How to Grow into Leadership

Abstract

We are all works in progress. We are all artists and can create our own career,” according to Dr. Lynn Gangone, dean of The Women's College of the University of Denver. Will yours be abstract or representational, oil or watercolor? It's up to you, she told participants at the Women's Leadership Institute at Dana Point CA in November 2011. Leadership is more than a job description, and growing your leadership means more than working hard for your next promotion. She quoted Max De Pree: “Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do. The visible signs of artful leadership are expressed, ultimately, in its practice.” So how do women grow into leadership? They build their spirit and power; they're both wizards and warriors, in the metaphor developed by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal, The Wizard and the Warrior (2006). Growing into leadership is an act of courage. “It takes bravery to show up with integrity and authenticity,” she said. Susan Madsen's research on the backgrounds of women governors and college or university presidents found common themes. All the women asked, what do I need to learn? Bad leaders stand outside or above the group, holding onto control but missing the opportunity to learn and grow. Courageous leaders not only watch and listen, but they deliberately surround themselves with diverse styles and interests. “My idea of participant leadership is to fill the table with those who are different from me,” Gangone said. Asked if they want to grow up to be president of the United States, seven-year-old girls and boys say yes in equal numbers. But by the time they're 15, there's a huge gender difference in their answers. Girls in their teens have learned different goals, like being pretty and popular. Jennifer Siebel Newsom's documentary film Miss Representation, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011, explores how media stereotypes of women—violent, sexual, demeaning and derogatory—teach girls and women to disempower themselves. Power is a challenging issue for many women. It conjures up images of domination or back-stabbing. Socialized to nurture relationships, women too often relinquish their power to avoid dealing with conflict. Successful leadership requires being a warrior as well as a wizard. “I have power to create what changes I want to see in the world,” Gangone said. She distinguished power from influence. Power is an individual's potential to influence another individual; influence is the exercise of that potential. Power comes in many forms. It can be coercive or persuasive, grounded in position or personality or control of a coveted resource. At the University of Denver, she suspects the head of parking has more power than the chancellor. Part of growing into leadership is developing the courage to express yourself without self-deprecation. Ask for what you want in negotiations. Resist the impulse to start your comments, “I don't know much about it, but …” Her wardrobe is one form of expression, wearing black to a deans’ meeting to look the part. Be comfortable and appropriate; no cleavage. “When we dress provocatively, we give up our power,” she said. Women like to play it safe. Growing into leadership includes taking calculated risks. Tennis star Martina Navratilova lost many endorsements when she came out as a lesbian, but her influence has increased dramatically. Being just plain nice is an exercise of power when it's out of courtesy and respect rather than a desperate need to be liked. Others reach out to people who are just plain nice and seem comfortable in their own skin. “I'm an East Coaster in the Midwest with a view of the mountains. You get things done at the University of Denver through relationships,” she said. Think about what campus relationships you need to work on. Women cringe from campus politics. “In higher education we make corporate politics look like a playground,” she said. (Remember the joke about campus politics being so brutal because the stakes are so low?) Political conflict is more covert on campus. You grow your leadership to deal with conflict by building relationships and creating allies. Reach out to others with pride, authenticity and integrity. In the words attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Wherever you are now and wherever you aspire to, grow your leadership, power and influence to create the changes you want on campus. Higher education needs your artful leadership.