Leadership Moves: Developing Your Career Strategy

Be honest. It does no one any good to mislead yourself about where your strengths and interests lie. It can be difficult at times to see your way forward professionally. Ellen Heffernan, a partner at the search firm Spelman & Johnson in Massachusetts, offers practical and helpful advice for women professionals looking to advance in higher education. Her years of experience helping schools find and recruit high-level executives have given her a well-informed perspective on some of the pitfalls of career moves. Ask yourself the tough questions During a presentation at Women's Leadership Institute in December 2013 in Amelia Island FL, Heffernan began by encouraging women to take the time to plan their next move. It is important that individuals take their entire situation into consideration: where is your spouse (if applicable) willing to move? Where are you willing to live? Given the wide variety of types of schools that exist, what kind do you see yourself working at? Which type of school shares your set of values? If you want to make a successful move up the leadership ladder, it is important that you find the right place, the right " fit " for both you and your family. Many moves, Heffernan emphasized, have failed for this very reason. In order to identify what kinds of positions you would be interested in, you need to assess your professional strengths and priorities. What do you like to do? What are your strengths? Do you like working with students? Faculty? Why are you dissatisfied in your current role? Do you enjoy collaborating or working more independently? These are important, Heffernan reminds us, if you want to be not just successful, but satisfied with your new role. Above all, be honest. It does no one any good to mislead yourself about where your strengths and interests lie. Once you have identified where you would like to be and what you are looking for professionally, the next step is to find positions that match your goals and strengths. It is important to understand what these positions require in terms of skills and other requirements. At this stage Heffernan strongly suggests that you do a skills assessment: what are you missing from your current set of experiences and credentials that you would need to qualify for the positions you aspire to hold? Do you need to finish your PhD? Gain more experience with budgets? …