A few months ago my mom completed ten years as Department Head of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Arizona. She is now “retired” from that role and continues serving as a professor. My mom is one of the most skilled leaders I’ve had the chance to learn from. With her retirement as department head in the rear-view mirror, I took the opportunity to sit down with her in order to benefit from her insight.
When did you first think of yourself as a leader?
The first leadership position I recall was serving in student council in junior high. I didn’t think of it so much as leadership, rather, it was a way to get involved. I cared and I liked the people, so I was happy to serve. I’ve always thought that leadership is more about caring and guiding, than ambition or the desire to revolutionize things.
Over the course of high school and college I was asked to serve in various leadership capacities and was always willing to do so. Even as department head, I agreed to the position because I was asked to serve. At the time, I was the logical person. To be honest, I would have been happy supporting someone else in the role so that I could focus more on my research and teaching. But, I knew I could do it and I was willing to lead for the good of the group.
How do you view your calling as a leader?
I know that I’ve been given some gifts that are important for leadership. Perhaps my strongest abilities are relational; I typically work well with people. The interpersonal part of the role came easily, even when working with those with higher authority. It has never scared me because I always viewed administrators as people like everyone else, not just as authority figures, but real people whom I enjoyed getting to know.
I do find leadership interesting and rewarding. One of my favorite parts of my job were the collegial interactions. I didn’t really want to be the person “up front” in meetings or events, but I always knew how I wanted people to feel and experience. I wanted to make them feel connected and cared for. I think I have some level of sensitivity of what it’s like to be on the other side. Empathy is so important. I think the best leaders lead like pastors.
One of the most meaningful compliments I received at the end of my tenure as department head came from a colleague. She simply said, “You had a way of making everybody feel like they belonged.” That was so encouraging, because that was what I always hoped.
Those are gifts the Lord gave me. When you know that God has given you those gifts, you know it’s part of your calling. You can’t just sit on it.
What did you like most about leadership?
I think I already hit on that - the thing that I liked the best is the opportunity to affirm people. I value being an encourager. That’s not a role that will stop when I am no longer the department head.
I learned so much about the faculty and staff in our department in terms of what they do, what they care about, and who they are. I was able to enjoy their successes and accomplishments in a way that I never would have without this broader perspective. Over time, I really felt that I could be an advocate or ambassador for people because I had a good sense of their work and their passions.
How did you become the department head?
When it came time for a transition in our department, I happened to be the one who had the right constellation of attributes and was far enough along in my career. There were people in our department who were junior or mid-career who would make good heads, but the time was not right for them.
It seemed that the faculty trusted me to lead within the department and to represent them well within and outside of the university.
Trust is important. How did you develop the ability to gain trust?
I think it was a natural thing. I didn’t think about intentionally gaining trust because that had happened before I became department head. I had been on the faculty for a long time, and people knew me.
What surprised me was that over time, when new faculty or staff came on, some people viewed me simply as “a boss” as opposed to a colleague who had “stepped up” to fill a leadership need.
On occasion, when I realized that someone didn’t trust me, or assumed some ulterior motive, I thought, “Whoa! What in my behavior prompted that?” I needed to take the time to build their trust. That was not hard in most cases, but it is much harder when there was an inherent negative assumption toward those in power. That was hard to overcome.
Was that the biggest change in your leadership over your years as department head?
The past couple of years have been hard for everyone and I think many of us in leadership have worked harder than ever before, only to be met with criticism and distrust. Even when the negativity was coming from a vocal minority, it put a negative spin on things in a way that I had not experienced before. For me, it made my final year frustrating and disappointing.
How did your gender impact your leadership?
I’ve been blessed to serve in a context where my gender was never a big issue. I am grateful that I have never felt like I was disadvantaged for being female in my leadership role. I appreciate that other women before me had demonstrated that gender was a trivial issue in that context. Even when I was one of the few women on certain leadership committees, I didn’t think about it much. I was much more sensitive to whether I had the insight or experience to contribute.
Did being a mom prepare you for leadership?
Oh, yes, being a mother prepares you for all sorts of things. I was working with college students and I could relate their experiences to yours and your sister’s. It was also so easy to relate to parents of my students.
Motherhood also prepared me to deal with instances where I had to be firm or to correct students. I recall thinking that it was like being a parent, when you have to discipline a child, but you really aren’t mad. There even were some things with faculty that felt like that. I knew that I didn’t need to be emotional, but I did need to communicate that some behavior was unacceptable. I don’t know how I would have learned that without being a parent.
I just don’t think you can knock someone to the ground and expect your relationship to pick back up where it was. You have to correct or discipline from a place of caring.
How did your faith impact your leadership?
My faith was important because I knew that this isn’t what it’s all about (being a leader). I didn’t feel like I HAD to be the leader. And when I felt fragile, I knew that I needed get my self-worth from the Lord and not from people. Now, that’s hard. We all want people to see us the way we want.
I was surprised that I could be a leader and be a person of faith and it wasn’t a problem.
Faith is grounding. I can care for those who are very different from me out of my love for Christ. I so enjoyed building relationships with all sorts of people.
What is the hardest part of leadership?
Being criticized. Constructive feedback is fine. But it’s hard to be criticized when those you are leading don’t know the full picture. People can make assumptions without knowing. As I mentioned, negativity and hostility became much more prevalent in the past year.
Did you expect that to be the case?
Apparently I didn’t, because it took me by surprise. There are still things that hurt.
What is the easiest part of leadership?
The collegiality. I loved being part of a team bigger than I – and working with people toward common goals.
What is the legacy you are most proud of leaving behind?
Well, that is not an easy question. I thought that I would have come to the end of my term and I would have been able to answer that. But I can’t. We had faculty growth and our students remained strong, and we accomplished a lot of physical improvements. I felt that people should have a work environment that was pleasant and respectful. We were able to make great strides in that area and to provide resources and tools that removed obstacles for the faculty and students.
But we didn’t accomplish everything I was hoping for. That is disappointing. I expected the last couple of years would allow us to continue to move forward in various areas, but the fallout from the pandemic and national unrest diverted so much attention and energy that we lost momentum on a number of things. Of course, we grew in unexpected ways, but there was definitely not a linear upward trend which I guess I had hoped for.
I thought about this as I was reading the book that you (John) recommended, Leadership in Turbulent Times [Doris Kearns Goodwin’s excellent book about the leadership of four presidents]. Each of the leaders had various high points along the course of their time in office, but things rarely peaked at the end of their term. In other words, they did not always get to end on the high note that they would have wanted.
But as I think about this more, I realize that I truly have no real perspective on what mattered the most, or what “I left behind.” I do know that I was called to service as a leader for a time, and I was obedient. I simply pray that there was good fruit.
Photo from left to right: Pagie, Kindle, and Marianne