Developing Young Leaders in Higher Education

Higher education is filled with jobs: staff, faculty, supervisors, directors, deans, and executives to name just a few. Amongst these countless positions are leaders that come in every shape and size who are constantly trying to lead their departments, their institutions, and higher education in general. But these jobs exist at institutions where many forces in conflict and the unfortunate reality is that leaders at every level often lack a clear vision for the future. Because of the current state of higher education and the changes that will occur over the next two decades, stronger leadership, especially developing young leaders, is needed now more than ever.

In the article “How to Develop Young Leaders,” Brent Gleeson, whose leadership training was at the behest of the Navy Seals, presents four simple ways to develop young leaders: showcase their talent; manage them, not their work; let them fail; and link their effort to tangible results. In this dialogue, I will look at the first way to develop young leaders: showcase their talent and specifically, developing their writing.

The best way to develop the leadership skills of young leaders, in my opinion, is through writing. Being able to put thoughts and ideas on paper in an organized manner that can be easily understood by a diverse audience is needed by every leader. Having the ability to research a topic, investigate it from multiple angles while thinking critically, logically, and dedicating enough time to be alone with your thoughts allows one to speak with authority and be open to new ideas and disagreements. Whether writing an email, a memo, a report, a performance review, a proposal, or an article, writing prose that is academic yet accessible to a wide audience is universally needed.

This brings me to the most important item; when there is a person in your organization whose career trajectory is moving towards a leadership position, be their writing mentor. Provide writing guidance no matter what their skill level. If they are too verbose, help them choose their words carefully; if they have good ideas that are scattered, help them be organized; or if their writing is inflexible, help them adjust to the audience and situation. By being a mentor and constantly encouraging them to write, the young leader will become accustomed to writing and freely contribute to the institution's or industry publications rather than being self-critical and hesitant to share their talent.

Having solid leaders at every level of higher education, America will be able to fulfill the weighty burden of educating America’s adult population. Today’s crop of young leaders need to constantly develop their writing skills by working with a thoughtful and engaged mentor that will enable them to collaborate with other departments and job titles, understand how to work with and transition systems they inherit, adapt to ever changing internal and external forces, and inspire the employees they lead and those that observe.