Page 14 - index
P. 14
CONFERENCE FEATURE
Although I want to return to the topic of Appreciative Inquiry later, period of time – unless it is a huge defcit to the organization -
I sense that your earliest experiences laid the groundwork for your what is wrong with providing service at the best of your ability
later interest in AI. Is there a connection? when you are able to provide it? We think about these jobs as
When I got introduced to AI it was like going home. We are forever jobs. What if we were to use the language of stepping
trained, particularly in management training, to try to solve up to service in the organization for as long as you have that
all the problems for organizations and teams. When I found service to give? It takes that kind of incredible pressure of
AI it really aligned with what I always instinctively wanted to the position in some way. It is a very complex time, with
do - ask the questions, “What is going on that is okay?”, and challenging funding and political environments for leaders.
“How are you doing with stuf that is exciting you?” Two things Tere are those who can do it very well. I think of Carl [Haynes,
aligned for me with AI. One was that sense of asking positive President of Tompkins Cortland Community College], for
questions and the second was its fundamental grounding in example, who has been an extraordinary sustaining leader.
design. Tere is no point in asking questions if you are not I think there is some language around leadership that we
going to do something about their answers. I am a design geek don’t use. For example, I talked to a dean recently who had
who loves planning and not only putting in motion those plans been a dean for five years and was going back to faculty.
but delivering on them. Having found my home in AI, I really Rather than looking at this as some kind of failure – he was
didn’t do much of anything else afer that. At the core was the a remarkable leader as dean – everyone celebrated what he
focus on how both communities and teams are able to socially had done and recognized that he had a grand passion for his
construct those things together. How can we create what we original content area, and wanted to go home to that again.
want? What language can we use to talk about it? So, I have Most organizations don’t make it okay to move except in a
spent a lot of time in AI, especially with the principles and tools straight up trajectory. If we changed that thinking a little bit,
of AI and how they apply to leadership life. would people step into leadership positions more readily by
You have had a longstanding interest in academic leadership, stepping in and then stepping out of it again? The prevailing
including the role of women in leadership positions. Have we made idea is that, if you step out of a dean position, that’s the end.
substantial progress in this area as higher education practitioners, You don’t get to step back in. But why not? You might be at a
and what more needs to be done? different stage, have learned different things, and be ready to
make another contribution to leadership.
I think we have made substantial gains for women in
leadership, but there is much more that needs to be done. You have had a long association with the Chair Academy as a
For example, when you look at key indicators, such as the keynote speaker, presenter, participant, and friend to many.
diferentiation in salary, diferentiation in numbers, women on How important has your involvement with the Academy been to
boards, the number of female presidents and vice presidents the promotion and development of academic leadership?
who work with all male boards, clearly more needs to be done. I have to admit that my involvement with the Chair Academy
However, we have made substantive progress in relation to the has been a little bit selfsh. It is a place where I meet new ideas,
ethos of women being leaders and have largely overcome the new friends, and new colleagues in an interesting way. I think it
idea that women shouldn’t be leaders. We are long past that in is incredibly important for people to gather in cohorts like they
terms of numbers and the ability to encourage young women do in the Chair Academy’s leadership programs and conference
to be chairs, deans, and vice presidents. Nonetheless, I think sessions, and to be able to keep following each other over a
we still have a long way to go, and what is interesting right career. Suddenly you have friends who are inside and outside
now is that progress, like all things, moves back on itself. What of your organization on whom you can call. It is imperative for
I mean is that just at this moment in history there seems to personal and career development, even more so now that we
be a rise in sexism and anger between the genders and sexes are experiencing a generational change in leadership. In an era
that hasn’t been there in a long time. So I think there has been of constrained budgets it is vital that institutions not lose sight
an interesting blip in that long arc of progress. I look at the of the value that such development opportunities provide for
change from when my mother wasn’t allowed to teach afer their organizations and their leaders. Tere is such a powerful
she got married to my becoming a college president. Tat is a multiplier efect when institutions invest in sending teams of
long line of progress. However, there is still much to be done, leaders and do it consistently.
particularly in the encouragement of the next generation of You and your partner Jeanie Cockell are Co-Presidents of Cockell
young women. Role models are so essential to leaders of all McArthur-Blair Consulting, a highly successful international
kinds, both men and women. So it is imperative that we keep consulting practice. What is your focus and what makes you and
trucking along this path. Jeanie such sought after consultants?
Some have said that we are facing a “leadership defcit” in higher I think what’s most powerful with what we do is based upon AI.
education. Fewer among us seem willing to take on the challenging It is not the only thing we use, but all of our work is based on
tasks associated with these positions, and those who do often trying to help organizations fnd what people are proud of and
do not persist in careers as academic leaders. Is there advice or how to get more of that and then to move that piece forward.
encouragement you can offer to aspiring or early career leaders? So, I think that is a huge part of our success. When people are
Tere is a prevailing view in education that every position is asked questions about what is going okay at the moment, it
terminal. Many think, “If I am a dean, that is who I am. I don’t starts to lif them up, and once they get lifed up a little bit they
think I can go back to faculty.” I think that we need to change begin to imagine a future. Put simply, that is the work that we
the language. If some academic administrators sit for a short do. We do it with all kinds of organizations. We do coaching
12 LEADERSHIP Vol. 23.1 Spring/Summer 2017
Client: The Chair Academy Job: Leadership_Journal_23.1 Spring/Summer 2017 Final size: 8.5” x 11” Colors: CMYK Bleeds: Yes
Created by: Goldfsh Creative - Laura Dvir • 602.349.2220 • LAURA@GOLDFISHCREATIVE.NET
Although I want to return to the topic of Appreciative Inquiry later, period of time – unless it is a huge defcit to the organization -
I sense that your earliest experiences laid the groundwork for your what is wrong with providing service at the best of your ability
later interest in AI. Is there a connection? when you are able to provide it? We think about these jobs as
When I got introduced to AI it was like going home. We are forever jobs. What if we were to use the language of stepping
trained, particularly in management training, to try to solve up to service in the organization for as long as you have that
all the problems for organizations and teams. When I found service to give? It takes that kind of incredible pressure of
AI it really aligned with what I always instinctively wanted to the position in some way. It is a very complex time, with
do - ask the questions, “What is going on that is okay?”, and challenging funding and political environments for leaders.
“How are you doing with stuf that is exciting you?” Two things Tere are those who can do it very well. I think of Carl [Haynes,
aligned for me with AI. One was that sense of asking positive President of Tompkins Cortland Community College], for
questions and the second was its fundamental grounding in example, who has been an extraordinary sustaining leader.
design. Tere is no point in asking questions if you are not I think there is some language around leadership that we
going to do something about their answers. I am a design geek don’t use. For example, I talked to a dean recently who had
who loves planning and not only putting in motion those plans been a dean for five years and was going back to faculty.
but delivering on them. Having found my home in AI, I really Rather than looking at this as some kind of failure – he was
didn’t do much of anything else afer that. At the core was the a remarkable leader as dean – everyone celebrated what he
focus on how both communities and teams are able to socially had done and recognized that he had a grand passion for his
construct those things together. How can we create what we original content area, and wanted to go home to that again.
want? What language can we use to talk about it? So, I have Most organizations don’t make it okay to move except in a
spent a lot of time in AI, especially with the principles and tools straight up trajectory. If we changed that thinking a little bit,
of AI and how they apply to leadership life. would people step into leadership positions more readily by
You have had a longstanding interest in academic leadership, stepping in and then stepping out of it again? The prevailing
including the role of women in leadership positions. Have we made idea is that, if you step out of a dean position, that’s the end.
substantial progress in this area as higher education practitioners, You don’t get to step back in. But why not? You might be at a
and what more needs to be done? different stage, have learned different things, and be ready to
make another contribution to leadership.
I think we have made substantial gains for women in
leadership, but there is much more that needs to be done. You have had a long association with the Chair Academy as a
For example, when you look at key indicators, such as the keynote speaker, presenter, participant, and friend to many.
diferentiation in salary, diferentiation in numbers, women on How important has your involvement with the Academy been to
boards, the number of female presidents and vice presidents the promotion and development of academic leadership?
who work with all male boards, clearly more needs to be done. I have to admit that my involvement with the Chair Academy
However, we have made substantive progress in relation to the has been a little bit selfsh. It is a place where I meet new ideas,
ethos of women being leaders and have largely overcome the new friends, and new colleagues in an interesting way. I think it
idea that women shouldn’t be leaders. We are long past that in is incredibly important for people to gather in cohorts like they
terms of numbers and the ability to encourage young women do in the Chair Academy’s leadership programs and conference
to be chairs, deans, and vice presidents. Nonetheless, I think sessions, and to be able to keep following each other over a
we still have a long way to go, and what is interesting right career. Suddenly you have friends who are inside and outside
now is that progress, like all things, moves back on itself. What of your organization on whom you can call. It is imperative for
I mean is that just at this moment in history there seems to personal and career development, even more so now that we
be a rise in sexism and anger between the genders and sexes are experiencing a generational change in leadership. In an era
that hasn’t been there in a long time. So I think there has been of constrained budgets it is vital that institutions not lose sight
an interesting blip in that long arc of progress. I look at the of the value that such development opportunities provide for
change from when my mother wasn’t allowed to teach afer their organizations and their leaders. Tere is such a powerful
she got married to my becoming a college president. Tat is a multiplier efect when institutions invest in sending teams of
long line of progress. However, there is still much to be done, leaders and do it consistently.
particularly in the encouragement of the next generation of You and your partner Jeanie Cockell are Co-Presidents of Cockell
young women. Role models are so essential to leaders of all McArthur-Blair Consulting, a highly successful international
kinds, both men and women. So it is imperative that we keep consulting practice. What is your focus and what makes you and
trucking along this path. Jeanie such sought after consultants?
Some have said that we are facing a “leadership defcit” in higher I think what’s most powerful with what we do is based upon AI.
education. Fewer among us seem willing to take on the challenging It is not the only thing we use, but all of our work is based on
tasks associated with these positions, and those who do often trying to help organizations fnd what people are proud of and
do not persist in careers as academic leaders. Is there advice or how to get more of that and then to move that piece forward.
encouragement you can offer to aspiring or early career leaders? So, I think that is a huge part of our success. When people are
Tere is a prevailing view in education that every position is asked questions about what is going okay at the moment, it
terminal. Many think, “If I am a dean, that is who I am. I don’t starts to lif them up, and once they get lifed up a little bit they
think I can go back to faculty.” I think that we need to change begin to imagine a future. Put simply, that is the work that we
the language. If some academic administrators sit for a short do. We do it with all kinds of organizations. We do coaching
12 LEADERSHIP Vol. 23.1 Spring/Summer 2017
Client: The Chair Academy Job: Leadership_Journal_23.1 Spring/Summer 2017 Final size: 8.5” x 11” Colors: CMYK Bleeds: Yes
Created by: Goldfsh Creative - Laura Dvir • 602.349.2220 • LAURA@GOLDFISHCREATIVE.NET
