Not mine, but good words worth a read (#s 4 and 5 especially):
To the BOT's of Penn State and Dr. Eric Barron:
What do we expect from our leaders? Leadership is subjective and therefore, impossible to define in the absolute. The one thing I think we can all agree on is that the foundation of leadership is the ability of an individual(s) to establish a positive following among other individuals or groups.
Before I continue, let me provide you with some background and context around my passion for Penn State University. I am a graduate; my wife is a graduate; my daughter is a graduate; so are two of my sisters, one of my brothers, a niece (Schreyer Honors College), a nephew, and my in-laws met and married there. Two of my nephews are current students there as well.
This history is why I am so interested in the leadership at Penn State. Unfortunately, I am of the opinion that leadership has taken a back seat to expediency. The perception in the general public is that the University is out of control and that perception falls directly on those in positions of leadership. At Penn State, that is you, the Board of Trustees and current President, Dr. Eric Barron.
What is leadership? Let’s try and define it as best we can.
1. Tireless work to make the environment you lead better
- The University is mired in a number of negative stories with no end in sight. I have not seen anyone from the Board or from the President’s office step forward to offer any meaningful insight or dialogue in an effort to address the current situation and thoughtful solutions that move the University forward. Hollow letters to the public? Yes, a lot of that. Consequential ideas? Not so much.
2. Positive and genuine influence
- Your ability to influence others in a positive manner is a true measure of your ability to lead. Can any of you look in the mirror and honestly tell yourself that your influence on the current student population has delivered positive outcomes at Penn State?
3. Knowing your constituents and knowing yourself
- The Board has changed very little relative to make-up or personality over the past few decades. By all accounts the young adults entering college today are vastly different than those entering the school as few as ten years ago. Do you believe you still understand this population? Great leaders know when it is time to step aside to allow those with a fresh perspective and fresh ideas to lead. Again, expediency seems to be more important than the health and future of the University.
4. Courage and confidence to do what is right
- When the public loses confidence, you’ve lost the ability to lead. There is very little belief that the Board, as it is currently constituted, can continue to effectively guide Penn State moving forward. There is little evidence that this group of Trustees has either the courage or confidence to develop the next generation of Penn Staters.
5. Being the solution
- True leaders have the innate ability to see the current problems within an organization and recognize those that may not yet have reached the surface. Many people are willing to talk about significant problems within the system but not many are willing to rise to the challenge and address them with thoughtful and logical solutions.
The recent comments attributed to the Vice President for Student Affairs relative to his meetings with IFC leadership show zero courage, zero confidence, and an alarming lack of ability to drive positive influence within the student population. Giving college students your phone number isn’t leadership and for this Board and University President to allow him to continue in his current position shows your lack of courage and leadership.
6. Building a positive following
- As leaders at Penn State, one of your goals should be to inspire our student population to support an agenda larger than themselves. In a number of ways, they exhibit these qualities through many of the great philanthropies in which they participate. But the daily life of our students would appear to lack guidance and direction from University administrators. Great outcomes do not justify bad ones. We expect more from our students and believe we are the finest institution in the land.
As leaders, you should not be concerned with what you can accomplish but what those around you can achieve. It’s “We Are” not “Me Are”.
7. Developing the next generation of leaders
- Great leaders develop the talent in their universe to be more successful than they are. Are you actively working to that end or is your participation on the Board more about you and less about the long term success of Penn State?
Over the years we have all witnessed CEO’s, university presidents, and government officials step down from positions of power and leadership for the betterment of their organization. At times, they carried no direct responsibility for the issues that their organization faced but as true leaders, they recognized they were ultimately responsible for what occurred. They also recognized that in order for the organization to move forward in a positive way, they needed to step aside to remove the distraction they provided in the public’s eyes.
At what point do you, the most tenured Trustees, recognize that you can no longer effectively lead Penn State and do the right thing for the students, staff, and alumni of this great University?
It is long overdue.
To the BOT's of Penn State and Dr. Eric Barron:
What do we expect from our leaders? Leadership is subjective and therefore, impossible to define in the absolute. The one thing I think we can all agree on is that the foundation of leadership is the ability of an individual(s) to establish a positive following among other individuals or groups.
Before I continue, let me provide you with some background and context around my passion for Penn State University. I am a graduate; my wife is a graduate; my daughter is a graduate; so are two of my sisters, one of my brothers, a niece (Schreyer Honors College), a nephew, and my in-laws met and married there. Two of my nephews are current students there as well.
This history is why I am so interested in the leadership at Penn State. Unfortunately, I am of the opinion that leadership has taken a back seat to expediency. The perception in the general public is that the University is out of control and that perception falls directly on those in positions of leadership. At Penn State, that is you, the Board of Trustees and current President, Dr. Eric Barron.
What is leadership? Let’s try and define it as best we can.
1. Tireless work to make the environment you lead better
- The University is mired in a number of negative stories with no end in sight. I have not seen anyone from the Board or from the President’s office step forward to offer any meaningful insight or dialogue in an effort to address the current situation and thoughtful solutions that move the University forward. Hollow letters to the public? Yes, a lot of that. Consequential ideas? Not so much.
2. Positive and genuine influence
- Your ability to influence others in a positive manner is a true measure of your ability to lead. Can any of you look in the mirror and honestly tell yourself that your influence on the current student population has delivered positive outcomes at Penn State?
3. Knowing your constituents and knowing yourself
- The Board has changed very little relative to make-up or personality over the past few decades. By all accounts the young adults entering college today are vastly different than those entering the school as few as ten years ago. Do you believe you still understand this population? Great leaders know when it is time to step aside to allow those with a fresh perspective and fresh ideas to lead. Again, expediency seems to be more important than the health and future of the University.
4. Courage and confidence to do what is right
- When the public loses confidence, you’ve lost the ability to lead. There is very little belief that the Board, as it is currently constituted, can continue to effectively guide Penn State moving forward. There is little evidence that this group of Trustees has either the courage or confidence to develop the next generation of Penn Staters.
5. Being the solution
- True leaders have the innate ability to see the current problems within an organization and recognize those that may not yet have reached the surface. Many people are willing to talk about significant problems within the system but not many are willing to rise to the challenge and address them with thoughtful and logical solutions.
The recent comments attributed to the Vice President for Student Affairs relative to his meetings with IFC leadership show zero courage, zero confidence, and an alarming lack of ability to drive positive influence within the student population. Giving college students your phone number isn’t leadership and for this Board and University President to allow him to continue in his current position shows your lack of courage and leadership.
6. Building a positive following
- As leaders at Penn State, one of your goals should be to inspire our student population to support an agenda larger than themselves. In a number of ways, they exhibit these qualities through many of the great philanthropies in which they participate. But the daily life of our students would appear to lack guidance and direction from University administrators. Great outcomes do not justify bad ones. We expect more from our students and believe we are the finest institution in the land.
As leaders, you should not be concerned with what you can accomplish but what those around you can achieve. It’s “We Are” not “Me Are”.
7. Developing the next generation of leaders
- Great leaders develop the talent in their universe to be more successful than they are. Are you actively working to that end or is your participation on the Board more about you and less about the long term success of Penn State?
Over the years we have all witnessed CEO’s, university presidents, and government officials step down from positions of power and leadership for the betterment of their organization. At times, they carried no direct responsibility for the issues that their organization faced but as true leaders, they recognized they were ultimately responsible for what occurred. They also recognized that in order for the organization to move forward in a positive way, they needed to step aside to remove the distraction they provided in the public’s eyes.
At what point do you, the most tenured Trustees, recognize that you can no longer effectively lead Penn State and do the right thing for the students, staff, and alumni of this great University?
It is long overdue.
