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Last week I published key points in the cover letter included in my application for NMC president. This week I’ll discuss important points of a 100-day agenda that I shared with the Presidential Search Committee and the NMC Board of Regents in my initial application for president. It outlines the steps I would take during the first critical days as president to help NMC get off to a fast start and emerge stronger and be better prepared to meet the challenges ahead during this crucial point in the history of the College.
Northern Marianas College has dealt with many obstacles since it was established in 1981, and now it is at a critical juncture that will require leadership to bring the College together to face its most difficult challenges. It is imperative that the new president identify the truly critical issues and establish a short list of top priorities to help keep everyone focused on the most pressing issues and solutions.
Obviously, WASC accreditation must be reaffirmed; however, I believe that WASC wants to see that the College is functioning properly, financially responsible, and moving in the right direction. Strong leadership can be demonstrated by making progress, as a College team, on a well-executed plan that accomplishes important goals, and which support the mission and vision of the College. The following is a general outline for the three phases of the agenda. The outcome will be a strategic plan that identifies the top three to five critical issues and goals the College must deal with in order to achieve sustainable growth.
PHASE ONE:
1.1 Familiarize myself with the current situation at NMC. One of the first tasks of a new president will be to get an accurate picture of the current status of the college. This will allow me to understand what things should remain the same, what should change, and how the College can meet the most important challenges ahead. During this step, I would also want to identify the critical issues, core competencies, and biggest untapped opportunities that are not currently being optimized.
1.2 Build relationships with key stakeholders and improve the relationships within the College. One of the first essential steps should be to heal the institution and restore confidence in the administration. The Interim President has done a great job toward this process, and it must be continued. This could be accomplished by amending some of the wrongs that have occurred, honestly listening to concerns, being transparent and more tolerant, and allowing people to make mistakes without fear of losing their jobs. In addition, relationships should be restored or continued with key government entities and officials, as well and leaders in the business community. The object of this phase is to restore trust and confidence in the College so that there will be greater support for future initiatives.
1.3 Communicate expectations throughout the institution. Most problems occur when expectations are not understood or communicated properly. This communication process should be both up and down the organization, as well as with outside stakeholders. I would ensure that I understand the expectations of the Board, the community and government leaders. The College functions in an interdependent relationship with all of its stakeholders and to work well together, we need to understand all our stakeholders’ expectations.
Once there is mutual understanding, I would communicate my expectations to the College personnel to create greater alignment with the mission and vision of the College. A set of values may also be developed during this process so that everyone could easily judge their actions against the stated values. This would lead to greater accountability for everyone, most especially the president.
PHASE TWO:
2.1 Take steps to ensure that core competencies and vital programs at the College are operating at their full potential. The core competencies identified in Phase One are like the vital physical functions of an individual. Like a weak pulse from a failing heart, a specific weakness in a core competency will weaken all other functions of the institution because they are essential to the ongoing operations at the College. They cannot be neglected. I would ensure that the needed resources are available to enhance vital programs and core competencies, since they are essential to revenue creation.
2.2 Develop a plan for growth and revenue enhancement. Once a foundation of trust is developed, I would continue a dialogue with key stakeholders about the direction they feel the College should move in order to overcome threats and take advantage of opportunities. Even though I have my ideas, there are a multitude of great ideas that have been shared by others and need to be heard. This step has three purposes: first, to generate a large amount of excellent ideas for consideration; second, to get people focused and excited about positive outcomes; and third, to create greater buy-in from the community and College when the highest priority ideas are implemented.
Yes, we do have a strategic plan in place already, but like any good plan, it requires a periodic update after examining the many internal and external changes that have occurred – and there have been numerous changes and future challenges that were not apparent when the latest plan was developed. In a survey given to 32 people, several individuals identified finances and the budget as a major area of concern. Rising costs and additional cuts affect the College resources and affect the ability to implement goals; therefore, an updated plan should address this and other areas identified during Phase One.
2.3 Communicate the plan widely. Once the plan is developed with the top three to five goals identified, it must be communicated widely throughout the College and community. This step is used to also gain commitment from key entities that can help achieve the plan. This is an ongoing process to ensure that the top goals are maintained and strongly supported.
PHASE THREE:
3.1 Create a scoreboard and systems that are easily understood and used to measure important actions that will lead to the success of the plan. The plan should have metrics to measure the progress of the goals and initiatives. The next step would be to develop a simple scoreboard that can be seen by everyone and used to show our success. It is essential that everyone knows the “score” so they can see how they are doing, as individuals and as a whole.
The next step would be to create systems and an environment that compels College personnel to take the appropriate actions to achieve the planned objectives. By setting up the right environment, it promotes intrinsic motivation where people take the initiative to do what they feel is best, and it offers a framework for people to move within and make empowered decisions.
3.2 Implement the plan. This is just the “do it” step. It also involves constant follow-up and follow-through to ensure the initiatives are being accomplished. However, if the correct system is established, the individuals monitor themselves and also perform the quality control function.
3.3 Monitor and measure progress along the way. Individuals should monitor themselves as they implement the plan, and there should also be a regular assessment to determine the plan’s progress to achieve stated goals. This step would be used to celebrate the small successes and large victories. Individuals would be recognized for their efforts and self-initiation would be rewarded. A progress report could be posted for the public to view our progress and also used to demonstrate the vital, strategic link the College plays in the community. If all the other steps were done correctly, NMC would eventually become financially stable, graduate students who are top candidates of employers, and produce entrepreneurs who give back to the community.
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