There is a persistent illusion in higher education professional development: that a well-designed coaching program, once launched after a standard RFP process and the selection of vendors, simply runs by itself: coaches get paired with participants; assessments get administered, sessions get scheduled and held… and somewhere along the way, leaders are expected to emerge, transformed […]
Tag: higher education coaching
The Competent Outsider: Bridging Institutional Silos and Driving Strategic Alignment in Higher Education
What puzzles me to no end is how many higher education leaders still view and treat their institutions as mechanical systems that can be overhauled with a new strategic plan handed down from the President’s office or “fixed” by replacing a proverbial squeaky wheel in the form of an employee who won’t fall in line. […]
The Integrated Megaphone: Reframing College Athletics as a Campus Leadership Laboratory
As coaches and leadership advisors to colleges and universities, we often see academic institutions struggling with deep administrative silos where leaders work in parallel rather than together and at times even negate each other’s efforts. One crucial player in bundling strategic initiatives, as I discovered in my conversation with Tanya Vogel, former athletic director and […]
The Disruptive Power of Humility: Re-imagining Equity in the Academic Ecosystem
Why do equity initiatives so often stall despite our best intentions? In a Season 1 conversation on my podcast, Coaching in Higher Education, I sat down with Dr. Joel Pérez to explore this very dilemma. Joel is the author of 𝘋𝘦a𝘳 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 and an experienced professional […]
Coaches as Translators: Why Higher Education Coaching Demands an Institutional Dialect
I have spent a significant portion of my career exploring the unique and often puzzling ecosystem of university administration. When I spoke with James Walton, President of Collaborative Brain Trust, on my podcast, Coaching in Higher Education, our conversation quickly took a fascinating turn toward the business side of our field and a truth that […]
Meeting VUCA with VUCA: A New Playbook for the Agile Academic Leader
The pace of change on our campuses has increased drastically. In fact, we are now at a point where we are navigating a reality that can no longer be ignored – which requires drastic adaptations. In episode 2 of my podcast, Coaching in Higher Education, I sat down for a compelling conversation with my friend […]
Beyond the Guild: Navigating Identity Shift in Academic Leadership
Academic leadership presents a unique conundrum. In the premiere episode of Coaching in Higher Education, I spoke with my friend and colleague, Dr. Kavita Pandit, about this very issue and dove deep into the complex world of the “faculty-leader,” a journey that often begins not with a desire for management, but with a deep-seated allegiance […]