The majority of institutions in higher education have a strategic plan that serves as a roadmap for current and future strategies that will drive success. The process of how these plans are created have evolved over the years, and the strategies within them have certainly changed as innovation and demographics dictate major pivots in our industry.
The biggest challenge in bringing even the best of plans to fruition is taking a shared vision and then actually executing on that vision. The old adage is still true: “the devil is in the details.”
Presidents begin their tenure at their institution with a vision which is shared, supported, and/or crafted in collaboration with their board. The vision usually aligns well with what the institution needs to implement or capitalize on to sustain enrollment and remain viable. Maybe the two most important terms I continue to hear and also preach with campus senior leadership are “sustainable enrollment” and “campus viability” (remember those terms for later). They are no longer buzz words, but a reality for so many institutions now.
The hurdle continues to be what happens with that vision. How does a president – and then their senior cabinet – take that vision and execute on it? Every best practice leadership concept says senior leadership cannot be the ones solely leading that charge. However, it is imperative that the right execution mindset and strategy are in place to ensure mid-level managers and key operational stakeholders grasp the vision and become the catalyst for that crucial execution. VisionPoint’s experience working with boards, presidents, and senior leadership teams has given us insight into the clear and resounding reasons as to why the segue from vision to execution gets derailed:
- The continued lack of speed and efficiency in higher education
- Confusion on what “shared governance” actually is and “who” owns it on campus
- The vision might not always be realistic or mission-driven for campus or its students
- The strategic plan (or strategic enrollment plan) is not viewed as a living, breathing roadmap as to how executive decisions are made on campus to support such strategies.
- A lack of experienced, trusted mid-level managers to shepherd their teams on the execution of aligned strategies
The remedy to eliminate this barrier lives on campus already in most situations. We have referenced it before as “courageous leadership.” It starts with the board, is championed by the president, is articulated by a senior leadership team, and then operationalized by key mid-level managers (who are supported by their teams). Key questions we often ask and leave with presidential colleagues and their teams are:
- How often does senior leadership ensure budget, resource, and staffing decisions align with the agreed upon strategies needing to be executed?
- What has the campus stopped doing to ensure they can prioritize what needs to be done?
- Does leadership and key stakeholders have milestone check-ins on their strategies to see if they are working and then determine to proceed accordingly?
- Are boards, presidents, and senior leadership teams aware and aligned on what are the immediate opportunities to “move the needle” on enrollment and also what are the biggest risks to stay close to?
Courageous leadership is not a solution you purchase or even a culture you can build. It is a disciplined mindset that is exemplified by various leaders across the campus. And, of course, it starts with senior leadership. Starting with leadership helps ensure a vision can be executed to achieve immediate and long-term success on a campus.
It doesn’t matter what “success” looks like for a campus; this mindset can be applied to any scenario. The campuses that are thriving have bought into this mindset. Courageous leadership will look different on every campus and can be created in a variety of ways. That’s why we enjoy partnering with colleges and universities: we help campuses take their vision and build a viable plan of execution around it. The outcome, however, remains the same: sustainable enrollment and campus viability.
