“I think I had the first normal, civil, and productive faculty meeting in my almost 6 years as chair. Thank you very much for all your hard work that has made this possible.”
Comments from Faculty and Staff
“I have received some great positive feedback about the retreat (and no complaints!). You were singled out for praise; people thought you were very skilled, and one person asked if we could have you come back to spend a day with us. Thank you very much for devoting so much time and thought to our retreat. It really showed.”
“I now feel that I have a much better sense of how the university operates, and it makes it easier to envision ways that I can participate in a leadership capacity.”
“Kardia Group is very effective at filling in the gaps of unit-specific ‘idiosyncrasies.’”
“If you attend, your overall knowledge of the college and university will be increased, your meeting colleagues in the other college is worthwhile and beneficial, and your path to seed funding may become more apparent.”
“It made me realize that my satisfaction here is dependent on what I want to see happen and not so much a matter of waiting to see what will happen.”
“My coach was outstanding. She helped me gain valuable insights into my own style of communication and helped me better appreciate other styles of communication. I especially appreciated her frank but kind communication style and insider understanding of the academic context.”
“I became more keenly aware of the critical role senior faculty play in mentoring assistant professors (and students). I think I carried a new perspective on this issue out of the seminar and some useful tools for functioning more effectively in this regard.”
“An eye opening experience, for people who are prepared to get more involved and take charge.”
“I believe that I am now more likely to address problems that I see developing rather than letting them persist.”
“I now feel that I have a much better sense of how the university operates, and it makes it easier to envision ways that I can participate in a leadership capacity.”
“I was expecting it to be a complete waste of time. As it happened, it was somewhat useful. Seeing the various deans’ demeanor was informative, and hearing other participants’ views was in some instances surprising. “
“The term ‘leadership’ really applies to day-to-day interactions with students, colleagues, and administrators as well, like a code of ethical behavior that is practiced rather than preached. The seminar is a good opportunity to reflect on this and discuss experiences, good or bad, with colleagues from other departments. I really enjoyed that.”
Other Comments from Department Chairs
“Coaching sessions with you have been essential for investigating the complexities of matters and strategizing about how to approach them thoughtfully and effectively, as well as debriefing after the fact to consider what did or did not go well to make changes for next time.”
“My coach and I spent hours discussing these situations and her guidance was invaluable. She helped me sort out the intricacies of various email exchanges, helping me read between the lines and navigate a well considered course of action through the different and opposing interests of the parties involved. There was no one else to whom I could have turned for the kind of informed, confidential, insightful and neutral perspective that my coach could provide.”
“Besides the feeling that I owe to her however much sanity I was able to preserve over the course of this past, extremely demanding year, I’ve benefited in particular from those kinds of conversations in which we talked through upcoming meetings or conversations, rehearsing possible scenarios, expected responses, avenues to explore and others to avoid. Not only have these conversations provided very welcome confidence-boosts going into those situations, but I am certain that this sort of preparation materially impacted the outcomes in my department.”
“You provided exceptionally insightful contexts for conflicts that felt unique and new to me, filling in histories of the past in broad strokes to make clear that this kind of conflict — e.g., over gender or race or governance — had surfaced in the past and had a history or a context well beyond my own unit or even our university that informed the present moment.”
“Having supported and counseled so many chairs, my coach is also very familiar with the arc of development and milestones that accompany the increasing mastery and comfort with the responsibilities of a leadership, and how to manage them with one’s research identity.”
