FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog
February 12, 2007
A New Age of Leadership at Harvard
The naming of the first female president of Harvard University, a place where, as recently as the mid-1970s, women were barred from entering the main door of the faculty club, has prompted the expected chorus of folks wondering if Drew Gilpin Faust’s gender was the main reason for her appointment. That’s not an unreasonable question since her predecessor, Larry Summers, was pretty much run out of office on a rail after speculating if women were biologically cut out for quant disciplines like science and math.
But the more interesting reason for Faust’s selection may be the one alluded to in last Saturday’s New York Times. Richard Chait, a professor of higher education at Harvard, told the paper that he thought the presidential search committee was attracted to Faust because of her management style. “My own sense is that it’s a new template for leadership, and that probably is not unrelated to gender, but it ought not get eclipsed by it.”
Dr. Chait, who studies university management, noted that several major American corporations have recently ousted their tough, even bullying leaders, in favor of more diplomatic, people-oriented managers.
It seems that the softer side of leadership is getting a lot of attention these days. Just last week, Thomas Kuczmarski, who teaches courses on innovation at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, was in our office talking about a new book he wrote about leadership with his wife, Susan Kuczmarski, a cultural anthropologist. It’s called “Apples are Square: Thinking Differently About Leadership,’ (to be published in July.)
One of the things he says he’s now telling his budding MBAs is that the old Jack Welch model of leadership --- assertive, aggressive, controlling, and competitive – has to change. “We need more feminine characteristics in management,” he says.
Just don’t call them that, he warned me. Might spook the fellas.
Nancy Pelosi aside, the modern workplace is not yet ready to sign on to something that might lead someone to call the CEO a girly man. The acceptable way of talking about a leadership model that’s more collaborative, consensus-driven, compassionate, and inclusive, he says, is the gender-neutral term “values-based leadership.”
Call it what you will. But keep your eyes open and chances are good you’ll start recognizing it in the most unlikely places….like at P&G, where A.G. Lafley replaced Durk Jager (who was known as “an aggressive change agent with a confrontational style”) and Disney, where Robert Iger succeeded Michael Eisner (called, by the BBC, “direct, domineering, and harsh.” )
And now even Harvard. Can the Age of Aquarius be far behind?
Posted by Linda Tischler at February 12, 2007 4:27 PM | Category: leadership |
7 Comments
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First--in the interest of full disclosure--I am not a disinterested by-stander to anything relating to the inner workings of Harvard University, a.k.a., The World's Greatest University (so dubbed by Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam who has made a career of Harvard-bashing). I spent several years at the WGU as Director of Communications, during which time I was in the sticky thicket of administrative hand-wringing over the question of "Wither Radcliffe?" before it was finally brought in from the Siberian cold. But that, as they say, is another story.
To say that I was surprised when Drew Gilpin Faust was named the first female president of Harvard last Sunday is an understatement. The Harvard I know is a deeply entrenched, archaic federation of feuding departments, blood-thirsty schools and scheming faculties-- proud to the end of its dysfunctional, survival of the fittest organizational structure. Whether for students, for faculty, for alumni, or for lowly administrative staff, it is a cold and forboding environment.
I can only hope that, as you suggest, this is a the beginning of a new era and that Harvard may just be opening its creaky gates.
"New leadership style"? "Softer side"? Give me a break. It is far easier to pound on, dictate, bully, and control people if you are in a position of power than to work with people, improve people, and accept ideas different than your own. The only reason the harsh management styles of the past have worked is because they were rewarded. If you are looking for REAL leaders find the people who help others excel and succeed without the position of power. My only concern now is that Harvard will use Drew Gilpin Faust as a poster child of "Harvard's new direction" and not really take to heart the real principles of leadership.
In England we have already had a sample of women at the head of large Companies and Universities, some self made and beleive me they are not to be under estimated they will be unforgiving if you rubbish them before you give them a chance.
Two years time you could all be waking up to a female President.We had our own Mrs Thatcher she was able to hold office a lot longer than quite a few of the Male Prime Ministers.She was ousted by her own party. Please USA do not go down your usual way of demoting your top people.
About time.... SHE will do well.
- Steven Burda, MBA
Connect to me: http://www.linkedin.com/in/burda
Are you then suggesting that Hillary Clinton is a good model of leadership. I read another interesting article on leadership by Colin Powell at http://differworld.blogspot.com that other readers might want to read too to see if the above opinion fits with his.
Thanks for the Differworld link. The blog at http://differworld.blogspot.com was very interesting indeed for professional coaching. One of the best.
Thanks for the recommendation to http://differworld.blogspot.com Samantha. It is very hard to believe people on the web when the say "one of the best" but this exceeded expectations on both professional coaching and leadership insight. I really enjoyed the thought provoking posts on wisdom of the ages and some of the other posts needed to be read twice to get a full sense of them. Fabulous depth. And great reminders for leaders like me.