I remember when I got offered the job of MarComm VP at @The New School, a progressive and artsy university (home of @Parsons School of Design) in the heart of Greenwich Village.
I was working at the @New York Public Library and the President there, once a college president himself, cautioned me about transitioning to #highereducation. “Universities are different beasts when it comes to authority. Faculty and students have a surprising amount of leverage.”
New School president Bob Kerrey (former governor, senator and US presidential candidate) confronted several crises in his tenure. Bob was a charismatic, smart and intuitive leader, but he was not from the world of academia. And in short order faced faculty and students who did not warm to his approach to college leadership.
I was only there a few weeks when Bob decided the best way to deal with campus tumult was to meet it head on—in an open town hall. Alone on stage he invited direct questions. Yipes. It was eye opening to say the least. But his disarming honesty quelled the anger and business returned to usual. At least for a few years…
Life lesson: What works EVERY time is transparency and authenticity.