A colleague recently reached out with a question about how higher education leaders shift from an internal to an external focus. His story, like many I’ve seen, involved this transition going off the rails. But when done intentionally and well, this evolution is not only healthy, it’s necessary for institutions to thrive.
Most leaders enter a new role by diving deeply into internal operations. They’re diagnosing systems, rebuilding culture, clarifying priorities, aligning people, and understanding who does what and why. Early on, this internal immersion is essential.
The Role Evolves
Over time, most higher ed leadership roles (Director, AVP, VP, Provost, President) must elevate their focus.
For example, a VP who once centered on daily operations must eventually spend more time:
• engaging donors and political stakeholders
• shaping cabinet strategy
• aligning campus-wide initiatives
• leading cross-divisional priorities
• strengthening institutional identity and trust
This shift only works when strong internal leaders (Assoc. Directors, AVPs, Executive VPs) are prepared, trusted, and empowered to anchor the division. When done well, everyone benefits, operations remain strong, the VP leads at the right altitude, institutional strategy improves, and a clear succession pipeline emerges.
The Evolution Goes Sideways When…
- The leader never learned the internal operation well enough to lead it from a distance.
- No capable, trusted, or empowered internal leader is in place to assume day-to-day leadership.
- The transition is not clearly communicated, creating confusion, resentment, or turf tension.
- Leaders who justify an “external focus” appear to others as avoiding, overextending, or abdicating responsibility.
- There is no shared-leadership transition period, leaving both leaders unprepared.
- The new internal leader centers their own ascension, rather than service to the organization.
In all of these, what should be leadership evolution becomes leadership erosion.
Reflection Questions for Higher Ed Leaders
• When is the right time for me to shift from internal to external focus?
• Who is (or will be) my internal leader? Are they ready?
• What do I need to equip them with, including clarity, authority, mentoring, and boundaries?
• How will we communicate this shift to staff, cabinet, and stakeholders?
• How will we regularly assess and adjust our shared leadership structure?
