Consult the Experts

Encountering obstacles are a part of life. Most of us have experienced barriers or hurdles
that can impede the achievement of our goals. Educational leaders are no exception. They often
face a plethora of challenges within the current context of higher education. Lack of resources,
changing student demographics, recruitment and retention issues and faculty resistance to
change, are just a few examples (Farmer, 2010). So how do educational leaders deal with such
complex challenges? I went to the experts to find out.
I used a combination of personal interviews and leadership theory to examine how
leaders at a mid-sized college deal with potential obstacles. The respondents are from different
levels of leadership and were asked to finish the following sentence: Obstacles are a natural
part of accomplishing significant outcomes. A leader deals with obstacles by
After viewing the respondents answers, I started to align individuals with leadership
approaches I have studied so far in a leadership course I am currently taking. A closer look at
Style, Trait and the Skills Approach provided me with a contextual framework to employ on my
quest for answers. Lets have a look at the responses.
Beginning at the Top
Response from the President of the College:
A leader deals with obstacles by taking the opportunity to better understand what issues or
questions might exist that are causing the obstacles and prioritize where to start. It is also an
opportunity to offer ones own position and listen to the position of others to determine where
there might be middle ground, which may lead to the removal of the obstacles or revisions that
result in a compromise that all can accept. Sometimes obstacles exist that do not have a solution,
which may require a different approach, work-around or rethinking the initiative that is being
met by obstacles. I am always up for a good challenge; it strengthens relationships and builds
character (Personal communications, President of the College).

The Style Approach of leadership emphasizes the behavior of the leader (Northouse,
2010, p. 69). Mouton and Blakes Managerial (Leadership) Grid has been used extensively in

organizations to explain how leaders can achieve goals through two main factors: concern for
people and concern for production (Northouse, 2010). There are five major leadership styles on
the grid: authority-compliance (I run the show), country club management (are you okay? Do
you have everything you need?), impoverished management (I could care less about the
company and the people within it), middle of the road management (Lets compromise), and
team management (this is a great place, lets make it even better together).
Team management which is the most balanced approach and places a strong emphasis on
both task and interpersonal relationships. The presidents approach to obstacles involves getting
things out into the open, making priorities clear, being open-minded, and having passion for
what he does (Northouse, 2010, p.75). In summary, I hear him saying: Okay, we have a
problem, I value your input, lets work together to come up with a solution! If you would like to
learn more about the Style Approach, businessballs.com is a great place to start.
Next in Line
The Vice President of Academics (VPA) Response
Obstacles are a natural part of accomplishing significant outcomes. A leader deals with
obstacles by creating a compelling vision of the future that can be accomplished once the
obstacles are overcome and by communicating the vision to others (especially key decisionmakers and influencers). It takes many vs one to remove obstacles to successful outcomes. My
favorite phrase around obstacles that result from resistance to change is - lead, follow or get out
of the way (Personal Communications, VPA Ontario College).
This woman means business! Her no-nonsense yet inclusive response, brought the Trait
Approach of leadership to mind. She possesses many of the five major leadership traits:
intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity and sociability (Northouse, 2010). So how
does she overcome obstacles? The phrase grabbing the bull by the horns comes to mind. Her
transparency when faced with a challenge, highlights her integrity and trustworthiness; she
adheres to a strong set of principles and does what she says she is going to do. Personally, it

comforts me to know that the person in charge of our core business (learning) has what it takes to
support the organization in a time of change.
Although, many have criticized the trait approach because it is leader-centric and does
not take situations into account, more recent research has found a strong relationship between
certain personality traits (The Big Five) and effective leadership (Bryman, 2008; Northouse,
2010). Do you want to know if you have what it takes? Take the Big Five quiz to find out.
In the Trenches
So far we have had a look at two educational leaders in upper management positions.
Now, lets look at a faculty perspective. This faculty member is an educational developer in the
Colleges Teaching and Learning Centre. This is what she had to say:
Obstacles are a natural part of accomplishing significant outcomes. A leader deals with
obstacles by seeing them as opportunities for learning and growth. I like to think of obstacles as
a good thing, as they challenge us to do better and come up with creative solutions. They often
force us out of your comfort zone, which can lead us to push ourselves beyond where we thought
you could go and provide us with opportunity to grow our knowledge and skills. I also find that
obstacles can be motivating, there is nothing quite like being able to overcome a huge challenge,
it feels great and can be very inspiring to me and the faculty I work with.
I know this leader quite well and I am constantly amazed by her intelligence, welcoming
personality and her ability to solve problems apply creativity and adaptability to many different
situations. More recent research about the Skills Approach to leadership highlights that effective
leadership depends on the leaders ability to solve complex problems (Northouse, 2010). The
Skills Model (Mumford et al., as cited in Northouse, 2010) examines the relationship between a
leaders knowledge and skills, and the leaders performance, as well as the context in which the
leader works (Northouse, 2010). This model suggests that the knowledge and skills leaders
acquire over the course of their career can influence their ability to solve complex problems.
Although, this educational developer has only been in her position ten years, she is often

confronted with problems that are complex in nature and need higher levels of conceptual
capacity to solve. She welcomes these challenges and welcomes the opportunity to learn from
them. I was not surprised that this leader aligned well to the skills approach, Northouse (2010)
reminds us that people in lower levels of leadership often have strengths in the technical
(proficiency in specific types of tasks) and human (ability to work with people).
Take-aways
We looked at how three different leaders at different levels in an educational institution
approach obstacles. Using authentic examples to look at leaders through a theoretical lens made
me realize that no one theory stands on its own as the key to a successful leader. Day and
Antonakis (2004) summarize the complexity of leadership as trying to put together one puzzle
with pieces from many different puzzles. I felt like I had the mother of all puzzles in front of
me while writing this blog. However, when viewing all three responses, the following takeaways surfaced:
a. Keep your end goals in mind at all times.
b. Ask yourself, "What effect does this obstacle have on the task, the process, and on the people
involved"?
c. Be transparent: Consult with your team and/or others who may offer insight, ideas, or
experience.
d. Model a positive, can-do attitude for your team; Look at obstacles as a possibility for growth.
e. Dont look for a quick fix. Take the time to think through the consequences of various
options unless of course, the problem calls for an immediate course of action.
f. If you cant overcome the obstacle, analyze what went wrong in order to prevent future
issues.
What do you think?
References

Bryman, A. (2007). Effective leadership in higher education: A literature review. Studies in

Higher Education, 32(6), 693-710.
Day, D., & Antonakis, J. (2004). 2. Leadership: Past, Present, and Future. Sort, 50(100), 500.
Retrieved from http://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/johnantonakis(e032c4cf-c729-486c-849e-e519c8240c89)/publications.html
Evans, L. (2001). Delving Deeper into Morale, Job Satisfaction and Motivation among
Education Professionals Re-examining the Leadership Dimension. Educational
Management Administration & Leadership, 29(3), 291-306.
Farmer, T. A. (2010). Overcoming Adversity: Resilience Development Strategies for Educational
Leaders. Online Submission. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED512453
Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2008). Seven strong claims about successful school
leadership. School leadership and management, 28(1), 27-42.
Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership Theory and Practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE
Publications, Inc.
Quinlan, K. M. (2014). Leadership of teaching for student learning in higher education: what is
needed? Higher Education Research & Development, 33(1), 32-45