Positive Academic Leadership: How to Stop Putting Out Fires and Start Making a Difference

by Jeffrey L. Buller

In Positive Academic Leadership, Jeffrey Buller offers new insights and practical tools, as well as language and tactics, for fostering a more effective approach to leadership. With acumen and a dash of humor, he shows leaders how they can take the focus off the negative and change what they say, their perspectives, and their strategies. This more constructive leadership style plays to the strengths of leaders rather than to the weaknesses of their institutions.

Offering time-tested and fresh ideas for becoming the type of leader who acts as a coach, counselor, and conductor for faculty, staff, and students, Buller demonstrates how positive leadership can become a day-to-day practice. With its down-to-earth style, the book draws on the most current research on positive leadership in neuroscience, psychology, management, organizational behavior, and other disciplines and translates their lessons into readable and accessible recommendations. It then makes these recommendations come to life by providing real-world examples that illustrate how to implement positive leadership strategies in all spheres of the leader’s activities and institution.

Positive Academic Leadership is a wise guide for transforming any leader’s attitude about inevitable daily crises into manageable challenges that are based on a philosophy of accepting the environment and situation but working to make things better.

Genres: Education, Leadership, Nonfiction

391 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

"Jeffrey L. Buller grew up in Wisconsin and has since turned a lifelong passion for ideas, stories, and the stage into a distinguished international career. He has served in academic and administrative roles at Loras College, Georgia Southern University, Mary Baldwin College, and Florida Atlantic University, earning a reputation for bringing both rigor and wit to the art of leadership. A classicist by training and a scholar of Wagnerian music drama by avocation, he has lectured and led workshops around the world, including serving as the English-language lecturer for the International Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, Germany. He is also the author of numerous works of fiction, poetry, and essays that explore art, travel, and the search for meaning, including the novels The Archaic Smile and Bird Without Wings and poetry collections Pampelmousse and Sobremesa." "This biography was provided by the author or their representative."

Reviews

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well... Well... Well... I was frightened, dear reader. Those three words - positive - academic - leadership - can lead us into the path of hippies, wizards, unicorns, Oprah and the burning of essential oils.

Instead, this book is a ripper. And it does something that I haven't seen any other academic leadership book, seminar, training course or MOOC do. It argues - wait for it - that leadership in universities is different from leadership in business, corporations, or the military.

That clear and clean argument - universities are different types of workplaces - allows a proper discussion about leadership in higher education. The tips and tricks that are presented are strong, and the imperative to move from reactive crisis management to considered planning is welcome.

Finally, someone has recognized that universities are not like a bank or a mining company. And the resultant analysis is solid, careful and convincing.

[Samantha Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to buy copies of this for everyone. Good data, evidence, and actionable ideas.

[Ann Perreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provided great insight as a new chair in my department. I appreciated the perspective of how to embrace positive leadership, knowing that you can balance this with realism! For example, words matter, even in small interactions with faculty; Recognize the unique structure of higher education and intricacies of shared governance. Work with this system as opposed to resisting or downplaying it. Finally, become a catalyst in the system to promote change not by explosion as the fuel but by fostering subtle improvements in the environment that lead to growth and progress.

The suggested exercises were helpful such as write out one's core values as a leader and professional goals that include leadership. Overall, I would highly recommend it.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish all academic executives would read this book. There are unique aspects to academic leadership that requires a different skill set than other businesses, particularly those with shared governance, and Buller does an excellent job at documenting these. This is a positive and inspiring read that should be given to all new presidents, provosts, and deans. I work with a lot of executive teams for my job, and have been on many in past jobs, and will begin recommending this to them.

[LaShanda Chamberlain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains some positive insights for those in academic leadership. If you have found yourself in an academic leadership role or aspire to academic leadership, this book deserves a read!! It contains valuable advice throughout the book. The material is presented in a concise & easy manner. I gained some valuable information from this book that I plan to incorporate into my leadership philosophies.

[Catherine Landys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and inspiring. Should be read by every college administrator.