During the past few months, we’ve been examining different aspects of performance evaluation and growth programs, in advance of the release of a new performance and evaluation model from ISM early in 2012. To continue that theme, this month we would like to consider the impact of this model on Division Directors (also known as Division Heads, Principals, and the like).
As a Division Director, how would you respond to the following question:
If your answer was 7 or lower, you may wish to consider whether you are in a job that will bring you the type of career success that you desire. We realize that this is a provocative statement, of course. Here’s what is behind our thinking.
ISM believes that the primary responsibility of an academic administrator is to develop the capacity the faculty. Here’s the rub: Most academic leaders entered the education field because they love helping children learn, grow, and develop. At a certain point, though, you switched over from teaching to administration. In making the switch, you traded one constituency (children) for another (faculty). In doing so, you are still responsible for helping people learn, grow, and develop—the only difference is, now the people you are directly helping to grow are adults, who in turn help develop the children. These are very different jobs. Both are very important; you just need to be sure that you’re doing the one that you really want to do.
Here’s the good news … you’re still doing the “teaching” that you love. Now, it’s just teaching adults—“coaching and mentoring”—but it’s really all the same thing; that is, you’re helping people grow through well-timed conversations, observations, encouragement, positive reinforcement, constructive criticism, and the like. Make no mistake, though—your primary audience is adults. If your unending desire is truly to get back into the classroom to lead the fifth graders through their module on the explorers … you’re probably in the wrong job. Identifying the problem gets you half-way to the solution. The object now is to find your way back to the position you really want to be in … and, you’ll be great at it!
For everyone else, we’re glad that you’re in the right role. There are many invigorating days ahead of coaching and mentoring faculty and helping them grow. We look forward to January and sharing more ideas on coaching and mentoring faculty so that teachers can propel their own growth and development.
Additional ISM articles of interest
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 10 No. 2 Rethinking Faculty Performance Evaluations
Additional ISM articles of interest for Consortium Gold Members
I&P Vol. 34 No. 7 Managing Faculty Culture in Times of Turmoil
