From our Coaching Clinic: commentary related to key themes encountered in our coaching of faculty and academic administrators.
The #MeToo movement has ushered in many kinds of change: empowering individuals, defining accountability expectations, raising awareness, sparking discussion, and more. While individuals are thinking in new ways about their behavior and experiences, and institutions are reviewing policy and practice, the bulk of this attention is still reactive, personal, and situational.
#MeToo Leadership is proactive, strategic, and evolutionary. Academic leaders – in both formal and informal leadership roles – have considerable resources to help elevate the conversation, and have a responsibility to put these resources to work.
#MeToo Leadership is not:
- what if I make a mistake (or what if I made a mistake in the past)
- what if I’m misperceived
- what if someone else takes their issues out on me
- what if I have to do something I don’t like/want to please someone else (e.g., open doors)
- rules and assurances that if only I do X then this problem goes away
- distancing in general – making this other people’s problem, or trying to stay out of the fray
#MeToo Leadership is:
- questions/reflection:
- what messages do I send (words and deeds)
- where am I not paying attention where somethign could be happening beyond my ken
- where have I seen/known/suspected something and not taken action
- strategy
- how are the people I’m responsible for tracking or dealing with this situation? what support or reassurance or resources do they need?
- how effective and transparent are existing policies – how likely is it that concerns can be recognized and addressed early?
- culture care
- (something about tending the human condition at work)
- being an educator – how does being in this department/unit make us smarter, better, more mature on this topic?
Leadership is about being on the edge – and that’s where the issues come up. Many other issues arise and demand that we be the proactive, strategic, and evolutionary – make use of this moment to hone your skills – because we all deserve to learn, study, and work in environments free from sexual harassment and assault, and because the nature of leadership is that it should always be taking us to a better place.
