They Are Not the Enemy

1
They Are Not the Enemy

• AUCCCD Presentation
• Martha Dennis Christiansen, Ph.D.
• Arizona State University
• October 25,2009

2
Out of the Shadow and Into the LightFrom Palmer,
Parker, Let Your Life Speak, Jossey-Bass, 1999

• Insecurity about identity and worth
• Universe is a battleground
• Functional atheism (the ultimate responsibility
  resides with us)
• Fear, fear of the natural chaos of life
• Denial, all things must die in due course

3
Facing Organizational Realities Continual Acts
of CourageFrom Block, Peter. The Empowered
Manager, Jossey-Bass, 1987

• Choices Path that doesnt take courage
• Religious belief in rationality and data
• Facts and logic not enough in political
  situations
• Imitation is a safe path to travel
• Merge with the culture to void risk
• Following the rules
• Stay within the bounds of the formal and informal
  policies

4
Non-suicidal Courageous Acts From Block, Peter.
The Empowered Manager, Jossey-Bass, 1987

• ACT ONE Face harsh reality
• ACT TWO What is our own contribution to
  the problem
• ACT THREE Can I make an authentic
  statement in the face of disapproval

5
Strategies and future considerations for todays
challenges
6
Managing UpDavid D. Perlmutter, The Chronicle
of Higher Education, January 5, 2007

• Expectations working in the academy
• And
• Dealing with rational human behavior among
  reasonable folks

7
Managing up What you need to know

• Its not all about you
• Know the universitys mission and master plan
• Use the language of the university
• Line up your units mission and goals with those
  of the larger institution
• Know the Presidents goals and aspirations
• Know your supervisors goals and aspirations

8
If You Try, Sometimes You Will Get What You Need
How to Think Like an Administrator

• From Tenured Radical blogspot
• http//tenured-radical.blogspot.com/2009/05/if-you
  -try-sometimes-youll-get-what-you.html
• May 14, 2009

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Radicals Five Basic Guidelines

• Be firm and clear when expressing objections, but
  dont be abusive or accuse the administrator of
  bad faith out of hand
• Give people the benefit of the doubt
• Administrators are not failed academics
• You cant always get what you want
• Administrators, like God, help those who help
  themselves

10
Blog Response What is the next step when getting
turned down?

• Sullen carping, secret drinking, depression
• Indignant pouting taking position that
  administration doesnt care
• Petitions, whisper campaigns, mobilizations
• REALLY? WHY NOT?
• Move from no way to not this way
• Inside Higher Ed, Confessions of a Community
  College Dean by Dean Dad, May 18, 2009.

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Managing up What you need to know

• Pick your whines
• Maintain a macro-perspective
• Never approach or respond to a boss with a
  problem without having investigated two or three
  practical solutions
• Be ready to say, Ill take care of it.
• Allows you to solve the problem while maintaining
  some control over the situation rather than
  having your boss tell you how to do it

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Managing up What you need to know

• Dont make threats
• Dont dodge the grunt work
• Avoid bad blood
• Dont join factions
• Dont trash talk

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Managing up What you need to know

• Dissent is fine discord is not
• Dont argue every point
• Learn to acknowledge defeat
• (even if it is only to yourself)
• accept defeat graciously
• Ill tell you what I think even if you dont
  want to hear it, but at the end of the day, if we
  go in another direction, Ill do my best to make
  it happen.

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Caught Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Special considerations for counseling center
directors

• Tensions within the unit create tensions with the
  administration
• In loco parentis and public image vs. laws,
  ethics codes, and professional standards
• Uniqueness of the unit sets it apart from the
  central student affairs agenda
• The need to protect boundaries of confidentiality
  and students very personal information
• Pick your battles

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Managing Down Getting the team on board

• Establishing a sense of urgency
• Examining realities
• Identifying opportunities
• Developing a vision and strategy
• Involving staff in problem solving
• Getting buy-in
• Generating short term wins
• Anchoring the work in the culture

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Themes for ongoing communication Proactive
Selling

• Frequently communicate about your trajectory,
  e.g., campus safety
• Describe your innovative approaches
• Demonstrate how your services offer a compelling
  value
• Provide information on your reach

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Marthas General Principles for Managing Up and
Down It is the same!

• Communicate principles/mission/goals
• Develop a strategic agenda
• Listen and be sensitive and immediate
• Focus on the big picture
• Be service oriented
• Stabilize finances
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
• Use your skills from your first discipline

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Marthas General Principles for Managing Up and
Down It is the same!

• The Four Rs
• Reflect
• Reassess
• Rehearse
• Relax

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The Four AgreementsFrom Ruiz, Don Miguel. The
Four Agreemetst.., Amber-Allan Publishing, 1997.

• Be impeccable with your word.
• Dont take anything personally.
• Dont make assumptions.
• Always do your best.

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Tiny Buddha
http//twitter.com/TinyBuddha
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• How poor are they who have not patience! What
  wound did ever heal but by degrees.
• --William Shakespeare
• Our moral responsibility is not to stop the
  future, but to shape itto channel our destiny in
  humane directions
• --Alvin Toffler, American Futurist

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Staying Motivated

• J.K. Rowling
• At
• Harvard University
• Commencement Speech to the Graduates
• 2008