Blog from Shelley B. Brundage, Department Chair and Professor, Department Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
As a department chair, I found the GWALA sessions on quality decision making, staff engagement, and faculty development to be the most interesting and impactful for me. In some instances, the methods I currently use were validated by GWALA speakers and discussions. In other instances, the discussions changed my thinking and approach to these areas in the future.
I have a sticky note on my computer that says, “Ask before you tell.” This sage advice was given to me by a professional colleague in a leadership role at a local school. It echoes a quote attributed to Guatama Buddha in a GWALA presentation: “If your mouth is open, you’re not learning.” Decision making can be improved by these simple acts: seeking out information before making your decision, shutting up, and actively listening to what folks are telling you, particularly those with different perspectives. Taking the time to seek such information also slows one’s thinking, allowing time for critical analysis of potential solutions. Slowing down also guards against impulsive decisions, as Dean Goldman noted three questions that she asks herself prior to making a decision. First, ask yourself, “Is this my decision to make?”—or can/should it be delegated to others? Second, what is the timing of the decision—unless the building is on fire, the timeline may not be as urgent as some think it is. Third, what are the consequences of making or not making a decision? After thinking these questions through, gather the facts and frame the decision around the department’s mission and values, the welfare of students, and needs of other constituents. Wisdom and experience also play a role in decision-making, as does basic common sense and courtesy. As one of my GWALA cohort colleagues succinctly noted, when making decisions, “don’t be an a**hole.”
Staff turnover at GW is frequent, and I sometimes feel like I am continually educating, which I guess I am. I’ve been a chair for five years, and I have had five office administrators in my department. I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with excellent administrative staff who have good ideas and genuinely enjoy working in academia. Talking about staff engagement at GWALA validated the importance of being clear in my expectations about performance and noting when a job has been done well. I’ve always been interested in the opinions of our departmental administrators, as they often have great ideas about how to make various departmental processes more efficient, effective, and fair. I had not realized fully until our GWALA conversations how vitally important it is to seek out these opinions and implement them if possible.
My department has had a faculty mentorship program in place for years in which we pair established faculty with newly hired faculty. After attending GWALA I will be suggesting that we act to formalize the process and change how we go about the important job of mentoring faculty. GWALA attendees and speakers shared numerous excellent ideas regarding faculty mentorship. Takeaways regarding good mentor models included: assigning a mentor team, not just one mentor; setting regularly scheduled meetings; including at least one external mentor on the team; and developing mentoring contracts—for both mentor and mentee—that specify expectations for both roles. The GWALA leadership team provided many resources on mentorship that I will be able to access in the future should my department elect to formalize our approach to mentoring.
I recommend GWALA to anyone, especially those who are considering leadership roles. I enjoyed meeting colleagues and deans from across the university. I have a better understanding of the university as a whole and I have a network of colleagues that I can call on to think through issues, discuss possible decisions, or simply have a cup of coffee. The monthly topics and sessions were curated well, with a mix of reading, discussions, self-evaluations, resources, and presentations from GW leaders. Although all aspects of GWALA were helpful, I found the discussions with colleagues and GW leaders to be the most engaging and helpful to my thinking and professional growth.