The Fund Raiser

What Makes a Good Leader?

Article tools

Printer friendly	E-mail article	Subscribe	Order reprints
	Discuss any Chronicle article in our forums
Latest Headlines The Fund Raiser Fund Raising in a Recession It may sound counterintuitive, but now is the time to travel to your best donors and talk about their philanthropic goals. First Person From Job Candidate to Stalker For a new Ph.D. searching for her first job in her field, the line between the two can be blurry. Career News Keep Up the Quality It's time for colleges and universities to improve academic, not just administrative, productivity. On Course Back to High School In a new book, an assistant professor of English finds radical new sources of inspiration for his discipline in K-12 classrooms. Resource Salaries: Faculty | Administrative Presidential pay: Private | Public Financial resources: Salary and cost-of-living calculators Career resources: Academic | Nonacademic Library: Previous articles by topic | by date | by column Career Talk, Ms. Mentor, and more... Landing your first job On the tenure track Mid-career and on Administrative careers Nonacademic careers for Ph.D.'s Talk about your career Blogs

By Mark J. Drozdowski

As I write, my beloved New England Patriots, long the doormats of professional football, are busy dismantling yet another foe, running their record to a perfect 10 wins in as many games. The score is a nail-biting 56-10, and they're playing on the road against a divisional rival whose four-game winning streak is about to end.

And there on my screen stands the Pats' head coach, Bill Belichick, he of the sawed-off hoodie, looking as disgruntled as ever. He scowls at players as they reach the sidelines, mumbles at coaches when plays go awry, utters monotone criticisms of his squad's performance during post-game press conferences. The man generates the excitement of a turnip.

Is this any way to lead a team?

Imagine the prototypical football coach. Perhaps the Packers' Vince Lombardi or, in modern terms, Bill Cowher, formerly of the Steelers, comes to mind. A boisterous, animated task master patrolling the sidelines, bellowing at officials, slapping fannies, pumping fists in triumph. A towering persona, not a cerebral tactician.

That's how you inspire a team, right?

Well, who can argue with success? The Pats are (so far) on their way to a fourth Super Bowl in seven years -- an unparalleled accomplishment these days. Much of the credit goes to the coach (and some guy named Brady). So is Belichick an effective leader? I would say so.

But I've often wondered, along with many a business-school professor, what makes a good leader. And I've often wondered if I would make a good one.

To be honest, I've never thought of myself as a true leader. When I was in college, one of my first mentors, the late George Keller, who was appreciated in The Chronicle recently, told me I was not a leader but "one heck of a writer." That was a compliment, I suppose, or at least a warning about my future career choices.

George saw a quiet kid who rarely spoke up in class, who didn't participate in student government or athletics, who didn't cavort with a wide circle of friends. He saw a kid with plenty of self-doubt. I would watch professors deliver cogent lectures for an hour at a time, demonstrating a profound grasp of the material, and I would think, "I could never do that." I would read brilliant tomes, put them down and say, "I could never write anything like that."

Later in my career, I would watch presidents or deans work a room, give a speech, or lead a meeting and think, "I could never be like that."

Over time, further evidence corroborated my feelings. For years I absorbed what George said, trusting his wisdom forged from decades of observing academics, and maneuvered accordingly, never seeking occasions to lead or manage. When such opportunities presented themselves, I often failed, at least by my own judgments. I wasn't a leader, after all, so it was fruitless to act like one. A self-fulfilling prophecy if ever I saw one.

Now I'm not so certain. Was George commenting on what he saw as my innate strengths and limitations, or was he simply judging the 21-year-old version of me? What if he had known Belichick when he was a student at Wesleyan University, studying whatever budding coaches study? In other words, are leaders born or molded?

That, of course, is the cosmic question, one for which I don't pretend to have an answer. But I can say this: I'm a better leader now than I was in college, or even five years ago. I have some experience with it now, have grown accustomed to the challenges, and know how I react in various situations. I'm not saying I'm a good leader, however that is determined, but I am suggesting that certain characteristics of leadership can be learned. Or at least faked.

At the same time, I am drawing a distinction between leadership and management. While some elements of good leadership and good management overlap, I think the two are fundamentally different concepts. A leader operates on a higher plane, providing inspiration, vision, commitment, and passion. A manager is more grounded, offering stability, solutions, equity. A leader dispenses wisdom; a manager, advice. A leader asks, "What if?"; a manager says, "How so?". A leader lights fires; a manager stokes the flames. Simplistic differentiations, perhaps, but that's how I define them.

You may assume it's easier to become a good manager than a good leader, though I'm no living proof of that. I don't think my years of management experience have made me a better manager. Perhaps that's because I have little patience for sweaty details, for personality conflicts and petty office politics and budget adjustments and process re-engineering and schedule monitoring. I need help with all that. It's mighty important, mind you, but a big part of me sees all of that as pure tedium.

Thankfully, my job affords me more opportunities to lead than to manage. I have no idea how a check gets processed, how our database operates, or how moneys gets distributed. People toss out acronyms that bounce off my brain and splat on the floor, unabsorbed. Folks around me know how the system works, and they're kind enough to cut me some slack, no doubt with a modicum of pity.

I can, however, articulate the components of our capital campaign, speak about the challenges of cultivating a culture of philanthropy, motivate donors to support our efforts, and inspire staff members to rally behind our collective goals. Call me irresponsible, but I think getting the check is more critical than knowing how it's processed.

Am I a leader? Yes, I suppose so, but a leader in the Bill Belichick mold. A quiet, reserved soul (sometimes called aloof, stuffy, or downright irascible) who prefers to influence with intellect, not swashbuckling personality. No fanny-patter here.

I'll never be a great leader, maybe not even a good one, but I have improved with age and maturity. I have conquered the fear, cast aside the self-doubt, and become more comfortable in my own skin. Along the way, I've lectured to classes and written a tome or two, neither of which I imagined possible at 21. Maybe that's what George meant after all. Unfortunately, I'll never know.

So if you find yourself the more retiring type, less apt to pine for the mike, or strike up a dozen conversations at tea socials, or sneak glances at your reflection as you saunter by the hors d'oeuvres table, don't discount your potential to lead. The reticent, too, shall inherit the throne.

Do yourself a favor and watch Bill negotiate the sidelines and address the press. Check out his sartorial selections. And come February, watch this perfectly atypical specimen hoist yet another Lombardi trophy.