The Fanning Institute has a long history of working collaboratively with a number of academic partners. Through these efforts we focus on two distinct units of analysis: the individual academic as a leader and their department or unit as a whole.
Individual leadership development is about developing the necessary skills to be an effective leader within a specific context. While there are universal principles in leadership, being a successful leader within the field engineering may have certain distinctions from being a successful leader within the field of medicine. Through a leadership development process, we encourage academics to reflect upon their own attributes as leaders, how they interact with others and specific steps they can take to improve their overall effectiveness.
We also support leaders in their efforts to make changes and improvements within their department or unit. We work with leaders to assess the “current state of affairs” within their organization. In addition, we encourage leaders to spend a considerable amount of time and energy creating and articulating their own “visions” for their departments.
Once an understanding of current realities and visions for the future are developed, we work with department heads and leaders to consider what needs to be “continued, stopped and started within the organization in an effort to transform leadership visions into tangible organizational improvements.
Contact public service associate Brendan Leahy, Ed.D. for more information on ways the Fanning Institute can partner with your academic unit.
