LEADERSHIP
BEST PRACTICES—Habits of Great Leaders1:
Michigan State University leaders have been long expected to lead in
ways that serve both the interests of MSU and advance the public purposes of
higher education.
Best practices that characterize the habits of highly regarded
university and corporate leaders suggest that high performance is marked by
leaders who focus on their own and their management team’s competencies and expectations
for:
- Clearly articulated and visionary purposes
and intentions (the mission and strategic goals of the University).
2. Momentum
that the University will be better tomorrow than it is today—both
incrementally-better and giant-leaps-forward-better.
- Broad communication and shared
understanding about performance expectations in ways that are:
a. Outcome oriented and evidence-based
b. Both short- and long-term
c. Value-centric in making real the core values of quality, inclusiveness,
and connectivity
d. Anchored in the action imperatives of the MSU vision (e.g., the six Bolder by Design Imperatives)
4. Urgency
in moving forward with a can-do-attitude of “getting it done;”
5. Pursuit
of “profitability” and the “common good” as synergistic bottom lines.
6. Encouraging
innovation and intentional risk-taking, and managing consequences of taking a
risk—learning from mistakes.
- Continually strengthening and making more
relevant for today and for tomorrow, the high positive academic
regard and impact of programs and services.
- Efficient and effective programs and
services focused on continuous improvement, not only as adopters of best
practices but also as exemplars and leaders for innovations that are
emulated by others.
- Transparency and visibility about efforts
and investments; use of qualitative and quantitative evidence to gain
insight about both accomplishment and opportunity.
- Building teams and coalitions across the
University and externally with partners and stakeholders.
- Recognizing and nurturing “big
ideas”—those game-changing endeavors.
- Keeping pace with technology as a means
(not an end).
- Exemplary fulfillment of the fiduciary
duties of care, loyalty, and obedience.
- And/Or………………………………..
- And/Or………………………………..
- And/Or………………………………..
QUESTION: You have been asked to identify how, in the
world of colleges and universities Michigan State University stands alone. What
makes these “habits” unique to the leadership of Michigan State University?
1 “Habits” (meaning both the behavioral skills and the
characteristics) of high performing leaders and organizations can be
synthesized from internationally respected scholarship and “on-the-ground”
work. For example, the work of The
Aspen Institute’s Project on The Role of the Future College President (to which
President Simon has been invited as one of only ten research university
presidents), the Harvard Business School (including John Kotter and Rosabeth
Moss Kanter), the Wharton School of the
University of Pennsylvania, the Drucker and the Disney Institutes, the study of
and work with great companies that move from good to great (i.e., Jim Collins),
the Boston Consulting Group’s Global Talent and Leadership indices.
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