Harry Peterson
President Emeritus, Western State College of Colorado
Former Chief of Staff, Chancellor's Office
Emeritus Affiliate, WISCAPE
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Harrison Parlor, Lathrop Hall, 1050 University Avenue
This program is free and open to the public.
Conventional wisdom suggests that new leaders begin their jobs with a
"honeymoon," a grace period that affords a certain number of credits to
be used in triggering change. Over time, leaders use these credits up,
acquire critics, lose influence, and eventually must move on.
But
experience and study show that this need not be the case, according to
Harry Peterson, a former president of a small college, long-time
administrator in higher education, and author of Leading a Small College or University: A Conversation That Never Ends (Atwood Publishing, 2008).
Effective
leaders use up some of their influence early on in their tenure, but
strengthen it later through constant interactions with constituents and
development of organizational goals based on what they learn from these
interactions.
Some leaders can do this,
Peterson says, but most are not very good at it. For those who wish to
excel in this process, Peterson will identify the common
characteristics of leaders who are able to make changes while retaining
and strenghtening support from their constituents.
While
much of the discussion will be about successful college and university
presidents, these skills and ways of thinking are essential in any
leadership position.