COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP: WHAT DOES IT MEAN AT KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Orlando L. Taylor

Fielding Graduate University

We Meet Today 5 Days After the 50th Anniversary of “Bloody Sunday ”in Selma

• A day when great, courageous leadership was demonstrated.

•Many were leaders with no fancy title.•Participants put themselves into personal danger for a moral and just cause.

•Society was the beneficiary. •The leaders got few personal rewards.

Welcome to New America

• Rapidly Changing Demographics with Whites soon to a MINORITY—even in Universities!

• An Older America that works and studies longer• More technology placing the US in a Global Village.

• More and Quicker Population Movements• A global marketplace—even for Universities

US Population Change 2005-2050

Demographic Shifts in Colleges

“It should come as no surprise that student bodies will increasingly be made up of members of minority groups. At some point, probably just after 2020, minority students will outnumber whites on college campuses for the first time.”

College 2020

Chronicle Research Service

The US Faces New Competitors

• By 2050 China will be the largest and India the second largest economies in the world

• Increased strength of Korea, Australia and Canada • New Europe has blurred cross border arrangements• Global Competition & workforce re-distribution: Volkswagen in Chattanooga/United Air in Bangalore

• Toyota sells more cars than any company in the world• Students can study online anywhere in the world

Our Universities WillLook Differently in New America

• Increased diversity with Whites the new Minority!

•More women, older, and online students.•More discovery than ever.• Increased diversity of institutions, academic packaging & delivery systems.

•Movement toward a more managerial/business culture in higher education.

Courageous Leaders Will Be Needed in New America

•For Personal Success•For the US to Remain Competitive•For Universities to Remain Competitive

Who Do You Consider to Be Among The Greatest Leaders in World History

• Moses???• Jesus???• Joan of Arc???• George Washington???• Abraham Lincoln???• Sitting Bull???• Sojourner Truth???• Susan B. Anthony???• Franklin Roosevelt???• Jackie Robinson???• John Lewis???• Martin Luther King???• Rosa Parks???• Nelson Mandela???• David Boren???

Some Exemplars of Courageous Leaders for Me

• Abraham Lincoln• Sojourner Truth• Nelson Mandela• John Lewis• Martin Luther King, Jr.• Eleanor Roosevelt• Rosa Parks

Lincoln on Leadership• Get Out of the Office and Circulate Among the Troops • Build Strong Alliances • Persuade Rather Than Coerce • Honesty and Integrity Are the Best Policies• Never Act Out of Vengeance or Spite • Have the Courage to Handle Unjust Criticism • Be a Master of Paradox • Exercise a Strong Hand—Be Decisive• Lead by Being Led • Set Goals and Be Results Oriented • Encourage Innovation • Influence People Through Convention and Storytelling • Preach a Vision and Continually Reaffirm It

Sojourner Truth: Abolitionist and Feminist

• Truth is powerful and it prevails.• If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!

• …women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere.  Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-

puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman?

King on Leadership

• Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but who conquers that fear.

• Lead from the back—and let others believe they are in front.

• A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.

Mandela on Leadership• Never, ever give up.• Our failures speak volumes about our character.• We don’t all have to have the same opinion.• If it were easy, everybody would be doing it!• During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of

the African people. I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve . But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die

What Are Common Attributes of My Exemplars

•Placed themselves at risk•Worked toward a common goal, not a personal goal

•Valued Followership•Led by example•Honesty to self•Need not have a formal title

Attributes of Modern Day Courageous Leaders

• Takes Moral Stands even in the presence of danger

• Stands up for the right thing• Speaks up when injustice is perpetuated• Goes against the majority when it is wrong• Resists racism and sexism when others think its safe

• Perseveres in the face of low odds• Reminds others that the Moral Force of the universe is long but it bends toward justice

Examples When There Was a Lack of Courageous Leadership

•Swiss Watches•Kodak•Polaroid•Question: Could Universities that fail to embrace online education suffer a similar fate????

Ten Attributes of Courageous Leaders: Forbes

• Confront reality head-on• Seek feedback and LISTEN• Say what needs to be said• Encourage pushback• Take action on performance issues• Communicate openly and frequently• Lead Change: From Good to Great!• Make Decisions and Move Forward• Give Credit to Others• Hold people (and Yourself) accountable

When Is It Difficult to Lead?

• Going Against the Majority• Doing the Right Thing when Its Risky• Going against longtime friends and colleagues

• Making decisions that could lead to personal danger

• Doing the right thing when the organization is doing the wrong thing

Courageous Leaders “Play to WIN”, Not “Play to NOT LOSE” (Lafley and Martin)

•They aspire to winning•There know where and when to play•They have a strategy for winning•They know the capabilities that must be in place to win

•They know what management systems need to be in place to win

Disruptive Forces in Universities That Call for Courageous Leadership

• Technology in teaching and learning• Demographic Changes• New Competitors—simpler, more accessible, cheaper and convenient

• Globalization• Budget crunch: Making quality better, but more affordable with less public support; Increased ROI

K-State and Other Universities in New America

•MUST consider diversity/inclusion as core values for the US to Continue to “Win”

•Prepare students to “Win” in Multicultural America and the Global Community

•Make education Accessible, Affordable and Attainable—while preserving Quality

•Use good business practices while preserving Quality

Courageous Leaders Dare to Dream

Hold fast to dreamsFor if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged birdThat cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreamsFor when dreams goLife is a barren fieldFrozen with snow

• Langston Hughes