Seven Habits of Highly Effective Advising Leadership

Even though I was unable to attend this session at the NACADA conference in Chicago (back in October), one of my colleagues was able to attend and provided me with some excellent notes on it. There are great tips contained herein which may someday serve me well; since I am not currently at the point where I am managing a team of advisors but do aspire to such a position.

Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Advising Administrators

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Habit #1: Trust

* Trust must be established through a commitment to support the advising team.
In practice:
1. Open communication (Good and bad news)
2. Maintaining confidentiality
3. Available and correct information
4. Talk the talk and walk the walk

Personally, I think that I am doing this everyday. There are times when I don't want to share news with others but always find a way to preface it with the good and then gently give the bad. There have been a few instances where I have needed to take a firmer stand, but these are far and few between. Also, our office has recently ramped up confidentiality measures and I am making a conscious effort to comply with all of those. Everything from closing the door to our offices when we step out to asking verification questions when we are advising over the phone is helping to ensure that student information does not end up in the wrong hands.

Habit #2: Communication

* Leaders who both openly share with and actively listen to their advising teams cultivate opportunities for their teams to provide essential feedback and insight into the sentiment of the team and to feel heard.
Practice:
1. Time set aside each month or semester to talk one on one with your staff
2. Understand and value different communication styles

I love the idea of individual meetings with a supervisor on a regular basis. It gives supervisee's the chance to voice their opinion in a non-threatening environment as well as provides the supervisor the opportunity to modify behaviors of team members when needed without calling someone out directly. Everyone is going to these meetings so there are no whispers among colleagues about the discussion taking place behind those doors. In terms of what I am working on, I think that I need to continue to hone my listening skills and refine my ability to effectively listen and discuss at the same time.

Habit #3: Consistency

* Consistent enforcement of office policies and procedures will enable the advising manager to create a fairer and more equitable environment
Practice:
1. Procedures manual if none in place
2. Performance appraisals
3. Updating job descriptions

When in a supervisory role, I think this would be one of the most challenging aspects of the job. Not because I believe rules should be different for different people, but more so because everyone interprets policy in different ways and even when its written down there is always room for interpretation. When creating any of the resources that are described above, I believe its important to make things as clear as possible while also leaving a bit of wiggle room for unexpected situations and extenuating circumstances.

Habit #4: Alliances

* Forming alliances with other advising offices' leaders provides a greater amount of leverage than if one leader were to champion the needs of the team on his/her own.
Practice:
1. Create advising network
2. Alert people who are pursuing similiar goals as me

Habit #5: Networking

* Networking builds advising professionals' partnerships both on and off campus, allowing for more efficient work and personal and professional growth and development.
Practice:
1. Cross-training opportunities for advising staff

Habit #6: Recognition

* If an organization-wide award or recognition program is available, managers should take the time to nominate advisors who deserve it. If one is not available, then the manager should develop one for the office
Practice:
1. Nominate staff for insititutions advising awards
2. Create your own award system
3. Public recognition

Recognition seems to be such a simple concept that we often forget to make it a priority in our centers. I have visions of highlighting an advisor a week, what their specialties are and how they are contributing. I also think that there may be some problems with this because not all team members are looking for the spotlight. I think its important to learn the personalities of your staff before embarking on this type of endeavor.

Habit #7: Development

* The design and implementation of creative approaches to advisor development is essential in gaining a greater awareness of advisor's strengths, knowledge, skills, abilities, opportunities for growth and goal setting.

One of the benefits that I am looking for in any job I may take are the opportunities for professional development activities. These conferences and seminars keep me energized and up-to-date on the issues facing the advising field. They also allow me to practice what I tell my students about becoming life-long learners and always looking for new ways to challenge yourself. As an administrator, I would put professional development on the forefront of my agenda.