Whether you’re an experienced or emerging leader in higher education, the path to developing strong leadership skills isn’t always clear. From formal training programs to learning through trial and error, there are many ways to build your leadership toolkit—here are a few options for help in developing leadership skills.

The School of Hard Knocks

We are all familiar with learning from experience. A lot of that learning, at least in my experience, comes from making mistakes or, if you’re lucky, watching someone else make the mistakes. If you’re learning in this fashion, you might be an accidental leader, the one who says “yes” more than “no,” the one who is good at the job, but the one who has little to no formal leadership training. A lot of leaders fall into this category and develop their leadership skills on the job. Think committee leaders, project leads, faculty senators; these roles are often stepped into as an act of service but may develop each of us more fully as leaders. What works for me in the school of hard knocks is to be reflective–what am I learning about leading? And how can I do a better job next time when I’m leading? What supports could I use? 

The Value of Mentors

Mentors can provide us with valuable leadership nuggets. Or maybe, you are lucky enough to have a mentor who guides you specifically in relation to leadership. Would it be possible to adopt another mentor who might be able to advise you about leadership skills, one willing to listen to and advise on your leadership growing pains? 

Reading Books or Other Consumables

I have turned to books my whole life when I’ve wanted (or needed) to learn, and there are a plethora of books on leadership. Amazon lists 60,000 titles, and those are ones with 4 out of 5 stars or higher. Sorting by price, publication date, or “featured” might make searching for a title easier if you don’t have a recommendation. Yet another source for leadership information might be podcasts, a popular choice for people who can listen on the drive to/from work or on the treadmill. Some of you might be familiar with Bonni Stachowiak’s podcast Teaching in Higher Ed, but did you know her husband has a successful podcast called Coaching for Leaders? I find these types of choose-your-own-adventure and on-demand professional development really valuable.

Attending Webinars or Other Formal Professional Development on Leadership

In our own district, the Maricopa Leadership Institute (MLI) “is a comprehensive leadership development program to support and grow leaders across the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD). It focuses on cultivating leadership skills aligned with organizational values, student and community engagement, and preparing Maricopa for a sustainable future” (F.A.Q.). If you work in MCCCD, you can express your interest here. Likewise, for future department chairs, there is the Faculty Leadership Academy. This usually runs in the summer. Additionally, there are opportunities through the Employee Learning Center where you’ll find 33 courses on leadership-related items–some geared toward those in supervisory roles and others more general on leadership development. 

Finally, here at GCC, we have a membership for Go2Knowledge. Any of us can attend live webinars or webinars on-demand on the topic of leadership. There are over 100 webinars that deal with leadership directly or indirectly. 

Looking outside of our district, there are opportunities from organizations like the Aspen Institute, the National Community College Hispanic Council, and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. Also, there are degree programs in higher education leadership, and several of our colleagues across the district are working through these programs now. 

There are so many resources for learning about leadership. What should I have included in these ideas? Drop a note in the comments if you have a good recommendation.