Understand that you lead the communications. In terms of the
leadership at the top, there has
to be a real appreciation and
respect for everyone who is
part of the community and,
again, it’s very important for
the president to appreciate
and talk to the cashier in the
bookstore and to talk to the professor of mathematics.
And, to the best of one’s ability, also know yourself and
know that you’re one of that
team and people look to you
to set an example and also to
have the opportunity to be recognized by the leader, as well.
I honestly believe that one’s
capacity to reflect civil and
respectful behavior is a key element for everyone in every context, but certainly for a leader.
Find out about the desire of potential employees. What I’m looking
for often is a real desire to be in
the position that I’m interviewing for — that is the person who
has done her or his homework
and has really clearly projected
him or herself into that role and
has an interest in it and an
engagement with it.
You can do it very straightforwardly by saying, ‘What
interests you about this work,
and what will be some of the
challenges? What will make it
exciting for you to come to
work every day; what will be
the difficulties?’ Some people
tend to be a little more
reserved than others, and
often, if I sense that there’s an
issue about how enthusiastic
they seem, I tend to talk about
why I like being in the role
that I’m in and what inspires
me to go to work every day
and that that’s a quality I’m
looking for in members of my
senior team.
If I don’t get a response on
that one, it’s probably not as
good a fit.
HOW TO REACH: Mills College, (510) 430-2255 or www.mills.edu
