We have just finished a difficult but fulfilling task, finding two new leaders for UMD Information Technology Systems and Services. Here are some things I learned along the way.
University search processes are very helpful. Sometimes it can feel onerous to follow all the steps down to the detail. But those steps are in place to make sure we do a good job. Most importantly, we need to be scrupulously fair and inclusive.
Find a great search team and listen to them. We were very lucky to have a great search team, including three members from outside our department. Our outside members gave us perspectives that we would not otherwise have heard. They provided the voice of the customer. Taken together, the members of the search team provided a collective wisdom that would not have been there if I had been operating solo. Yes, I made the final decision, but that final decision was well informed, thanks to our search team.
Appoint a great search chair and rely on that chair. Initially I wanted to chair this search team myself, but I am the appointing authority, and at our university, those roles must be separate. So I asked Jason Davis to take the role of search chair, and he did a spectacular job. He made sure we followed all the rules, he made all the arrangements, and he led the team spectacularly. He also helped me think through some strategies for making and negotiating offers. Thanks so much, Jason!
Learn from the experience. Interviewing takes a great deal of time, especially when you have nine candidates, as we did. Listening to these upcoming leaders gave me multiple opportunities to reflect on my own leadership and to think about how to mentor others to develop their leadership. I learned something from every candidate.
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