Stay connected on a personal level. One of the risks in any leadership position is that you can
become isolated. If I spent all
my time in the office on the
eighth floor of the administration building, I would not
have the opportunity to see
the university through the
eyes of others.
I try to make sure that, in addition to my own eyes and what I
see, I see the university through
the eyes of our students, through
the eyes of our underrepresented students, through the eyes of
our faculty and staff, in addition
to other people with whom I
interact quite regularly.
I’ll often stop someone who is
mowing our lawn or painting
one of our buildings and ask
them how they feel about the
university. E-mail has also been
a great opportunity for people
to violate hierarchy and let me
know what is on their mind. I
answer all my own e-mails, and
frequently, it will be folks who I
might not meet with on a regular basis. But they see an opportunity to tell me something and
they take it. That assumes a
trust level that is important for
any leader.
HOW TO REACH: Northern Kentucky University, (859) 572-5100 or www.nku.edu
