Carolyn Hodges, professor of German, co-authored an article for Inside Higher Ed sharing leadership lessons learned as a black female dean.
“Learning how to lead is also about learning how to balance the need for action with deliberative and deliberate approaches,” the article states. “It is quite correct to expect administrators, particularly in higher education, to demonstrate decisiveness in their decision-making behaviors. However, in far too many instances, in their haste to make things happen quickly, new deans mistake the ability to make swift decisions with effective leadership.