: Students p. 17

Students as a Central Focus p. 18

A Culture of Respect p. 20

Support Beyond the Classroom p. 22

Mental Health, Safety Issues, and Grievances p. 24

Cultivating Awareness p. 25

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 26

2 Figure Out Your Boundaries for Myriad Situations p. 27

Drawing Lines p. 28

Professional Boundaries p. 29

Tricky Business p. 31

The Face of the College p. 32

Beware of Gossip p. 32

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 33

3 Plan for Churn and Change p. 34

Change in Many Forms: From Structural to Personnel to Personal p. 35

Tools for Managing Change p. 40

Be Prepared for Personal Change p. 41

This Job Is Over! p. 41

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 42

4 When Everyone Else BUT You Appears to Be or Is Wrong or Stupid, Take a Break or Find Another Job p. 43

Becoming Tired p. 44

Be on the Lookout for Cynicism p. 44

Change Jobs p. 46

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 47

Part II Operating from an Ethical Stance

5 Catch the Optimism Bug p. 51

What Kind of Optimism Does It Take to Lead? p. 53

What Is Your Role as an Optimist to Your Boss? p. 54

Optimism in Time and Space p. 56

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 58

6 Keep Your Nose in Everyone's Business p. 59

Ways to Get to Know What You Need to Know p. 59

The Law Is the Law and the Rules Are the Rules p. 62

Bias Can Creep in p. 64

Community Building Happens Through Practice p. 65

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 67

7 Never Burn Bridges-With Anyone p. 68

Isolation p. 68

There Are More Bridges Than You Think p. 70

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 71

Part III Practicing Self-Care

8 Remain Authentic-A Pretty Scary Prospect! p. 75

Different Kinds of Authenticity p. 77

Big Benefits p. 78

Things to Think About, Authentically Speaking p. 79

Keep Your Sense of Humor p. 80

Verbalize Your Thoughts p. 81

Plan for the Worst p. 82

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 83

9 Avoid Death by a Thousand Cuts p. 84

Gender Bias-I Think So p. 85

Time to Be Thoughtful p. 87

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 88

10 Email and Other Communication Nightmares p. 89

Some Helpful Reminders p. 90

Other Forms of Communication p. 92

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 94

Part IV Working for a Common Good

11 Be on the Alert for Good Advice and New Ideas p. 97

Some Advice on Advice p. 97

Decisions! p. 98

Advice and Power p. 99

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 100

12 Constantly Seek Understanding About Yourself as Dean p. 101

A Life Jacket p. 101

Communication! Communication! Communication! p. 104

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 106

13 Read, Listen, and Talk to People p. 107

Know and Understand the Context as Well as the Content p. 107

Some of the Necessary Conversations p. 110

Shared Governance and the Role of Faculty p. 111

About the Deanship: What Other Scholars Say p. 113

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 116

Part V Having the Courage to Act in Spite of Mistakes and Missteps

14 Is It Courage or Confidence or Dumb Luck? p. 119

Delivering Bad News p. 120

Controlling Rumors by Staying in Front p. 120

Document Your Interactions, Especially When Delivering Bad News p. 121

Confident? p. 123

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 123

15 Step Aside, the Most Important Person in the Room May NOT Be You p. 124

Dancing with Elephants p. 125

Be the Model for Interrupting Prejudice p. 126

Musings, Meditation, and Action p. 127.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 129-136) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Koerner, Mari, The successful dean

ISBN:

0807763926

9780807763926

0807763934

9780807763933

OCLC:

1137834368

Publisher Number:

99987776140