In my role working with higher education leaders and leadership teams, I get to hear many different approaches to leadership. The excellent leaders are often appreciated, yet are easily taken for granted. Yet, when a leader is an obstacle or problem, they can consume so much of our attention. Of course, we want to avoid being one of those leaders who are a problem, but are we aware of the traps we might fall into ourselves?
Here are 7 archetypes of higher education leaders we want to watch out for in ourselves and in others.
The easy path is to read the list, point to the org chart, and label other leaders. A more helpful move is to use these archetypes to understand colleagues with empathy, navigate them more effectively, and help them grow. And the brave move is to ask, with courageous humility, which of these patterns you might slip into when you are not at your best. Which of these shadow version might you fall into while aspiring to be the best leader you can be?
1. The Congenial Colleague
This leader wants to please every one and upset no one. They are engaged, amenable, and easy to get along with. They are also conflict-avoidant, reluctant to disappoint, and prone to delaying (or avoiding) the tough calls that leadership requires.
2. The Expert on the Rise
This leader is gaining notoriety for excellence in their discipline. Others see this excellence and tap or recommend them for leadership. They do not develop new expertise in higher education, and their leadership capacity results in a condescending know-it-all who is not interested in learning and developing new expertise.
3. The Pontificator
This leader loves keeping the conversation at 30,000 feet and focusing on how things “should” be done. They love ideas, concepts, and theories, yet avoid the messy realities, including people, politics, constraints, and implementation.
4. The Corporate Raider
A successful corporate leader who was brought in by corporate board members to “fix” higher education. Their experience can be valuable, but without learning the higher education context of governance, culture, mission, shared decision-making, financial models, and more, they can create havoc.
5. The Climber
This leader is personally ambitious, polished, and moving on and up every two to three years. They are more focused on self-promotion than organizational leadership. Perhaps someone focused on an Instagram account that has lots of selfies. This leader takes credit and lays blame, removes leaders whose competence or relationships are a threat, and leaves a swath of devastation that takes years to recover from.
6. The Overnight Expert
This leader is often a faculty member who takes on a year or two appointment as associate dean, and suddenly they’re publishing as an expert on higher education leadership. This expert is as confident in their own expertise as they are dismissive of others’ expertise and experience.
7. The Workhorse
This leader is always busy, reactive, problem-solving, and staying late to show how committed, reliable, and indispensable they are. They do everyone else’s job but do not lead the organization. They are constantly drowning in tasks, fixing everything personally, and never creating the clarity, communication, or alignment the team truly needs.
Questions for Reflection
- If one of these sounds like a leader you work with, how might this awareness help you engage, navigate, or help them with more clarity, compassion, and effectiveness?
- Which of these might others be tempted to associate with you? How might that be fair and unfair?
- How can this awareness strengthen your leadership and help you evolve into the leader you aspire to and your people need?
