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Developing Leaders for 21st century Revolutionary Challenges

Summary of Idea:

  1. Overview

Leadership, teamwork, and collaboration, three interrelated capabilities, are vitally important in the 21st century.  Of the three, leadership may be the most challenging to develop.  Dickinson’s Strategic Framework captures that idea in its call for “cohesive leadership development.” 

Two authors of this proposal have for years been committed to creating a cohesive plan for leadership development at the college and have provided support for that effort by establishing the Gilbert “Red” Malcolm Endowment for Undergraduate Leadership.  The Revolutionary Challenge provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen and expand this support.  All three authors believe that establishing a foundation for life-long leadership development is an essential outcome of a “useful liberal arts education.”

This proposal calls for the creation and application of a leadership framework of a shared vocabulary of leadership concepts for Dickinson students, faculty and staff.  Without such a common vocabulary, students may find it difficult to fully recognize the usefulness of their liberal arts education and thus difficult to powerfully communicate and advocate for the advantages of a Dickinson education as they enter the world of citizenship, work, and graduate school.   That condition is reinforced by the scope and complex nature of Dickinson’s interdisciplinary liberal arts education and by a contemporary zeitgeist that honors specialists.

The umbrella or common denominator for such a vocabulary to distinguish projects, the on-campus and off-campus curricular and co-curricular activities that collectively comprise a four-year undergraduate experience.  Experiential practice in undertaking projects informed by a common vocabulary will help students understand the usefulness of their Dickinson education and communicate that usefulness to those outside the college.

Projects are at the core of the college’s commitment to “deepen, expand and connect our strengths in global education, sustainability, civic engagement and interdisciplinary programs” on behalf of students, and  “establish Dickinson as a preeminent leader in educating citizen leaders.”  In that light, no matter what their major or their life goals, via their engagement in various projects, students will be able to fluently articulate the power of being a Dickinsonian.

Finally, we believe that if the notion of project-based leadership development were to be encouraged throughout the College, then organizational silos would become weaker and Dickinson’s culture would become stronger.  This outcome will be helpful as the faculty, staff, and administrators help to develop leaders to navigate the complex challenges of the 21c. 

  1. Implementation

We can imagine Benjamin Rush and his compatriots sitting around the dining room table envisioning the college they wanted to create and someone saying: “Above all else we want that education to be useful.” We can then hear someone else ask, “Well, what would that look like?” That inquiry, what is a useful education, generated the curriculum and the student life of the fledgling college. Some version of the question has been asked over and over again throughout the history of the College. It is the essence of the question of the Revolutionary Challenge. It is the first lesson of a liberal arts education -- remembering to ask that question, the one that creates and shapes an inquiry. It is the first lesson of a leader and of an educated person. It is an essential difference between the generalist and the specialist. Today’s world is fast paced, fractured, complex, and challenging. It is easy for us to be overwhelmed and only look at the answers that have already been created and forget to construct an inquiry.  Instead, we go immediately to what others have already decided is the answer when it is the initial question that empowers new projects and that empowered the creation of Dickinson College. At the same time, those answers are important too. They serve as the foundation for all of our disciplines and interdisciplinary answers. Nevertheless, the implementation of this proposal needs to be grounded in the initial inquiry.

We see our proposal rolling out in phases. Each phase encompasses and replicates the prior phase. Each phase includes more and more Dickinsonians. Picture the following phases:

  1. Dinner with Dr. Rush– a small group begins the process of creating and facilitating the plan for “Developing Leaders for the 21c  Revolutionary Challenges” for the college.”
  2. The Salon – leaders from across the college replicate the inquiry started in “Dinner with Dr. Rush” adding the perspectives represented in their domain of responsibilities at the college.
  3. The Grand Conversation – All college stakeholders are invited to replicate the inquiry with other college stakeholders.
  4. Becoming Dickinsonians – Each year new students enter the college, and all would continue to unfold the experience of “Dinner with Dr. Rush” as part of their Dickinson education.

Those dining with Dr. Rush in phase one would generate the initial inquiry around the question: What constitutes revolutionary leadership in the first quarter of the 21c?  They would also review the current related literature.

The diners would generate a primer that consists of the initial inquiry and would outline what constitutes the college’s current answers and answers from the review of the literature. While the essential question would be informed by the literature, it would not be limited by it. Our goal is to constantly be open to producing revolutionary answers.

The literature describes different leadership styles, models, and project development strategies.  At the outset, the diners will examine that literature and shape a primer of possible concepts to provide an accessible starting point for the next level of conversations among a broader group of participants.  This primer will be the beginning of the exploration of the relationship between leadership, and the vast variety of projects found in Dickinson’s liberal arts education. (Attached as an addendum is a list of concepts that could be used to start the conversation.)

Next, those who had engaged in shaping the primer would serve as facilitators for phase two, the Salon. This phase would be held as a series of conversations about leadership.  They would take place among selected groups of faculty, students, administrators, staff, alumni, and parents. The purpose of those conversations will be to review and further develop the primer as a precursor of the first version of the framework. The conversation would then provide an opportunity to talk about the intended purpose and hoped-for outcomes of focusing on the language of leadership through projects in the various respective domains of the college. Participants will add a glossary to the primer of concepts showing ways that others speak of those concepts within their domains at the college.

The common vocabulary and glossary that would emerge from the series of conversations would comprise no more than twenty-five central concepts -- perhaps only ‘21 for the 21c.’

After creating this preliminary framework, the initial core team of facilitators would then hold a Grand Conversation with these goals:

  1. To introduce the ideas and goals of the proposal to the entire campus.
  2. To ensure the language of the primer and glossary connect to the language of different domains of the college.
  3. To further consider how leadership capabilities and intangible resources might be cultivated in their respective domains and provide that feedback to the core team of facilitators. 
  4. To make suggestions for final edits for the first edition of the published version of the working document, Dickinson’s 21c Leaders.

The Grand Conversation would be conducted with a set of question such as:

  1. To what extent are these concepts relevant to your domain? 
  2. What are they called in your domain? 
  3. How might the concepts be strengthened? 

How does your idea relate to or support the college’s strategic framework?

The college’s Strategic Framework states that “We will deepen, expand, and connect our global education, sustainability, civic engagement and interdisciplinary programs to establish Dickinson as a preeminent leader in educating citizen leaders with the skills to synthesize multiple sources of knowledge and perspectives in solving complex problems.” To that end, building a college-wide framework of leadership concepts, provides opportunities to practice these concepts, be mentored in that them, and discuss them with others. This will help all stakeholders develop a clearer sense of purpose that will be beneficial across the community. For example, when we look at the college’s marketing materials, including the website, we find a broad overview of what we would want every student to know; but it is quite abstract, making it hard for students or prospective students to really understand how a Dickinson education will lead “to synthesizing multiple sources of knowledge and perspectives in solving complex problems. “

Having a common leadership language will positively influence the organizational culture of the college as well. For example, imagine leaders from different college departments using this language in managing their departments. Imagine what it would be like in dining services where employees from the community work alongside student employees using this language. Imagine employees better able to recognize how the work they do contributes to preparing future citizen leaders. We believe that this deeper awareness on the part of all would eventually help “increase recruitment and retention of a diverse student, faculty and staff population reflective of our broader world.”

We see undergraduates compiling a portfolio of their reflections and completed projects as they navigate their Dickinson experience.  Compiling such a portfolio would help them be mindful of their progress and would be consistent with what Stephen M. Smith ’92, CEO of L.L.Bean, suggested in his 2018 commencement address that graduates “fill their backpacks” with experiences.

What partnerships, on campus and off campus, do you envision?

In the early stages of the project we imagine that most conversations will be with on-campus participants, selected alumni, and members of the greater Carlisle community including local for-profit companies, non-profit organizations, and government agencies including the U.S. Army War College.  Later, we anticipate that outreach and partnerships will be extended to those who provide off-campus internships to students  particularly in New York City, Washington DC, other metropolitan areas, and those connected with Dickinson’s global programs.

Successful initiatives are informed by multiple partners with different levels of participation.  In preparing this preliminary proposal, we have had conversations with the following people at Dickinson: Samantha Brandauer (Executive Director of the Center for Global Study & Engagement); Jeff McCausland (Visiting Professor of International Security); Amy McKiernan, (Director of the Ethics Across Campus & the Curriculum Program); Neil Leary (Director of the Center for Sustainability Education); Dennette Moul (Director of Human Resource Services); Paul Richards (Director/Chair of Physical Education); Steve Riccio (Lecturer, Department of International Business and Management (INBM), with specialties in organizational leadership, management, and culture); George Stroud (Vice President & Dean of Student Life); Kirk Swenson (Vice President for Advancement); and, Damon Yarnell (Executive Director of Dickinson’s Advising, Internships & Career Center). We have also spoken with a number of alumni including Eric Evans 69, Robert Gould ’72, Walker Moriarty’14, Kirsten Paull.’15, Ty Saini ‘93,  Stanford Springel,’68, Robert White ’69, and Gordon Wright ‘83

Based on those conversations, there appears to us to be appreciation for how important it is to have a more coherent way of speaking about leadership that encourages teamwork and promotes collaboration.   We recognize that stakeholders tend to use different vocabularies when speaking about projects in their respective domains such as managing branches of administration; teaching, coaching, and mentoring; supporting student life; or coordinating internships and off-campus study. That appreciation suggests there is an opportunity to develop a common vocabulary across the domains of the college. Building upon this appreciation will elevate awareness among all stakeholders about the initiative.

As the partnerships unfold, the language of leadership will expand, much like the ripples one sees in the water when a stone is tossed into a pond.  We believe that the ensuing network, focused on leadership capabilities, will be unique among liberal arts colleges.   

How will your idea positively affect the education of Dickinson students?

Students will be able to more fully recognize the power of their useful liberal arts education and articulate why they are at Dickinson. This proposal will give students a unifying framework for their education. A central goal of this proposal is for students to recognize the nature of leadership through project development, connect that knowledge to the other pillars of a Dickinson education in a single framework and see that leadership is a path for self-expression. Once this framework is established in the culture of the college, students and perspective students will all see the vision of how a Dickinson education is useful. They will be better able to share that vision with parents, perspective employers, and graduate school admission officers. It will allow them to speak and write about their contributions to projects with crisp detail. They will have a leadership vocabulary that maps many of their Dickinson experiences. In sum, they will be better able to envision their lives as engaged participants and leaders of collaborative endeavors. 

Our vision is that as students engage in the many projects associated with their four-year experience, the leadership vocabulary will permit them to say:

Regardless of our majors, Dickinson’s useful education prepared us with a broad understanding of the liberal arts and provided multiple robust opportunities to learn principles of leadership, teamwork, collaboration, mindfulness.  

We had multiple opportunities across the curriculum, in extracurricular activities, and in student life to practice these principles.  We were coached and mentored to create projects that addressed  21c challenges of sustainability; local, national, and global citizenship; and community engagement. We learned to speak and write about these habits of mind while acting powerfully to produce intended results.  

We believe that if graduates could say this with conviction, they would be regarded as desirable employees, strong entrepreneurial collaborators, and great candidates for graduate programs.

How will your idea positively impact the world beyond Dickinson’s campus?

Undergraduates at Dickinson engage in various domestic and international off-campus projects. These projects will provide multiple opportunities to apply the leadership vocabulary concepts with Dickinson’s core competencies in global education, interdisciplinary programs, sustainability education and community engagement.  Students will be better able to design and execute projects to positively impact the world of those engaged in for-profit businesses, non-profits, entrepreneurial ventures, educational institutions and government. Because the framework vocabulary is to be college-wide, its impact will be present throughout the sphere of Dickinson’s influence. 

Both graduates and undergraduates will be well-equipped to identify, provide and pursue leadership and teamwork opportunities anywhere. They will be better global partners, modeling the Dickinson leadership distinctions. The external projects of the college will also serve as models for others in how to organize projects and teams to support those projects that address 21c challenges.   

If our final proposal is selected for implementation, we believe then Dickinson’s new and unique approach to cultivating student leadership abilities will be a compelling vision that will resonate with current and prospective donors.

Do you anticipate resource needs to prepare a detailed proposal if selected as a finalist? If so, please describe.

We interpret this question to be focused on the time period from November 2019 to May of 2020.  Two of the three authors are not residents of the Carlisle area. We believe that coming to Carlisle and testing the presentation of the general idea, the list of concepts (See addendum.), and soliciting feedback is essential to hone the efforts for the fourth phase of the project proposal.

The following is our plan to accomplish that and the resources we would require.

We will select a week sometime in February or March for Robert Paull and Paul Kovach to travel from Texas and California, to Carlisle arriving on Sunday evening and staying until on Friday. Working with Michael Fratantuono, our third author, they would hold a series of small group, two-hour sessions to field test the central idea of the proposal, share the items on the list of titled “Possible Leadership Language for Identifying, Developing, and Executing Projects,” solicit feedback, and ask for additional ideas. Each group will have six participants  excluding the authors. We anticipate one session on Monday, three sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, and two session on Thursday with a total of approximately 48 participants. Attendees for the sessions would be grouped by common interests or responsibilities: faculty by similar fields, student life staff, other employees, and a sampling of sophomore and junior students. Student sessions would be held in the evening. If possible, we would like to have an appropriate alumnus participate via Skype in selected sessions.

We will need the following resources:

  1. Before the week of two-hour sessions, we would need a faculty coordinator. Dr. Fratantuono could serve in that role. He would coordinate the selection of the participants for the sessions,
  2. Housing and meals for Paul Kovach and Robert Paull
  3. Healthy snacks and drinks for the sessions
  4. Provide notetakers for each session.
  5. An administrative assistant to
    1. Coordinate the notetakers and consolidate the notes.
    2. Set up the technology
    3. Prepare several PowerPoint slides
  6. Comfortable meeting room accommodating 10 participants, two white boards, and space for any needed technological support.

Addendum

Suggestions for Leadership Language for Identifying, Developing, and Executing Projects

  • Strategic planning, visions, agendas, action plans
  • Practicing empathy, flexibility
  • Forming and operating in networks
  • Developing cultural awareness and intercultural competency
  • Recognizing leadership styles 
  • Practicing followership
  • Personal and organizational action plans 
  • Conducting needs assessments
  • Giving and receiving feedback
  • Practicing mindfulness
  • Practicing creative and innovative problem solving
  • Building on personal strengths and managing weaknesses
  • Managing difficult conversations, effective communication, negotiation strategies
  • Practicing intentional time management 
  • Managing organizational transitions
  • Surfacing and addressing ethical concerns
  • Developing accountability and measurable objectives
  • Commitment, perseverance, excitement, enthusiasm and motivating others
  • Recognizing interconnections
  • Practicing opportunity awareness
  • Sensitivity to existing and historical constructs and institutions
  • Understanding tactics vs. strategies
  • Building teams
  • Willingness to break ‘molds’
  • Appointing and motivating leaders of sub-groups
  • Communicating up the ‘chain of command’ 
  • Willingness to reset objectives/goals
  • Walking away when appropriate