Read on Twitter
Ten (okay, nineteen) tips for new law deans: 1: The first year is the year of saying yes. Saying yes to all invitations helps you learn about your university and builds your credibility. It’s hard to recover from a bad start.
2. Get the lay of the land before you make dramatic changes. You must build credibility before you start any revolutions (but don’t wait TOO long).
3. Every necessary change will take at least three times as long as you think it should. Be patient, but don’t stop pushing it. Also, make sure you give people the why . . . over and over and over. It’s easy to forget that part. Always communicate more than you think you need to.
4. Remember that you represent your law school at all times, and people see you as your role. You’re not just you anymore. Which means . . .
5. Remember that you speak with a big voice, so be judicious about weighing in. I have a bad tendency to think out loud. As Dean people will assume you’ve set policy when you’re just musing.
6. You must always be the one to rise above, even when people send snark your way. Every time I’ve responded in kind, I’ve regretted it. (You’re not you. You’re the role.)
7. Take care of your staff. They make the school run, and they don’t get nearly the respect (nor often the pay) they deserve for doing so.
8. Set your ego aside so you can recognize and promote the achievements of your faculty, staff, and students. We all need our gold stars, and in your role, you need to hand them out liberally, especially in lean budget times.
9. Spend at least half of your time raising money. The more you ask, the more you receive. Your advancement team can’t do it alone. And hire a good advancement team, and take their counsel! They know things you don’t.
10. Treasure all alumni, whether they’re donors or not. People give back in many ways, and every alumnus deserves to feel valued by his/her/their law school.
11. Find a way to stay connected to your students. They’re why you’re there. I teach, I’ve set up various ways to check in with different groups, and I’ve tried to signal my availability. But you just can’t do enough in this regard!
12. Deans are middle managers in the campus environment. Be a good one. Build an excellent network. Work toward broader campus goals. Learn all you can about the needs and priorities of the university and your fellow deans, and be a good campus citizen and partner.
13. At most schools, it will be hard to be effective if you’re strongly politically partisan. Learn to keep your politics to yourself, though I believe you can still weigh in in the area of your scholarly expertise. You’ve already got a track record there.
14. Build a great administrative team, and be prepared to rebuild as people leave for other opportunities. Support the career aspirations of those on your team, and let them grow in their roles. Extend trust, and you will be rewarded with trust.
15. There’s nothing better than being on a great administrative team and nothing worse than being on one that’s not working. Don’t be afraid to make change to build a great team.
16. Don’t kick cans down the road. They just get harder to kick.
17. Consult widely, listen carefully, and be neither too impulsive nor too hesitant in making decisions. There are so many decisions! I now know why Pres. Bush said “I’m the Decider,” which I thought was dumb at the time.
18. The job is lonely. Stay connected to old friends. Make new ones who can distinguish between you and your role.
19. Anytime you get down, remind yourself that you took the job to make a positive difference for students. The day you don’t think you can do that, you should quit.
