Faculty gathered together on Oct. 30 for a presentation on how to be a successful leader on the CSUN campus.’
Barbara Kaufman, a consultant for the ROI Consulting Group, Inc. who travels around the country to universities and non-profit organizations to help employees build leadership skills, discussed issues such as why people struggle in leadership positions.’
Kaufman explored the issue of transitioning from one job to another and how to make the conversion easy and beneficial to one’s institution.’ One important step, according to Kaufman, is to get acquainted with your new boss’s philosophy and style.
Another point Kaufman discussed was the need for employees to understand the culture and sub-culture of the work environment, especially when transitioning from one department to another. Welcoming new leaders and making them feel comfortable within the new environment is also needed.’ Someone from a different work environment may not know how to take advantage of this culture, said Kaufman.
Feedback from peers and one’s boss, including what they are doing wrong and what they can do better, is helpful.’
Another aspect of being a successful leader is to actively listen instead of talking.’
Kaufman gives examples of people she has worked with who say that their boss talks too much and doesn’t listen to them.’
Learning how to compromise in ways that maintain healthy relationships and exploring conflict as an opportunity were other concepts Kaufman brought up.’ Often people talk about conflict with other co-workers but fail to work out the conflict with the person they are experiencing issues with.’ You need to ‘put your issues on the table,’ said Kaufman.
Asking questions is crucial as well, but some people are afraid of being looked down on in front of colleagues or their boss.
‘You need to overcome your sense of fear by asking the question,’ CSUN President Jolene Koester said.’
And it is not just about success within a particular department but the university as a whole.’
Sometimes people are an advocate of their department, but do not always do what’s right for the campus as a whole, said Kaufman.
It is also important to maintain a relationship with the Chancellors office.’ ‘To be involved in the chancellor’s office is critical to CSUN,’ said Koester.
There are people that are faced with a lot of priorities and urgent deadlines, so one can easily fall into defensive reasoning, blaming others.’ The CSUN faculties need to create a safe environment so people can put issues on the table, said Kaufman.’
In order to be a successful employee on a college campus, it is important to develop a comprehensive understanding of the president’s vision and strategic direction of the campus.’
Koester said that she wants ‘everyone who works here to care about the mission.’
As for students, Kaufman said that is important to be a life-long leader.’ Students should be willing to grow as humans and as leaders.’ ‘Students should apply their education to different situations in life,’ Kaufman said.
