The Dean's List #31

What tips would you offer to new managers in terms of hard skills or soft skills?

Well, I think we're beyond the point where you can say, “I don't get computers.” Technology is at the core of what we do. I would say that the more of those types of skills that you can develop, the better – not necessarily to move into the next job, but because it's going to give you access to the information you need. I'd say that the other thing that's really important is understanding that faculty goals are not necessarily our goals. We have the same goal–student success, but that doesn’t mean the same thing to faculty and administrators. That doesn’t mean that either is wrong, but sometimes we need to take a step back, and instead of these platitudes that we use to describe what we're doing, we need to have a conversation about what everyone's interests actually are moving forward.

What is your approach to difficult conversations? How do you prep?

Like everyone else, I don't like having those types of conversations. I have a tendency to write things out a lot. I tend to be very legalistic in how I write things down–careful is what I mean. What I usually try to do is unpack why it's difficult and then what I'm saying and why I'm saying it, just to try to get to how I’ll say it to the person. ‘This is what the issue is, this is what the repercussions are, and this is what we need to change.’ I’ll also say we're relatively fortunate that, while we do have to have those conversations, we don't have to have them a lot.

There is too much to do in these jobs. What are the things you’re not able to get to that you feel are really important?

I think, as we're moving into the semester, that's just a good question. The summer for me is a time to think a little bit more about the broader part of my job. And then, when we get into the semester, there are just so many meetings that we need to have and we need to touch base with people, and it just takes a lot of time. So I think some of that basic operational stuff just gets put on hold. In some ways it can make it difficult to move things forward. I'm doing more strategic work over the summer and in the fall, we tend to be a little bit more reactionary. We're reacting to what's right in front of our face, rather than thinking about where we want to go.

What do you do to get yourself back on track when things are overwhelming or tough? Do you have a mantra?

I’ll return to my list. Sometimes, just checking off the low hanging fruit gives you some forward momentum. Sometimes, the day is just a wash. My brain is completely gone. When that happens, I’m going to work through email, organize my office, clean, whatever. Sometimes you just need to know when to cut your losses and understand that that doesn't mean you're not going to get anything done, it just means that maybe your original priorities didn’t get checked off the list.

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Something to think about:

“The true leader in a group is rarely the person who talks the most. It’s usually the person who listens best. Listening is more than hearing what’s said. It’s noticing and surfacing what isn’t said. Inviting dissenting views and amplifying quiet voices are acts of leadership.”

• Adam Grant