Kevin Sanders's Linkedin Analytics

Hard truth: Nobody wants to hear their boss complain. Leadership in higher ed is tough— - Budget headaches. - Faculty frustrations. - Endless emails. We’ve all been there. But how you handle your frustration matters. Because when leaders vent down the org chart, it doesn’t just “blow off steam.” It sets a tone you might not intend. When you say things like: - “The provost never listens to us.” - “We’ll never get the funding we need.” - “Why do the same people always drop the ball?” - “Students just don’t seem to care anymore.” - “This whole system is broken.” Here’s what’s really happening: 🔴 You’re eroding morale. 🔴 You’re fostering cynicism. 🔴 You’re putting your team in an awkward spot. 🔴 You’re undermining trust in your own leadership. People don’t hear it as “venting.” They hear it as “hopeless.” And hopeless is contagious. So what should you do instead? ✅ Don’t vent down. Vent laterally. Talk to a trusted peer, another leader or colleague who gets it. ✅ Pair your struggles with solutions. It’s okay to name problems—but follow with a path forward. ✅ Use your words to energize, not drain. Even in tough moments, your team takes its cues from you. Leadership isn’t about pretending it’s easy. It’s about showing people how to stay steady during challenging times. Anyone can vent. Leaders set the tone. So every word you say can build trust—or erode it. Choose wisely. ------------------------------------------ ♻️ Repost this to help other academic leaders. 💬 Follow for posts about higher education, leadership, & the arts. #LeadershipGoals #HigherEdSuccess #HigherEducation #departmentchairs #deans #programmanagers #academicleadership #EmotionalIntelligence #CultureMatters #LeadershipTone #FacultySuccess #StudentSuccess #ResilientLeadership

What do boundaries look like in higher education? Here are 9 examples for faculty and staff to set healthy, clear limits: 1️⃣ Late-Night Emails: Use an auto-responder or include email hours in your signature (e.g., 8 AM–4:30 PM). 2️⃣ Extra Classes or Committees: Politely decline by referencing workload policies and current commitments. 3️⃣ Urgent, Last-Minute Requests: Establish clear timelines for tasks (e.g., submit travel requests a week in advance). 4️⃣ Personal Issues from Students: Refer students to university counseling and support services—don’t try to manage serious issues alone. 5️⃣ Unplanned Office Drop-Ins: Close your door during focused work time and post available hours for visitors. 6️⃣ Overloaded Advising Duties: Set a cap on the number of advisees and recommend other colleagues for additional students. 7️⃣ Non-Essential Social Events: Attend selectively and decline when other commitments take priority. 8️⃣ Aggressive Behavior: Calmly end confrontational conversations and resume only when respect is restored. 9️⃣ Being Excluded from Decisions That Impact Your Workload: Proactively speak with decision-makers to express your need to be included in relevant discussions. Key Takeaway: Boundaries aren’t about rigidity—they’re about clarity. When we choose to go beyond them, it should be because we want to, not because we feel we have to. 👉 What’s one boundary you’ve set that’s made a big difference in your work? -------------------------- ♻️ Repost this to help other academic leaders. 💬 Follow for posts about higher education, leadership, & the arts. #LeadershipGoals #HigherEdSuccess #HigherEducation #departmentchairs #deans #programmanagers #academicleadership #LeadershipSkills #AcademicLinkedIn #HigherEd #UniversityLife #AcademicChatter #FacultyLife

Effective leaders make popular decisions, right? Wrong. We want to believe that if we: - Explain it clearly - Run the numbers - Hold the town halls - Show our work ...everyone will come around. But in leadership? That’s a myth. The best decisions for students, the institution, or the long-term? They’re often the most uncomfortable in the short term. They stir up resistance. They disrupt routines. They ask people to give up something. And they don’t come with applause. Consider this: 👉 People don’t have to *like* the decision. They have to *understand* it. That means: ✅ Clear articulation of the problem ✅ Genuine opportunities for input ✅ Transparency around the “why”—even when they disagree with the “what” Do that consistently, and eventually people say: “I don’t love it. But I get it.” That’s what real leadership earns. Not approval. Trust. Because leadership isn’t about unanimous agreement. It’s about shared understanding in hard moments. ----------------------------------- ♻️ Repost this to help other academic leaders. 💬 Follow for posts about higher education, leadership, & the arts. #LeadershipGoals #HigherEdSuccess #HigherEducation #departmentchairs #deans #programmanagers #academicleadership

We judge ourselves by our intentions. Others judge us by our actions. I was reminded of this recently at a workshop. This is where leadership breaks down. ➡️ Intentions live in your head. ➡️ Actions live in their experience. And in leadership, their experience is the reality. The gap between what you think you’re doing and what people actually feel —that’s where trust is won or lost. You think you’re being clear? But they’re still confused. You think you’re being supportive? But they feel ignored. That’s not bad leadership. That’s blind spot leadership. And here’s the work: You don’t get judged by your internal narrative. You get judged by your visible, repeated actions. High-trust leaders close that gap: ✅ They check for understanding. ✅ They ask how their actions are landing. ✅ They adjust—not because they’re wrong—but because perception matters. You won’t always get it right. But you can get better. Don’t assume people “get it.” Make sure they do. Because at the end of the day: Intentions are invisible. Leadership is what’s seen, felt, and remembered. ------------------------------- ♻️ Repost this to help other academic leaders. 💬 Follow for posts about higher education, leadership, & the arts. #LeadershipGoals #HigherEdSuccess #HigherEducation #departmentchairs #deans #academicleadership #LeadershipBlindspots #TrustInLeadership #LeadWithClarity #FacultyEngagement #CultureByDesign

How important is it that your academic leader is: 🔹 Visionary 🔹 Charismatic 🔹 Highly organized 🔹 Resourceful 🔹 Master delegator 🔹 Technologically savvy 🔹 Strategic thinker 🔹 Public speaker 🔹 Effective fundraiser 🔹 Award-winning researcher 🔹 Prestigious alum If they are NOT: 👉 A consensus-builder 👉 Trustworthy and transparent 👉 An active listener 👉 Respectful and empathetic When we search and interview candidates for leadership positions, we often focus too much on an individual’s achievements. And not on their *process* for achieving. The process impacts your workplace culture, your motivation, and whether you feel valued. Search committees should ensure candidates possess the second set of skills before prioritizing the first. --------------------------- ♻️ Repost this to help other academic leaders. 💬 Follow for posts about higher education, leadership, & the arts. #LeadershipGoals #HigherEdSuccess #HigherEducation #departmentchairs #deans #programmanagers #academicleadership #LeadershipSkills #departmentchair #dean #programmanager #supervisor #president #provos

Clarity is high-leverage work. Academic leaders can often focus on *what* needs to get done. - Teach the classes. - Recruit the students. - Publish the research. - Manage the budget. But what derails us isn’t a lack of what. It’s the lack of clarity in *how* - How is this decision made? - How are responsibilities assigned? - How do we define success? - How does this process actually work? When systems are ambiguous, when expectations are left “understood” but never spoken, when processes rely on “institutional memory” instead of clarity— you create hidden friction. The work still gets done. But it’s slower. Messier. Frustrating. That’s a leadership problem. Clarity is how you multiply your leadership impact: ✅ Clear expectations eliminate rework and second-guessing. ✅ Clear processes reduce bottlenecks and unnecessary approvals. ✅ Clear systems ensure the right people are solving the right problems. ✅ Clear roles prevent the “too many cooks” syndrome. Every time you bring clarity to the *how,* you save your team hours of wasted effort down the line. That’s high-leverage leadership. Small, upfront investments in clarity = Outsized returns in focus, efficiency, and trust. Clear systems don’t just save time. They create better results—for students, faculty, and staff. If you want to lead well, stop assuming people “should know.” Make it known! ------------------------------ ♻️ Repost this to help other academic leaders. 💬 Follow for posts about higher education, leadership, & the arts. #LeadershipGoals #HigherEdSuccess #HigherEducation #departmentchairs #deans #programmanagers #academicleadership