Navigating an Uncertain Sea

Leaders of today face unprecedented challenges. On our nation’s campuses, we’re all navigating a new normal whether we’re holding classes in a traditional manner or virtually, or a mix of both. Having served in a leadership position for over 10 years at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, I worked in a department with an operating budget of $150M while supervising cross-functional teams in a now 40-hospital system. I understand the successes that collaborative teams experience when we face challenges and champion work together. It was the opportunity, during challenging times, to increase the number of healthy academic communities across the country that led me to my new position as Executive Director of the National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities (BHAC).

When I met Bern Melnyk, president of BHAC, and Chief Wellness Officer at The Ohio State University, one of the first topics of discussion was the need to build strong leadership, in academic health and wellness, in order to build optimal communities. Bern and I agree that to reach our goals – both in helping institutions and as a collaborative – a multicomponent strategy is required. Through membership in BHAC, our webinar series, and our (virtual) national summit, we hope to bring together leaders in academic health and wellness, and develop future leaders.

What will this take? In their book Leading for a Lifetime, authors Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas explore the tools individuals need to both lead and to learn. And, how do we lead through difficult events? We are all certainly experiencing a difficult event – the pandemic – but, we are seeing innovation arise that results in tools for our post-pandemic world. From a macro-level, we’re seeing the success of our colleague Clay Marsh, Health Director at West Virginia University (WVU) and the applicable lessons he’s learned through dealing with his state’s opioid crisis. We’ll welcome Clay in our upcoming webinar: Coronavirus and the Opioid Crisis to share leadership insight with our community. If you’re a health leader, you’ll not want to miss how WVU is navigating the pandemic as a result of dealing with drug abuse in their state. On a micro-level, we’ve learned about campus leaders like Sean Williems, a business analytics and statistics professor at the University of Tennessee. In an article by edscoop, we learned of his “rebirth” through the pandemic and the tools he’s using to effectively deliver his courses. And, at universities like Cornell, student and campus activities haven’t stopped, but merely look a bit different. 

So, what does it take to continue to lead and create a culture of success through this difficult time? I believe there are several key elements:

-         Clear vision and goals: We must not waiver in our vision and we must be clear and succinct in our health and wellbeing goals for our campuses.

-         Transparency: We must be transparent with those who will help implement the vision. Our faculty and staff must trust us through this difficult and uncertain time. We gain that trust by being direct and open about challenging situations.

-         Empowerment: One of the qualities I most admire in Bern is that she has empowered myself and our BHAC staff to address the needs of our community. How are we as campus leaders empowering health and wellness objectives through our staff? Need a resource to help? Check out our webinar on developing a wellness champions program on your campus.

In the book, Thermostat Cultures Jason Barger explores “how proactive people create inspired and engaged teams”. I love his challenge that we have to be “willing to be the best ambassadors for the cultures we want to be a part of.” I’m eager to hear from you. Whether on the macro-level or a micro, grassroots level, what are you leading at your institution? As I enter the second month in my new role, I’m excited to learn about these efforts on campuses across the U.S. As we work diligently to plan breakout sessions in our upcoming Summit, what tools do you need to succeed? Please reach out, connect and share.

#highereducation #wellnesswednesday #leadership